Hi Guys
I need to get my drive sorted and her indoors has her heart set on a gravel type drive, at the moment I have about 150m2 of pikey tarmac and cracked concrete, not nice.
Now where I am working at the moment the ground workers are doing a gravel drive and I'm not overly keen on the way it moves around and ruts when driven over. I need to do a 2 point turn to get out of my yard.
So is it worth the extra dolla (about £2.5K) to go for Gridforce/Nadaplast? The video on gridforce website has sold the idea for me but what do you professionals think?
Thanks.
Gridforce, nadaplast and the likes. - Has anyone on here used them?
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nick65
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 12:16 am
- Location: OXFORDSHIRE.
Hi Markjo, I've never used "Gridforce" before but i have used several simillar products that are just the same, and they all do a good job. But personally i think there all a bit dear for what they are (recyled plastic) £18 m2 makes it about £2700 JUST for the grids you need. I agree that gravel drives will leave track marks if you continually drive over the same spot, but so will the placky grids if you use the same line everyday. Driving over any loose aggregate will displace the stones directly below and to the edge of the tyres and shift them to the sides, and so create track marks. All though the tracks wont be as deep gravel by its self , it will none the less after repeated driving along the same lines expose the top of the grids. Listen to the sales patter "VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE" So like most homes with gravel drives it will need the occasional rake over to mantain that uniform look. Another thing i noticed on the video was how they say it expands in the summer to prevent warping, but there was no mention of how it performs in the winter. Many plastic products by nature become soft and springy in hot weather and in cold weather can become hard and brittle. Remember it's made from old plastic bags, coke bottles and the like which themselves have no special weathering properties. So we must assume that the manufacturers have included an ingredient to prevent the possible britleness of the grids after a week of -5 frosts. Although the product is twice the price of standard block paving there will be a significant saving on labour cost's if your laying it over the top of your existing drive.But if your existing drive level is to high and made of concrete you'll probably find that you will have to break it all out and muck away the spoil as the concrete will (should) be 100/150mm thick. Then you will need to bring your subbase back up to the requiered level with type 1 or crush. This will cost more in labour, materials, plant hire and muck away. If this is the case it may work out cheaper just to block pave it.There are many other products out there so shop around a bit. You may like the up and coming option of "Resin Bonded Gravel" Check the main site for details. Cheers Nick.
"come on lads its dry rain falling now"
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Tony McC
- Site Admin
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- Location: Warrington, People's Republic of South Lancashire
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The cell matrix/ground reinforcement grids work reasonably well with gravel and do, to a large extent, prevent rutting, tracking and migration. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to use them for any loose gravelled surface; the only exception would be self-binding gravels.
As stated, they are NOT completely invisible, but you have to consciously look for the cells to identify them. Viewed for 10m or further, they are virtually unnoticeable.
The key to success with these jobbies is two-fold. Firstly, the sub-base has to be correct. If it's uneven, constructed from crap, or improperly compacted, the grids will suffer accordingly. Secondly, there's no sense in overfilling the cells. There's often a temptation to fill to the top and then 'bury' the cells beneath a further 10-20mm of gravel, which is spewed aside as soon as the first vehicle travel across the surface, creating an obvious track and exposing the matrix beneath.
Fill to the top, leave for a couple of weeks, and then top-up as required. Remember, any gravel not restrained by the cells will simply migrate, to form tracks or to disappear into the garden areas.
While the brands you mention are good quality products, if you shop around, you can get the price down without compromising quality.
As stated, they are NOT completely invisible, but you have to consciously look for the cells to identify them. Viewed for 10m or further, they are virtually unnoticeable.
The key to success with these jobbies is two-fold. Firstly, the sub-base has to be correct. If it's uneven, constructed from crap, or improperly compacted, the grids will suffer accordingly. Secondly, there's no sense in overfilling the cells. There's often a temptation to fill to the top and then 'bury' the cells beneath a further 10-20mm of gravel, which is spewed aside as soon as the first vehicle travel across the surface, creating an obvious track and exposing the matrix beneath.
Fill to the top, leave for a couple of weeks, and then top-up as required. Remember, any gravel not restrained by the cells will simply migrate, to form tracks or to disappear into the garden areas.
While the brands you mention are good quality products, if you shop around, you can get the price down without compromising quality.
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