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Tips For Your Gravel Driveway

Gravel is an excellent option that is both easy to install as well as flexible for driveways and walkways for both residential homes and commercial businesses. A gravel driveway is particularly best for large parking areas, or a driveway that extends for a great length along your property, as they provide an affordable option that is still attractive and can enhance the look of your property.

While gravel driveways cost considerably less than concrete or asphalt, they do, like any driveway material, require some maintenance. Below are a few tips for maintaining your gravel driveway to keep it in top condition:

• Ensure that your driveway is properly graded
  Grading is crucial to maintain a gravel driveway. Proper grading consists of loosening any hard-packed gravel, as well as loosening the driveway to the depths of any potholes to prevent them from reoccurring. The gravel should be scraped from the edges to the center first, creating a “crown,” and then feathering the gravel out lightly all the way to the edges of the driveway. Once the grading process has been created, it is essential to pack the gravel, in order to ensure that your driveway is level and has a proper base.
• Consistently check for Potholes or Ruts in your driveway
  Potholes and ruts can make drainage problems worse, and create problems with your car as well as your driveway down the road. The best solution is to deal with them as they occur, replacing the necessary gravel and raking it to a proper level.
• Keep an eye out for drainage problems
  Poor drainage can cause problems in any gravel driveway, leading to ruts, washouts, and eventually erosion. Ensuring that your gravel driveway is properly constructed and installed can eliminate most drainage issues, however, should you experience problems with water, it is important to add gravel making your driveway higher than the areas that surround it, or construct a ditch that pulls the water away from where it flows over the gravel.
• Using the right materials for your driveway
  Understanding the different materials used in gravel driveways is the best measure for success. Gravel size should approximately pea-size, (¼”), with sharp edges. Using larger-sized flat or smooth stones can lead to pits, ruts, or potholes.
• Replenish snow plow damage in the spring
  Using a snow plow during winter ensures that you have a clear driveway, but it can wreak havoc on your gravel come spring. Any gravel that is displaced during snow removal in cold climates should be raked back from the yard each spring, moving the gravel that has been pulled outward by the snow plow, back toward the middle section of your driveway.

McClymonds Supply & Transit, operating out of Portersville, Pennsylvania, has been supplying tailgating services to the region since 1945. Providing a number of grades of gravel and limestone for commercial and residential driveway projects, McClymonds Supply & Transit’s modern fleet of tri-axle dumps and tractors with dump and specialty trailers can deliver the driveway materials that you need, directly where you need them. The experienced drivers at McClymonds Supply & Transit will tailgate your driveway, thus eliminating the need for moving materials with wheelbarrows, rakes and shovels. Their Material Calculator allows you to calculate the amount of gravel or limestone materials that you need for a specific area, eliminating the costs of wasted materials.

For more information on McClymonds Supply & Transit’s materials or tailgating services, contact them today, where their expert professionals will welcome your inquiries as well as help you determine which stone is best suited for your particular project.