In our last article we looked at why it is so important to always use gravel underneath your concrete driveway and the reasons behind this. Today we want to delve a little deeper and look at the types of gravel that can be used and what factors influence this. The will include the cost, the availability to you and the specific requirements of your project.
So lets look at the different options available.
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Crushed stone – This is by far the most popular gravel choice not only because it is usually very easily available but also because of its excellent benefits. These benefits include excellent drainage and it is easy to compact making a firm solid strong base.
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Crushed gravel – Another popular choice is crushed gravel which is crushed up stones at an angle. These stones have sharp edges and this means they can interlock with each other to form a really strong and sturdy base. Also excellent for drainage crushed gravel is an fantastic choice for a concrete driveway base.
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DGA (Dense graded aggregate) – This is also known as road stone it is a mix of crushed stones and the dust from the crushed stones. The dust helps to fill the gaps from the stone which helps it to compact the base layer giving excellent stability and a smooth surface.
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Pea gravel – Pea gravel is small round stones which is why it is given the name pea. It isn’t one of the more popular gravels for concrete driveway bases but it is used if the project deems necessary for a more porous material however its not classed as the most stable option.
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RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) – This concrete driveway base is made from reclaimed concrete that has been crushed. It is the same concept as crushed stone with excellent load bearing and drainage benefits. However always make sure you check the supplier carefully as the quality can be hard to come by.
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1 inch minus screened gravel – This is crushed gravel where the size of the stone goes to 1 inch. This lets smaller stones bridge the gaps between larger stones making it really compact. Drainage is also again another benefit of this choice of gravel.
We hope this helps in clear some of the questions surrounding gravel bases for your concrete driveways. If you need to know more contact our experts who are always happy to help.