If your driveway is looking aged or in need of some serious TLC, there are a number of options available to you. From relaying the concrete which is a very labour intensive or expensive job should you hire someone else to do it, to jetwashing brickwork every month or so just to keep it looking clean. These are two options but both require a large amount of effort. However, we have an alternative method which includes our X-Grid®, some ground preparation and bags of decorative gravel. Our method may not be as fast as jetwashing brick but does not require constant upkeep like brickwork and unlike, concrete our grid can be laid by practically anyone and allows for surface water to flow away naturally, helping reduce the risk of your drive flooding. Read on to see what Adam decided would be the best method to improve his driveway.
Jump To:
| The Project | The Products | The Work | Conclusion |
The Project
Adam’s driveway was starting to show signs of major aging, from cracks appearing to weeds sprouting out, he had to do something about it. But what to do Adam pondered at first? “Just replace the concrete or would that be expensive to hire someone or too hard for me to do myself?” Thus began a huge research project as to what to do with his driveway, listing the pros and cons of each and one by one eliminating potential options until just one was left standing. Emerging as the victor was our permeable paving grid system; X-Grid®.
The Products
To create a fantastic driveway using X-Grid® there are more materials needed than just the grid.
First of all is the ground preparation, without the appropriate materials the X-Grid® does not have a suitable base on which to be stood. By installing a foundation layer of MoT type 3 hardcore which has been compacted using a vibrating whacker plate, this creates a strong and free-draining base to lay the grid on top of.
By using a Geo-Textile Membrane, which is covered with a thin layer of sand, X-Grid® has a soft and level base on which to sit. The membrane helps to suppress weeds as well as to stop the sand from washing away into the hardcore below.
Finally is decorative gravel, all of these products apart from X-Grid, base anchors and the membrane which you can buy from us, can be bought from all good builders merchants.
The Work
What may seem like a rather large job now with all of the products in front of you really isn’t at all and can be done by almost anyone. These are the steps that Adam took to rejuvenate his tired driveway.
He started off by outlining where the new drive would be laid and removed his old driveway, taking the current stone out and disposing of it responsibly. This can be labour intensive but shouldn’t prove too difficult. Next, Adam poured out his hardcore layer and spread evenly in the newly created driveway square, once spread Adam used the hired Whacker machine to compact the hardcore layer down to create a solid base on which everything else will be stood. Should the hardcore layer not be compacted there could be unwanted movement when weight is applied to the laid grid.
Once compacted, Adam rolled out the Geo-Textile Membrane in the driveway area and secured it into the ground using our Steel U-Pins which means the membrane cannot move whilst the grid is laid and when weight is applied. The membrane is laid to allow excess water to drain away naturally into the ground and not be trapped like with concrete surfaces. It also stops weeds from growing up through the grid and creating an eye sore for any passerby to see.
Nearly finished now, Adam told us by far the easiest job was putting together and laying the X-Grid®, with an interlocking design it is easily clipped together and ready to be laid. Despite its simple structure our X-Grid® is incredibly strong and can hold up to 420 tonnes per square metre.
Finally, as you can see from the photo on the right, with the grid in place the decorative gravel can be used to fill the X-Grid®. It is a simple job of pouring gravel and spreading over the grid until suitably covered. We recommend the gravel be up to 20mm in diameter.
Conclusion
Adam was very pleased with the end result, after working incredibly hard by himself Adam has a brand new gravel driveway. By using X-Grid® not only does he have a strong and reliable surface but a permeable one where no surface water will collect and possibly flood thanks to the 90% open structure of our product.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Adam for sending us in the photos of his DIY Driveway project and talking us through the process of creating the driveway.
See below more photos of Adam’s fantastic driveway.
Should you have any questions regarding our products then do not hesitate to contact us.
