Briock / grass

.

Canvas

.

Turf

.

Crushed stone

.

Polymer concrete

.

Pavers

.

Floor

.

Granite resin

Click photos for more information

.

The Price Range of Labyrinths

We are often asked how much it costs to make a labyrinth. The answer depends on many variables. The price range below is only approximate. For large institutions that require architectural plans and complicated procedures, the cost could be double, For organizations that have volunteers or contractors willing to donate their services, the cost will be less. These prices do not include amenities such as landscaping, benches, lighting, sculpture, water features, or similar. Such features often cost more than the labyrinth itself. Examples of labyrinths using all of these materials may be found in our gallery section under Our Work.

Canvas Labyrinths . . . $800 - $3,300

Labyrinth Enterprises has the only full-time large studio dedicated solely to making canvas labyrinths. See canvas. See studio.

Temporary Labyrinths

Temporary labyrinths can be made with masking tape on the floor, by painting the grass, or by using engineers' flags. None of these materials cost more than $15 to $20 unless the labyrinth is very large. If you do this often, there are tools to make it easier. Under the articles section (see tape machine) are instructions for making a stand-up tape machine so you don't have to work on your knees. Paint stores have both paint wands and paint carts to give the same help for painting. These tools can cost from $15 to $150.

Grass Labyrinths . . . 0 - $10

Mowing your labyrinth into the grass costs only a small amount for gas, and perhaps some engineers' flags. There are many labyrinths that have lasted for years simply by continuing to mow them. The paths are mowed low and the lines, generally a foot or more wide, are taller. they can be trimmed (setting the mower to a higher level) for a highly manicured look or allowed to grow, perhaps with some wild flowers added.

Grass Paving . . . $10,000 - $20,000

Grass paving allows for spaces to remain green while still supporting wheelchairs and even vehicles. Click on the photo for more details.

Turf Labyrinths . . . 0 - $10

Turf labyrinths are labor intensive but not costly. Generally the line or the path is dug out, usually by hand with a shovel. By just diggingout the lines at a fairly narrow width, such as four or five inches, it sets off the paths very nicely. For examples of English turf labyrinths, see the photo gallery at www.labyrinthos.net.

Soft Path Labyrinths . . . 0 - $6,000

Oneof the most common ways of making a labyrinth is to use bricks or stones for the lines and leave the paths a grass. Or, alternatively, make the paths out of mulch. I made a labyrinth in my back yard by collecting river stones (free) and using them for the lines. Periodically I would have to use a Weedeater to trime the grass around the stones. Bricks can also be used. The lines can be painted on the grass and then dug out to accommodate the bricks, making them flush with the ground. that way, mowers can pass over them.

If the paths are to be mulch, it is best to lay landscaping cloth underneath to inhibit the growth of weeds. That can cost $600 to $800 for a decent size labyrinth. Draw the pattern onto the cloth with chalk, lay out your rocks, and add the mulch. Rubber mulch (recycled tires) is very practical and long-lasting, but it would take the cost of the labyrinth into the top of the range listed. It costs around $1,000 per ton. I used $4,000 worth in a 66-foot-wide labyrinth.

Crushed Stone Labyrinths . . . 0 to $10,000

Crushed stone is used to form the base for concrete and paver labyrinths. In some cases it is used alone as a paving surface (commonly seen in state parks for walking paths). Note that I am not talking about gravel. Gravel is all the same size and doesn't compact very well, leaving a lot of air space. Crushed stone has a range of sizes from the largest down to powder. This allows it to be compacted to form a hard surface, as the voids are all filled with smaller particles. There are a number of names for this kind of material. In St. Louis the larges stones are 3/4-inch, down to powder. So it is called "3/4 minus." It may be called "manufactured fines," "decomposed granite," "or some name with :base" in it.

In St. Louis they often remove the old asphalt when resurfacing the streets, to keep from having too much build-up. We made a labyrinth using that ground up asphalt, which the city was happy to give us free. When spread out and compacted, it became quite hard again. You can make a labyrinth by renting a sod-cutter to cut out the grass where the paths will be, and fill that area with crushed stone. It can be compacted by renting a plate compactor. You can hire someone with a dump truck and Bobcat to come and spread out the crushed stone and then compact the whole surface. You can then dig out the lines and put bricks in them. In the case of very soft soil, you might put a crushed stone base under the landscape cloth for a brick and mulch labyrinth. Getting the base done professionally could cost as much as $8,000, although usually less than that.

Painted Concrete . . . $5,000-15,000

Painting on existing concrete is a very affordable, but not durable in the long run. You need to powerwash the concrete to make sure it's clean, and then draw and paint (or stencil) the pattern. Traffic paint works well, or two-part epoxy paint. There is an acrylic resin paint called EnviroMax available from www.alldeck.com that we have used successfully. We have painted labyrinths on wooden decks, for which concrete was not an option.

Polymer Concrete Labyrinths . . . $18,000 - $40,000

Labyrinth Enterprises has developed some proprietary techniques for making affordable, durable, low-maintenance concrete labyrinths that are very popular with institutions. We either stencil or score the pattern, using polymer concrete to color the pattern. It is much stronger than stain or paint. We are not contractors, however, so the client first has a local company do the underlying concrete. (We can supply our suggested guidelines.) Then we come and install the labyrinth pattern. Our fee varies from $15,000 to $27,000 depending on the pattern, size, and circumstances. Including the cost of the concrete, the range above should be fairly accurate. See polymer concrete.

Granite Resin . . . $18,000 - $40,000

This is a material that Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC, began offering in 2008. Made of crushed granite in a resin base, it has no pigments and should not fade. The color is the natural color of the granite itself. Being mostly quartz, granite has crystals in it, and sparkles accordingly. It is available in vivid colors not possible with concrete. See Granite resin.

Cut Paver Labyrinths . . . $30,000 to $120,000

Making labyrinths from two colors of pavers involves a lot of cutting. Both the shape and the background color must be cut, creating double the work. When cut completely by hand, such a labyrinth is an astounding work of art, worth of a six-figure price tag. Now, however, we have taken advantage of water jet technology to cut some of the pavers. This has brought down the cost of a two-color paver labyrinth to an affordable range. Here at Labyrinth Enterprises be work with Marty Kermeen, the world's most accomplished paver artist, to install our paver labyrinths. See pavers.

Indoor Labyrinths . . . $3,000 - $150,000

We have drawn and painted labyrinths on wooden floors, as well as scoring the pattern and staining the pattern into concrete floors. It is possible to have any pattern cut into tiles, from ceramic to terrazzo or stone. The cost depends on the size, complexity, materials, and installation process.

Carpet Labyrinths . . . $30,000 - $50,000

Carpet labyrinths are cut by water jet technology and then hand assembled. The whole process is very labor intensive and costly. The cost of the carpet alone is around $1,000 per foot of diameter. So a 30-foot-wide carpet would be around $30,000. There could be additional costs, such as transportation and installation.

Stone, Terrazzo, Cutom Installations . . . $60,000 - $300,000

I served as the consultant for the Cathedral Labyrinth and Sacred Garden in New Harmony, Indiana. This granite labyrinth is striking, with a cost far into six figures. We can make labyrinths from any kind of stone. We don't recommend terrazzo as an outdoor material. It was developed for flooring, indoors. When wet it can be trecherous. And the metal dividers have difficulty in the weather.

Exact Chartres Replica . . . $1,000,000

We offer the possibility of an exact replica of the Chartres labyrinth, made from the same stone, taken from the same quarry near Chartres. It would be quite an exciting project.

Carpet

.

Temporary

.

Grass paving

.

Stone / mulch

.

Painted concrete

.

Stained pavers

.

Stone (granite)

.

Terrazzo (and Robert Ferre)

.

Click on photos for more information