Drive Way Depth

yardeyar

Hi I'm putting a new driveway in, the driveway will be finished in pebbles, just wondering how deep to go for foundations:
A: a car, or
B: a 3,500 kg van
Thanks.

Sonnenblumen

A chipped stone is much more practical than pebble for Driveway finish. The pebble do not compact well, difficult to walk on (remember pebble beaches!!)and wheeling prams/bins etc torturous. Chipped stones efftively compact well and lock-in.

Prepare subbase as follows:

(a) 180-200mm (+ 25 mm Blinding)
(b) 300-400mm (+ 25mm Blinding)

Dimensions are after compacting and rolling!

Topdressing should not be deeper than 25mm.

yardeyar

Cheers for the reply. Advice taken. Thanks. YEAH!

fugazi

you could try pavingexpert,com .....great resource, full of helpful advice

secman

"you could try pavingexpert,com .....great resource, full of helpful advice "

Fist ever post, could you confirm that you don't work there ?

Thanks

Secman

fugazi

secman, no I'm not affiliated with the site, just used it for reference a number of times on my own projects

ShowAndGo

Hi Sonnenblumen,

What is "Blinding"?

Thanks,
Pat

Sonnenblumen

Hi ShowAndGo,

blinding is a fine dust or sometimes also mixed with a very small grit (< 2mm).

After installing and compacting the foundation, ie the 804 grade grey stone, it is important to blind the surface. This blinding is typically a dust equivalent of the 804, which is spread no deeper than 25mm and preferably rolled or compacted to effectively bind or blind the surface of the 804 foundation. This provides a secure and stable surface on which to apply the finished topdressing. If the 804 is not blinded, you will see over time a gradual (but practically irreversible) churning of the 804 and topdressing. It is commonly seen in poorly finished driveway areas where the 804 can be clearly seen on the surface and usually mixing with a light coloured stone.

Sometimes in gardens where there is a large expanse of pebble, churning can also be detected.

Blinding is the professional finish, and does not cost much extra to do, but provides an excellent end result.

The dust is generally available in two colours grey 804 and also a light coloured Ballylusk, the latter being an ideal option for light coloured topdressings.

Hope this helps.

ShowAndGo

Makes perfect sense, easily over looked if you don't know how it is supposed to be done. Thanks.