Replace lawn with slate chippings

[robby71]

Hi
Due to lazy dog walkers letting their dogs leave their mess on a small lawn to the side of the house i'm looking to replace this with some loose slate chippings as i'm told dogs/ cats don't like walking on sharp chippings.
This lawn is a triangle shape and maybe 4 square meters in total?
If i put a membrane over the lawn will this kill off the grass or should i use a strong weedkiller first or do i need to remove a top layer of the lawn?

I was hoping it would be as easy as membrane down then chippings so i wouldn't have to hire a skip at more cost to get rid of and grass/ soil removed

 

[r896neo]

Membrane down and chippings will be fine.
In the medium term the grass will rot a little and be a bit grim under the membrane but that doesn't matter.

I would definately spray with weedkiller first, low cost and will help reduce the slime/ rot a little.

 

[robby71]

Thanks - any recommendations for strong weedkiller?

 

[magicmushroom666]

I did similar and its completely stopped cats etc making a mess on my front. I dug out the turf though so that the slates level would match the surrounding pavement etc. which looks a lot nicer.
A glyphosate weed killer will kill the grass and everything else growing in there.

 

[robby71]

We have an enclosed lawn at the back of the house so as well as keeping cats + dogs off the front the slate will be a lot easier to maintain during the summer - the blue slate looks attractive and will compliment the gravel in another part of the front garden.
I'll look for the glyphosate weed killer on ebay - would prefer a shotgun for the dogs and cats but more hassle

 

[r896neo]

There is no such thing as strong weedkiller. There is only correctly applied weedkiller and incorrectly applied. One kills weeds easily, one is hit and miss, ineffective and a waste of money.

Just follow the directions of any glyphosate product.

 

[sky_bum]

An alternative to weedkiller, is to put some cardboard between the grass and the fabric and make sure it soaking wet. This will block all sunlight to any plants on the ground while the moisture will rot off any live plants.
To go above and beyond, you could also spread some hydrated lime on top of the soil to burn off the grasses and increase the PH of the soil so that any grass will find it difficult to extract nutrients.

You could spread some salt to ensure nothing will ever grow there, but it might make it difficult down the line if you decide to plant some rose bushes or restore the lawn.

EDIT: spelling