hi all. of course a bike forum is the best way to ask for advice on gravel driveways! jeez.

<img src=”http://www.imageshost.eu/images/2014/11/16/drive.jpg&#8221; border=”0″>

i have an old 1960’s house. it has solid concrete driveway. I want to turn it into a gravel driveway. Do I have to smash it up with a pick axe and lay sand (then gravel) down. Or can I put gravel ON TOP of the concrete?

http://www.imageshost.eu/images/2014/11/16/drive.jpg

why sand?

No.

http://www.pavingexpert.com/gravel01.htm

You (or someone) will end up on your arse if you put gravel on concrete. Flat slate chips might work out a bit better. Somebody along the road went for a resin-bound gravel sort of thing I think, presumably to save the smashing/digging bit.

You’ll need to edge it all to stop your gravel wandering. Maybe the resin thing is worth a look.

Good luck with it.

Depends how thick you lay on the gravel. Normal gravel will displace very easy and it will get every where. I’d recommend 40mm slate chippings, 20mm does not work as it has the same issues as gravel.

Edge it with Ever Edge, they do a specific one for drive ways. We used slate chippings, it’s about 4-5 inches deep.

Make sure you weedkill first if you do smash up the concrete. Ours was on soil, I weedkilled it 3 times, membraned, and only then did I put the 4 tonnes of slate, and about 9 months later added another tonne.

i’m not sure why i said sand… i was just guessing that the stones have to sit on something, to stop them sinking into mud ? not sure what to pour gravel onto!
thanks for link reading now.

It’s all about the (sub) base….

Gravel will get everywhere including out on the street. Have it block paved instead!!

Our slate has no sub base. Just soil, membrane then slate. It’s been fine for 3 years so far. Doesn’t go every where, no weeds etc, works fine.

Hey go with what number 18 says. However if you have the wrong “type” of soil and a good wet winter you’ll be wanting a disco with winch to pull you on your drive. Any thoughts on a decorative Tarmac? That can easily be laid over the existing concrete. Quick tack coat and away you go. Biggest issues with breaking up existing concrete driveways are cost to do so and cart away plus any low lying services coming up with it.

I’d go with Tarmac too, can look quite nice, saves breaking up that concrete too.

Don’t. Just don’t.

FFS don’t put gravel down. It’s a cheap bodge and nothing more. It gets everywhere, weeds will grow through it, it’s a nightmare for bikes, and it looks crap. Leave the concrete down.
If our 50s place had had the concrete drive left in place, instead of shitty gravel in a vain attempt to tart it up, we wouldn’t have had to spend £6k getting rid of it so soon. (Block paving)
If you’re going to do something with it, do it properly.

Leave the concrete down and have resin bonded gravel put down.
Miles better and looks posh.

Gravel drives are a right pain, stones get everywhere, including down your drains. Kids kick them about, cats crap on it.
I got rid of mine & cobble block paved – same price as tarmac.

Gravel will get everywhere including out on the street

There are a few near where we live. Most of the drive is on the road

cats crap on it

This.

You will hate the gravel within a few short months.

That resin bond looks awful, like the house is flooded. We have that stuff in out bathroom, and I’m getting rid. Impossible to keep clean.

I’ve got block paved but have problems with weeds in between the blocks – just use weed killer?

Are you talking resin ‘bound’ or resin bonded (they are different). As it’s inthe bathroom I’m guessing you mean resin bound which is quite different and not for use on a driveway.

I have a gravel drive and would like it not to be – fed up with it ending up on the road…

Anyone know the price of resin bound/bonded (what’s the difference)? Three (ish) car drive.

resin bound/bonded (what’s the difference)?

Bound: stone is mixed with the resin and then spread [trowel type] – has a resin finish.
Bonded: resin sprayed onto existing base (concrete/tarmac) the stone is spread over the top. Stone finish.

I understand the difference Sharky, just sayin’. Our bathroom was about £60 per SqM, and essentially it’s the same component parts as the driveway, but I’d imagine it’ll need to be thicker, and you’d need a concrete or other solid base.

Right, resin bonded is what I like then. Price, anyone?

I’ve got block paved but have problems with weeds in between the blocks – just use weed killer?

Give it a thorough clean (jet wash it all) and brush in some sharp sand – it won’t stop weeds but it will stop them for a while.

And when you use weedkiller, don’t spend a fortune on a silly little bottle of Roundup then do your back in bending over squirting it everywhere, get

and

It’s no wonder so many cowboys get away with shoddy practices with what some of you lot seem happy with. Regarding tarring or laying resin on top of existing concrete or tarmac – it’s only something that should be done if the existing surface is sound. If it is, theres usually no point! Any cracks, expansion joints or movement will cause the new layer to crack! I’ve known some of those resin companies go bankrupt too, as they had to keep going back to repair where it was scrubbing out due to power-steering.

If you use plastic honeycomb matting that should help to keep the gravel from wandering around.

http://www.boddingtons-ltd.com/products/grass-ground-reinforcement/grass-reinforcement-protection/bodpave-40-grass-pavers-gravel-retention.php

Based on a neighbour the honeycomb stops it moving around to a reasonable degree but it still ‘drifts’ a bit so there are thicker areas that wouldn’t be good to ride a bike on. It still walks onto the house and migrates off the drive.

After reading some of this rubbish you might as well turf it. 🙄

Is this just an excuse to buy a gravel bike? 😉

We have gravel, it stays put in the driveway but does tend to need a rake out to even it back up from time to time. I won’t change it as it s a good security addition as no one can come up to the front of the house without scrunching. But of a pain when the foxes are active though as they scrunch a lot at about 4am