Using concrete powder to hold gravel in place

[Hay Dude]

Ya, got some for free for from a neighbor for a RV pad. It was really dirty, lots of fabric & tar ropes in it. Never packed in well at all. Not as bad as pea gravel, but not good. I hear you can spray diesel on it to get the tar to reactivate & pack in. I just put a truck load of class 6 granite roadbase over the asphalt to finally get it to pack in nice (also needed more material).

County put some on our dirt road a few years back. It packed tight in some spots. Enough the grader couldn't work it. But the other half fell apart & the grader couldn't work it because of the solid parts. They didn't try any more recycled asphalt after that small test.

Recycled asphalt, recycled concrete & class 6 granite road base are all about the same price around here. I recommend class 6 to all my customers.

My driveway is recycled concrete. Packs in pretty good & I got a deal on it. If you didnt know better you could mistake it for light grey roadbase. But I'm still finding bits of metal & plastic showing up 5+ years later after rain or regrading. It's better than recycled asphalt by a good bit, but not as good as class 6 by a bit. Class 6 packs in super good. I'd consider more recycled concrete if I got a deal on it, but recycled asphalt would have to be pretty much free or very clean & high quality. If I had to pay going rate for a load I'd get Class 6.

I used recycled concrete for years, but stopped after WWF poking flats in a couple tires.
With recycled asphalt, I found there’s a bit of technique involved in spreading it and rolling it with a rented vibratory roller. If installed properly, I have had good success.

 

[UOFan]

I live in the southeast, and I have a few “curbs” along my driveway that I’ve shaped from crusher run and powdered concrete. Has held up great so far and is pretty sturdy.

 

[CobyRupert]

Doesn't work well in northern climates due to frost heaving.

Darn it, you make a good point.
An area would break up, but I wonder if the remnant pieces would still be less prone to erosion than individual gravel particles not cemented. Or does it all just pulverized?

 

[jyoutz]

Hi Folks:
There was a post somewhere on here that was throwing out there a comment about using powdered concrete over newly laid gravel to keep it in place. But, it took me so long to register here, now I can't find it! Any way, my dad always used powdered gypsum over his gravel then sprayed water over it, and let dry. It held 90% of the gravel in it's place. However, it has to be redone ever several years it seemed. But, if you don't have a huge project, there is now some polymer sand 'glue', for lack of a better description, and it last basically forever. I didn't put the brand name down, as I don't know if that is acceptable here, but it is applied the same as the gypsum, you sprinkle it as evenly as you can get it, and then using the 'spray' setting on your hose nozzle, just spray it until it all seeps in between the gravel. Let dry totally before walking on it and such, and it will hold just like glue.

I have used this on big river rock, small smooth rock, and rough lava type rock, and it works well on all. But, it can get pricey if you have a big project, but it is worth it!
Have fun!

I have used that poly sand in the cracks between patio paver bricks, and it works awesome. But it’s expensive and wouldn’t be practical on a large area of gravel. In my area, people make gravel driveways with something called road base. It can be ordered from material yards by the ton. It’s basically a mix of fine sand, crusher fines and gravel up to 1.5”. The different sizes of materials pack together pretty solid and stay in place.

 

[two_bit_score]

We used washout in some places. Worked good. Aggregate washed out of cement mixer trucks. There is enough left over cement that the aggregate sticks together pretty well when packed. Haven’t used any in awhile. Has anyone used it recently?

 

[Topzide]

Might want to check this stuff out; Home Page. It's a bit pricey but is used in the Midwest on many unpaved roads. Just another product to fit the need.

 

[TxMN]

I have the reclaimed/ground asphalt, works well, was compacted with a vibratory roller installed in Texas summer. Going into 2nd year, and seeing some washing on areas with some small rutting and washing from heavy rains, which are not frequent but seasonal.
Ideas on filling and preventing the rutting ? Most are maybe an inch or so deep and taper from 2 in wide at widest. Rock base of 4 in under entire drive way,

 

[Torvy]

Water is better handled through diversion. Swales, ditches, culverts, pipes...however works best in your topography to keep the water from running on your drive (regardless of what type surface you have).

We just had some moderate to heavy rains last week that gave me a good picture of where the water wants to go. Now I need to build a plan to get it there without taking important stuff with it.

 

[jyoutz]

Water is better handled through diversion. Swales, ditches, culverts, pipes...however works best in your topography to keep the water from running on your drive (regardless of what type surface you have).

We just had some moderate to heavy rains last week that gave me a good picture of where the water wants to go. Now I need to build a plan to get it there without taking important stuff with it.

Building crowns and rolling dips into roads, and appropriate ditching is the key BEFORE adding road surfacing such as gravel or asphalt.

 

[Torvy]

Building crowns and rolling dips into roads, and appropriate ditching is the key BEFORE adding road surfacing such as gravel or asphalt.

Exactly. We have been driving on dirt/mud in lieu of gravel because we need to get the drainage handled first. Now I need to draw up the plans and rent a mini-ex to dig the ditches and such. I'll probably overplan so I only have to rent once (I hope).