Up until now, gravel driveway technology has been relatively unevolved. Gravel driveways have been around for ages, and come with a few benefits as well as a plethora of problems. Asphalt and concrete have made better-looking driveways for a long time, however, that’s not the case anymore.
Thanks to companies like TRUEGRID, the gravel driveway is making a big comeback. If you’re a homeowner looking to install a new driveway, let’s go over a few of the many reasons why the modern gravel driveway of today is far superior to any other option you’ll find available to you.
Stabilized Gravel is the Best Driveway Material
Unstabilized gravel tends to migrate and become pulverized, which leads to bare spots, ruts, dust, erosion, and more. The right DIY driveway pavers will eliminate all of these problems at once.
TRUEGRID’s gravel pavers allow you to keep your gravel driveway firmly locked into place. They prevent all of the common gravel driveway problems from occurring while providing you with many other benefits as well.
Ease of Installation is Unparalleled
The benefits of gravel driveway pavers begin with the ease of installation. The typical driveway takes multiple days to install and perfect. TRUEGRID’s gravel pavers, however, allow you to complete the installation of your brand new driveway in as fast as one day. That means you can receive your driveway pavers in the morning and be ready to park your vehicle on them by sunset.
First, the driveway area may be excavated from 1 to 10 inches depending on your soil and stabilization needs. Then, a permeable landscape fabric is laid at the bottom and up the sides to block weeds and keep the separation of the soil and gravel layers. When needed the base rock is laid and rolled. Typically 6 to 10 inches of a drainage rock type base are used when stormwater detention and pervious cover credit is desired or when the soil is soft and needs stabilization. Road bases and other densely graded base materials can be used when extensive drainage is not needed, only load support. In some cases where the driveway already has a compacted gravel surface or is stable aggregate, then scraping the top layer, 1 to 2 inches may suffice. The gravel base is compacted with a roller or plate compactor.
Once the base is compacted and level, the gravel driveway pavers are locked into place over the top of it. After that, a fill gravel is poured and spread filling to the top of the grids. Good gravel fills are angular (no rounded), hard, uniform size (1/2″ to 5/8″) and clean. These fills will provide great drainage and resist erosion and migration. Some alternative fills may require compaction into the paver with a roller or plate compactor. That’s the entire process in a nutshell. Pretty simple, right?
Another benefit of the gravel driveway pavers from TRUEGRID is the eco-friendliness of the material. In a world where the climate crisis is coming to a head, TRUEGRID has made the effort to ensure maximum eco-friendliness of their products through production and installation.
100% post-consumer recycled plastic products and no heavy equipment required make the driveway pavers from TRUEGRID the single most environmentally-friendly driveway product on the market. Allowing rainwater to infiltrate through the surface into the soil helps keep local waterways clear of auto pollutants and nasty runoff.
Permeability is a Plus
In addition to being easy to install, TRUEGRID permeable paver will greatly reduce any chance of flooding or erosion. Since they are 100% permeable, even the heaviest of rainfalls will simply drain right through your driveway and directly into the soil beneath.
This prevents unnatural water displacement and keeps your driveway in perfect harmony with nature. If you’ve ever had to deal with a flooded-out driveway, you know that prevention is the wisest route to solving flooding problems.
Your Style Won’t Suffer
The aesthetic of a gravel driveway is nearly unmatched. Aside from gravel, you can choose from a wide variety of aggregate for your driveway. Limestone, blackstar, chipped granite — any type of angular gravel will work. Even if you’re in the middle of the suburbs, this affords you unmatched stylistic diversity, color choices, and unique charm.
If you want to stand out from the crowd or if your house would look better without an asphalt driveway, there’s no better way to mix it up and introduce some natural beauty to your home than with gravel driveway pavers.
It’s Time to Make the Switch to a Gravel Driveway
Now that gravel driveways have evolved, there’s really no excuse not experiment with a gravel driveway, especially with permeable pavers from TRUEGRID to build with, there’s never been a better time to install a gravel driveway.
You can easily and quickly install a new driveway in under a day’s time. It’s so simple, you can even let your family pitch in and help.
Asphalt and concrete require regular maintenance to stay in pristine shape, but due to the incredibly durable nature of a driveway built with gravel pavers, you can enjoy your driveway for decades to come without overwhelming you with maintenance costs and consuming large amounts of time.
If you want a uniquely beautiful and durable driveway that will never flood, erode, or degrade over time, you couldn’t ask for a better solution than TRUEGRID’s gravel permeable pavers.
