How to Stop Gravel From Moving off the Driveway

Unlike regular concrete driveways, ones filled with gravel need to be paid more attention to. They should be kept flat and well-graded. This can be a bit tricky though, as every time you or your pet step on the gravel driveway, it will shift and spread. Same goes when parking your car.

However, with some careful planning, you can pretty easily stop your driveway’s gravel from moving. So let’s look at how to keep the gravel in place.

So if you:

• Want to keep gravel from spilling off your driveway
• Are interested in all the different methods of keeping gravel in your driveway in place
• Want to learn how deep your gravel should be

Then keep on reading.

How deep should your gravel be?

An easy way to keep the gravel on your driveway in place is by making sure there’s a decent enough depth for it. You see, although gravel is loose stone when there are three or more inches of it, it begins to compact itself. The weight of the upper layer of gravel pushes the lower layers down into the dirt and in the process creating a solid base. The more weight applied, the more solid your gravel driveway will be.

However, be careful not to put too much gravel into your driveway, as this can have the opposite effect, causing a lot of the stone to rattle around and spread out of the driveway.

Edging to keep the gravel in place

Driveway edging is another way of keeping your gravel within the driveway. For this, you will need to put up some borders. These can come in the form of a fence, railroad ties or even brick paving. Choosing what materials to use for your border is all up to you. Just make sure that they are strong enough to keep the driveway in place and not shift outward. 

This method works extremely well on driveways which are straight and can be easily framed. Using this method on curved driveways can be a tad problematic, but this can be avoided if you use some sort of flexible material for your borders.

Keep the gravel in place with gravel grid mats

Gravel grid mats resemble in a way driveway edging, however, the process behind this method is quite different. These mats are plastic and square in form and consist of many small pockets. Once many such mats are connected, they create a mat surface whose small pockets can be filled in with gravel.

Once in place, the gravel grid mat will make sure no gravel leaves your driveway.

Just bear in mind that gravel grid mats come in many different forms, sizes and pocket depths. Some are more suitable for bigger sized gravel while others for smaller sized ones. So make sure to consult a landscaper or a local hardware store what type of grid mat to buy for the gravel you have.

Resin bound and resin bonded driveways

Resin-bound and resin bonded surfaces are a great substitute for gravel ones. They offer the same aesthetic while being easier to maintain as there’s no gravel moving around. Although they share similar names, resin bound and resin bonded driveways are not the same. The main difference lies in the laying process and the type of gravel used. 

Resin-bound gravel is more porous, while resin bonded doesn’t let any liquid pass through it. With resin bound surfaces, gravel and adhesive are mixed together before laying while with resin bonded surfacing the adhesive must be laid first and then the aggregate spread on top.

You can read more about the qualities of both surfaces on our resin bound surfaces service page.

Need professional help for your gravel driveway?

Fixing up a gravel driveway where the gravel just can’t stay in place can be a time-consuming endeavour. So if you’re looking to save yourself the hassle, you can opt for a professional landscaping service. And who better to call for such a service than us, Fantastic Services.

All of the landscapers we work with are multi-skilled, have years of experience and bring with them all the necessary tools to tackle any landscaping project your throw at them.

Takeaways:

• Gravel tends to leave the driveway when there’s nothing keeping it in place.
• While stacking more gravel onto your already existing layer can cause it to compact, adding too much is not recommended
• Gravel grid mats are an easy alternative to creating borders for your driveway.

Image Source: Shutterstock / Paul Maguire