I just wanted to uodate this thread.. I am now finally getting around to landscaping our back yard after many road blocks. So decomposed granite and crusher fines or “chat” are not the same thing. DG is a naturally occuring erosion process created by mother nature and time and the product result is smoothish rounded pieces compared to crushed fines which are rough, jagged edged pieces that show signs of manually being broken and that is exactly how crusher fines or chat are made, they are crushed and broken apart with heavy equipment. To reduce the risk of tracking in the fine particulates of DG into the house it is suggested to use a larger sized DG. For light duty pathways that may never see the use of a wheelbarrow or trailer running over it then a 1/4” DG or crusher fines can be used but for utility pathways then a 3/8” DG or crusher fine will want to be used. There is this great little E book called “Decomposed Granite…..” by leslie patten and it goes over how to install a long lasting DG patio with proper road base installation and DG installation and there is no stabilizers needed or weed barrier and most surprising and contrary to popular belief is that you do not in fact install 2”-4” of decomposed granite. I highly recommend getting her Ebook and learning more about how ro install DG using this method. so for the most part after going back and looking at my original sources local to Utah for ”decomposed granite” I have since discovered some of the places are actually selling crushed fines and not decomposed granite. i can now identify the distinct characteristics between the two products. it is my understanding that installing anything less than 3/8” DG or crusher fines can result in a very soft and mushy ground cover and should be reserved for use in garden beds or used in areas that have imbeded paver stones and see minimal traffic. i hope this helps others who may stumble upon this!

I haven't yet used dg but have researched this in preparation for putting in some paths. So I'll share that with you. First off, you WILL have to contend with some weeds which naturally land on top of it and take root. This is much more common than weeds sprouting from beneath I'm told. However most people say weeds are really not a big deal if you're somewhat diligent in removing those that pop up. You can use an organic spray (such as the vinegar mix I've posted about and others have mentioned). Just keep it in a handy spray bottle and problem solved. A couple of times a year (spring and fall) ought to be enough. I've also been told it's best NOT to put down weed cloth because you want your first layer of gravel to embed into the soil. And besides, as I've mentioned, the weeds are much more likely to blow in on top rather than coming up from below. The first step is to clear the ground of most weeds/grass however you choose to do it and then get it as level as possible. If you should decide to use a tiller then till very superficially - better than deep tilling I'm told because that would just spread and activate dormant seeds. You could also cover the area with plastic or cardboard until the grass dies down. It was suggested to me that the entire height of the gravel be about 4 inches and that you only need to use the more expensive dg for the top inch or so. Using a road base gravel is best for underneath it. I know a gravel company near me calls it "dirty-d". It's used for roads because it forms a thick mat and holds (it has angular crushed limestone). Lastly, it was recommended that I compact each layer (a layer being one or two inches thick) as it's put down. That assures that it is well integrated and compacted and won't move around. You can either rent a fairly heavy hand rolling machine or hire someone to do it. So this is what I plan to do. Others may have alternative ways, but this was what I was told by some professional landscapers. Good luck!

Base thicknesses vary, depending on where you live (freeze/thaw cycle), but here in Chicago we would normally have 10" of total excavation for a brick patio with 6 1/2" of CA-6 gravel base, 1" of bedding sand and then the brick. Your attached photo shows the correct limestone for a patio base. But regardless of where you are if you don't do all the excavation now you will have to remove massive amounts of material to get to the proper depth later. Decomposed granite makes a very nice patio and is all the rage right now in the Midwest. If you opt for that scenario, then simply excavate 4-5", lay down a soil separator, spread and compact your limestone and then add the decomposed granite. 3" of limestone and 2" of granite works nicely. Compact the granite and you are "good to go" Here is a decomposed granite pathway, done in 2006 that I photographed a couple of years ago. The only downside is that they are not kind to bare feet. Otherwise they are a great aesthetic.

"... as long as there is room between the path borders." I don't know what you mean by this statement. "Room" where and how for what? If you're going to stack another layer of crushed stone on top of the existing, it's got to be about 2" thick minimum. If it's less, it's going to get scuffed, worn, or washed (I'm speculating on possibilities) as gravel does. If the stone underneath becomes temporarily exposed, there stands a chance of the underneath stone becoming mixed with the top layer of stone, where it would quickly become an unsortable mess. Will stacking it like that mess up surrounding grade?