Driveway filter fabric is the unsung hero of gravel driveways around the world. Filter fabric prevents weeds from growing up through your gravel and stops your driveway from becoming a mud pit after every rain storm. What exactly is driveway filter fabric? How is it used and installed? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about filter fabric.
What is Driveway Filter Fabric?
Driveway filter fabric, or geotextile filter fabric, is a product that is primarily used for soil separation, stabilization and reinforcement, filtration, and drainage. Typically sold in rolls, geotextile fabric is the landscape fabric you use to prevent weeds from growing up through your garden.
There are two types of geotextile filter fabric for driveways; woven and nonwoven. While similar in many ways, these two fabrics provide different advantages and are typically used in different applications.
Woven Geotextile Filter Fabric for Driveways
As the name implies, woven filter fabric is made by weaving plastic or other durable materials together. The woven fibers create a rugged textile that can easily conform to different shapes, textures, and undulations. Strength and flexibility are why people choose woven filter fabric for driveway projects as well as road and highway construction applications.
Nonwoven Geotextile Filter Fabric for Driveways
Nonwoven filter fabric is made of synthetic materials and is more permeable than its woven counterpart. Nonwoven filter fabric is perfect for applications requiring filtration or drainage. Builders use nonwoven filter fabric for filtering french drains or creating soil separation in projects that still require a high degree of drainage. The permeability of nonwoven driveway filter fabric is appealing, but you should note that it is less robust than woven filter fabric.
Why Use Filter Fabric for Gravel Driveways?
Why use filter fabric at all? Why not just pour a load of gravel into your yard? Gravel driveways with filter fabric underlayment have significant advantages over driveways without.
Weed Blocking
Installing filter fabric underneath your gravel driveway creates a barrier to weeds, grass, and other rapidly growing plant matter that may find its way up through the stones.
Soil Separation
Without soil separation, the gravel will become pulverized and mixed into the dirt below.. As it rains, the dirt can become mud and work its way up through the stone, turning your beautiful gravel driveway into a muddy mess.
Installing Filter Fabric for Gravel Driveways
You can easily install filter fabric when creating a gravel driveway with almost no additional steps to the process:
1. Excavate the area you need for your driveway to about 3″ -6″ deep.
- Although you can dig this out by hand, using an excavator will make this process significantly easier.
- ALWAYS check to ensure there are no gas, power, or sewer lines before digging.
2. Tamp down the bottom of the excavated area.
- Compaction dramatically decreases the amount of settling your driveway will experience over time.
- This can be done by hand, but a gas-powered compactor is preferable.
3. Roll the filter fabric out along the bottom of the hole.
4. Fill in the excavated area with angular gravel.
5. Compact the angular gravel.
- Compaction helps to prevent settling over time.
- This can be done by hand, but a gas-powered compactor is preferable.
Is Driveway Filter Fabric Expensive?
Manufacturers sell filter fabric in rolls that vary in width and length. Rolls are available from 2’-6’ wide and range from 20′ to 500′ long. Filter fabric typically costs between five and ten cents per square foot.
In Addition to Driveway Filter Fabric
In addition to using filter fabric for your driveway, there are several other ways to improve the quality of your gravel driveway:
Create a Border
A border creates a crisp definition between your driveway and your yard. Creating a border for your gravel driveway helps to keep the stone inside of its designed area and out of surrounding areas. You can make a border from granite, cobblestones, bricks, or concrete pavers
Tire Pathway
One of the problems with gravel driveways is that ruts can form as you repeatedly drive over the same path time and time again. A good solution is to install cobblestones, pavers, or bricks along your vehicle’s tire path in the driveway area. The result is a more visually exciting driveway that lacks ruts or divots.
Permeable Pavers
Installing a product like TRUEGRID PRO LITE permeable pavers on top of your driveway filter fabric will hold your gravel in place, and prevent spillage into other areas. TRUEGRID PRO LITE permeable pavers prevent ruts from developing in your driveway without compromising the uniform gravel look.
Utilize the Best with TRUEGRID Permeable Pavers
Founded in 2013, you can find TRUEGRID Permeable Pavers used in all fifty states and in countries around the world. Made from 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE, TRUEGRID permeable pavers are an environmentally-friendly alternative to asphalt and concrete. Easy to install, TRUEGRID pavers can be used in any climate or soil and can be used for gravel and grass driveways.
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