Here’s What To Put Under Gravel Driveway

Categories:

The axiom, ‘Good things come for a better price,’ fails when we talk about gravel driveways.

A gravel driveway can be an excellent organic, inexpensive, low-maintenance addition to any home. It can accent any genre of home construction and style.

A gravel driveway is an absolute bargain when compared to other driveway materials. More amazingly, it brings no hefty costs of designer advice or labor. A gravel driveway can be a fun DIY project for any beginner. With regular maintenance, your dear gravel driveway can last for generations.

The super-secret to a perfect gravel driveway is the suitable base. A gravel base may come in several dimensions, volumes, and materials. To get started with your gravel driveway, you must acquaint yourself with the essential tips and tricks to a perfect base.

To learn more about achieving the proper gravel driveway foundation, continue reading.

Materials That Go Under a Gravel Driveway

Gravel refers to loose stones or rocks that vary in size, such as bigger than sand particles but smaller than cobblestones. To be a little more precise, you can expect them to be anywhere between 1/10 to 2.5 inches in diameter.

The gravel driveway, known to our eyes, is just one top layer. A driveway usually consists of 3-4 base layers of different materials. A driveway base makes the most crucial part of driveway construction. It creates a solid, resistant layer to grooving and keeps the gravel from moving sideways. A firm base is also necessary to bear heavy-duty vehicle load and spread it equally.

Here are different ideas for making up the foundation of your gravel driveway.

Bottom Layer

The bottom layer of a driveway fabric always consists of larger stones. Surprisingly, the bottom gravel layer is the most crucial for holding your driveway well in place. Baseball-sized angular gravel is the best for forming the foundation of a driveway.

It bears multiple tips and flat surfaces that connect with other stones and compact perfectly. However, round-sized stones move beneath the weight of heavy vehicles and demand frequent raking back. Most driveways use three or four layers of variant-sized gravel.

Multiple sizes and shapes help to keep the foundation strong and ensure an efficient drainage system.

Clean Stone

A well-known choice for the bottom layer of a gravel driveway is ‘clean stone.’ Gray in color, this stone is the best for asphalt and concrete blends, driveways, and underneath layers of heavy construction sites. Popularly known as #3 stone, it ranges from 1-2 inches in diameter. The clean stone gravel is made of machine-crushed stones and rock fragments of irregular sizes.

A clean stone base must be 4 inches thick and perfectly compacted. It offers a strong foundation for a tough-job driveway and promotes a healthy drainage system.

Crushed Stone

The next on the list is a mixture of machine-crushed rock, sand, and stone, about the size of a golf ball. Given its sturdy properties, crushed stone is often used to form the bottom layer of a driveway. A crushed stone driveway is composed of small stones intermixed with coarse sand.

Usually, it is also composed of recycled bricks, concrete, rocks, and blacktop. Crushed Stone makes a stern foundation suitable for laying down a base for any domestic driveway.

You can also find it in different colors. Crushed stones that come from limestone or granite are greyish-black in color. Whereas commonly found in municipal paving projects, the crushed blue stone has a dark blue-gray color.

In addition to a durable base, crushed stones can also make fascinating driveway tops.

See Also: How To Make A Gravel Path On A Slope?

Middle Layer

If you are still unweaving the mystery of what peeks from beneath a gravel driveway, here it is. The second gravel layer is constructed of smaller-sized angular gravel. Typically the size of a golf ball, crushed stones make an excellent middle layer for driveways.

Crushed Stone #57

The thumb rule of layering a driveway calls for smaller stones as we reach the top. The #57, size of a golf-ball crushed stone, is perfect for building the middle layer. This stone’s angular shape and size prevent impervious interlocking and thus promote a better drainage system. This rock’s size and shape make it perfect for French drains, concrete mix, and landscaping.

Crushed Stone #411

A smaller and finer choice for middle layer gravel is #411 crushed stone. It is a blend of coarse stone dust and rock. It forms a stable solid structure that helps vehicles to drive away quickly. A #411 Crushed stone is often used as the top layer of driveways for its smooth texture. This stone’s fine texture helps build a stable coarse gravel driveway.

Washed Crushed Stone

A washed crushed stone is similar to a crushed stone in texture, shape, and properties. The only mark that it makes is being thoroughly washed after the crushing process. Therefore, it comes with no dust and chemical powder but is clean and attractive.

A washed crushed stone promotes the perfect drainage system as it comes off clean, leaving no dust to mix with water and form clogging. Depending upon size, shape, and smoothness, it can make the right choice for the top layer of gravel.

Gravel Driveway Extras

Combining gravel and greenery in your front garden design is ideal for creating a welcoming and colorful outdoor space. You can consider adding flowerbeds, lawns, and oversized planters to make your garden look stylish and practical.

Alternatively, you can opt for a rockery to achieve a low-maintenance yet organic look. But for an extra touch of luxury, you can add a water feature, such as a small pond or fountain, which will help create a tranquil atmosphere and provide a focal point in your garden.

If you want to make your garden stand out and visible in the evenings, you could add lighting to your design. This could create a show-stopping effect and could help make your garden a great place to relax, entertain, and enjoy all year round. Planting trees and shrubs can also provide shade, privacy, and a touch of nature to the overall design.

Wrap Up

The options for the topmost layer of your driveway are endless. You can opt for pea gravel, the smooth rounded earthy like stones that appeal to the beholder. Or you can go for the sparkling marble chips, perfectly finished to give your driveway the aesthetically elegant look you’ve always wanted.

The list holds many more, including River Rock, Jersey Shore Gravel, Quarry Process Stone, and whatnot. Selecting and choosing the right gravel type for your driveway is just one part of the driveway construction process. You must bring helpful tips and tricks to ease your task to achieve the perfect gravel driveway.

Ensure the site is fully prepared beforehand, ensure an efficient drainage system, and use edgings and driveway borders where needed.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to seek professional advice as and when necessary.

Read More

Related Articles

Budget Small Garden Ideas

We spend a lot of time in our gardens and transforming them into the outdoor oasis of our dreams is something we all aspire...

Lavender Light Requirements – Full Guide

Lavender or Botanical name lavandula - an herb that can be used in food or flowers that can be used as an essence. The...