Add Personality To Cement Steps With An Old Scottish Gravel Technique

If you're going for an Old World look, you should try an Old World technique. Back in early modern Britain, houses were mostly constructed from stone, brick, timber, or gravel/earth. Around this time, builders sought techniques to make houses not only more durable, but more beautiful as well. It was an era of ornamental ironwork, stained glass, and elegant brickwork. In Scotland, builders invented a technique to clad buildings in a unique, fashionable textured coating without investing in costly materials. The method was known as pebbledash and involved spreading small chips of flint or other native stone over a sticky layer of mud, lime, and straw (known as cob). It remained a popular way to decorate building facades for centuries.

Today, pebbledash can be seen across Britain, in famous structures like The Orchard at Chorleywood, as well as in many private homes across the region. Modern pebbledash is executed using cement, rather than cob, but is still a charming way to add some texture to an otherwise plain surface. Accordingly, you can add personality to cement steps with pebbledash.

Cement is very utilitarian, and it's an integral part of most home constructions, but many homeowners feel their façade is blighted by ugly or plain concrete stairs. Natural Habitat Landscaping, based in Scotland, demonstrates how homeowners can DIY pebbledash cladding for a cement surface and completely transform an entry point in the process. This is intensive and time-consuming work, but it is worth it: If done correctly, you will have an incredibly durable surface. Note, however, that pebbledash is typically a siding, not a surface for walking. It is possible to install a walkable pebble surface, but this requires specialized sealants and unique technologies to make the stone durable enough to step on.

The process of pebbledashing is fairly straightforward. Set aside a few days to a couple of weeks for your project, depending on the scale of the area you wish to pebbledash. A standard entryway staircase should fall somewhere in the middle of this range. The stairs should be dry at the time of application, and you must be sure the cement is not severely damaged or uneven — such flaws may require a professional for repair. Next, prepare a cement mixture (you can use regular Ordinary Portland cement), and mix according to the packaging instructions to create what is known as a scratch coat. A stucco scratch coat requires basically the same technique. Once the scratch coat is prepared, it is time to apply the pebbles.

Traditionally, pebbledash decoration has been done with small stones or stone chips found around a building site. Today, you can use any small, hard natural materials to pebbledash a surface. For example, a variation known as "seashell stucco" employs broken bits of shells. However, if you are a first-timer at this DIY, we recommend going with a fairly uniform and easy-to-work-with small stone, like standard all purpose pea gravel. If you keep your eye on stores like Home Depot, you can usually find some great deals on pea gravel. To apply your stones to the surface you prepared earlier, simply scoop and toss them to make them stick. There are plenty of TikTok videos showcasing DIYers having fun with this part of the process.

When you are finished, you will have a textured surface that should last for many years. However, you should note that this is not only a benefit of pebbledash — but the most common complaint about it. In the United Kingdom, especially, pebbledash was very popular from the 1920s to the 1950s, and as a result, a generation of Brits see the cladding as cheap and outdated. The biggest problem with this is that it's incredibly difficult to remove without damaging the underlying surface. Should you ever choose to change up your pebbledash cladding, one of the most popular options is to paint over it.