help picking a gravel

[abbie8084]

we have one parking space that is paved and the other vehicle is parked in the yard aka mud pit... we want to put gravel in it but im not sure which is the best for this muddy of an area the ruts are about a foot deep and the entire area is mud. I need something that won't dissapear.please help

 

[Craig Clayton]

You need to remove the top layer of mud to get down to a sub base. Then depending upon what is available in your area ie limstone screenings, A gravel ,B gravel or what the local supplier suggests. Put in more than you want as final grade because it will settle. You can wash it down with a garden hose or your car or a base plate tamper.

Craig Clayton

 

[crazyal]

There's a rental company near here that sells geotextile road fabric by the foot. Full rolls are 300' plus long and most supply stores only sell it by the roll but if you ask around you can find someone who sells by the foot.

Level and compact the ground the best you can, it helps if the ground is dry. Then lay the fabric down and cover with a crushed gravel. I personally like gravel that includes the fines (very small stone and dust). Try to get at least 6" of gravel on top of the fabric.

 

[Egon]

Maybe get some drainage established so the mud pit goes away. Then think about the parking pad.:thumbsup:

 

[Johnp33]

The deeper you dig the better and the base you want large rock, then smaller rock, then the limestone. You want to tamp every layer, with water as a lubricant. As suggested have the level a little higher than the final level you want. Even them you want extra to fill and level after a year or so.
Just a thought!

 

[Combustix]

Maybe get some drainage established so the mud pit goes away. Then think about the parking pad.:thumbsup:

+1 mud will stay and eat your gravel till you solve the water issue.

 

[VA MTN MAN]

The fabric mentioned earlier is the cheapest and best solution.put it right on the mud and six or eight inches of crushed stone will hold it forever.the fabric will keep the mud from migrating up into the rock. We have built roads over swamps with this and never had a failer.

 

[Johnp33]

I worked where they built roads for logging and we never had any fabric at that time. If you have a drainage problem then, as suggested that needs to be addressed. When I built my last 2 shops I used a fabric covering my drainage pipes but they were surrounded by a lot of rock.
The way to build things change but big rocks give you a good base.

 

[VA MTN MAN]

The fabric is a fairly new way to do things. In the old school way you would dig down a couple feet through the topsoil and fill with a larger base then top with a smaller crush or finish stone. We started using the fabric in places where the dirt was bad two or three feet deep. This made the fill of gravel too expensive and we found the fabric works so well we started using it in more applications. In our area gravel has gone up so much in the last few years we use the fabric anytime just a finish gravel wont work. We can buy what they call a driveway kit 15x50 fabric for around 75 dollars or a 300x15 roll for less than 400 dollars. Less than a load of stone. I would never have believed how well this works untill we started using it. If you use it make sure you overlap it about 3feet anywhere you tye two pieces together.

 

[KYErik]

Is the fabric similar to tyvek house wrap?

 

[BeezFun]

Is the fabric similar to tyvek house wrap?

No the fabric is porous and is made of something incredibly tough, maybe something like kevlar. It's kind of like that stuff you put down under mulch to keep the weeds from growing through, only much tougher. The water will drain through it but the stone can't cut it, so it prevents the stone from being pushed down into the dirt and disappearing. They also make a version that's very heavy for use under highways, but that stuff is about 1/4" thick and expensive.

 

[Ken45101]

I don't know. In a previous property, the prior owner had started a driveway by digging down. That took a lot of rock to fill in and was still a clay bowl to hold water.

I gave up with that idea and just put down #2 (3-4") crushed limestone right on top of the dirt. After that was well pounded in (by concrete trucks, etc.), I finished off with 304 (3/4" plus fines). That seemed to hold up just as well as the dug out section. I know it's not the "way you are supposed to do it", but it seemed to work out fine.

Ken

 

[VA MTN MAN]

No it looks lke the silt fence you see on construction jobs. A woven plastic that will let the water through but not tbe dirt.

 

[abbie8084]

thanks everyone this was very helpful

 

[dennis52]

The deeper you dig the better and the base you want large rock, then smaller rock, then the limestone. You want to tamp every layer, with water as a lubricant. As suggested have the level a little higher than the final level you want. Even them you want extra to fill and level after a year or so.
Just a thought!

Is the limestone to firm up the top layer?

 

[EagleTDL]

No the fabric is porous and is made of something incredibly tough, maybe something like kevlar. It's kind of like that stuff you put down under mulch to keep the weeds from growing through, only much tougher. The water will drain through it but the stone can't cut it, so it prevents the stone from being pushed down into the dirt and disappearing. They also make a version that's very heavy for use under highways, but that stuff is about 1/4" thick and expensive.

Picked up on this thread this AM, I too am putting in some additional driveway. Anyone got a brand name on this fabric or what type of retailer would carry it?? Very interested in this, and thanks!

Eagle

 

[Ken45101]

Anyone got a brand name on this fabric or what type of retailer would carry it?? Very interested in this, and thanks!

Check with your county Soil & Water Conservation Dept. They may have recommendations and local suppliers.

Or your county road department.

Ken

 

[EagleTDL]

Check with your county Soil & Water Conservation Dept. They may have recommendations and local suppliers.

Or your county road department.

Ken

Thanks Ken, appreciate it! :thumbsup:

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I have a VERY long driveway with steep hills and it was in pretty poor shape (no maintenance in YEARS).

I recently had good luck the recycled concrete.

I dropped 3 22.5 ton loads and then did massive backdragging.

The biggest problem is it will not tailgate neatly, and I don't have a rear blade or box blade yet.

I ended up with some spots that are too wide (spillage out the sides of the tailgate) and spots that are too thick (similar reasons). I had planned to havesome for parking spots, but that material is in the above mentioned spots.

The nice thing is it packs down VERY NICELYand still has excellent drainage. I am MUCH less concerned about my Harley's on the gravel. Before this the "57" stone in places was like riding a motorcycle on a floor covered with marbles.

I have at least a couple spots were I just dropped 4-6" of it ontop of mud and they are holding firm still.

Best of luck!
Be well,
David

 

[greasemonkeyok]

The above posts relate to the traditional re-surfacing methods.

There is another alternative for a parking area in what are loosely called "grass pavers". There are many different kinds. For example, see:
Grass Permeable Paver, Grass Porous Pavement, Turf Paver - Grasspave2 drivable grass