How to install gravel grids .. ->

First thing to do .. measure the area

As with any undertaking, careful planning is essential. This entails measuring the space precisely where you want the gravel grids to be installed. Since your driveway is probably not completely square, it might be easier to divide the space into many square segments that you can measure.

To find the area, take the length and breadth of each piece. To get an approximate idea of the entire area of surface you are laying down the grids on, add the sum of these sections together. Make sure you round up your dimensions to the closest 0.5m when using our area calculator. To account for cuts, it’s beneficial to add 5% to this total.

Next step .. Examine your site thoroughly. Are you replacing an old surface or making a new one?

• Exist any significant cracks in the concrete?
• Does the budget cover the cost of completely removing the current surface?
• How long has the current surface been unavailable?
• Which cars are you planning on driving over the site?

With this information in hand, you must choose between installing the grids directly on top of the surface or replacing it entirely.

Think about if you really need to remove any existing surfaces in your area, such as block paving, tarmac, or concrete. A severely collapsed site may indicate deteriorating subbase beneath it or problems with poor drainage.

Think about how you will get rid of the water if your site has inadequate drainage and you frequently experience floods or the the presence of pools of water. Does surface water drainage require a solution

Make sure to obtain sand and sub base to fill in any holes or cavities in the surface if you’re installing gravel grids on top of block, tarmac, or concrete. Later on, this will support your new gravel grid surface.
Additionally, you should ensure that the front grids on your new grid surface have the proper ramp edging gravel and the sides have border edging.

Starting from new surfaces

If you’re beginning from scratch, you need to be very deliberate about the kind of foundation you give your gravel grids in order to make sure they last a long time. Consider the following when deciding what kind of foundation you’ll need for driveway grids:

• Will cars / vans / motorcycles / 4 x 4s etc be driving over the grids? What kind of vehicles, if any?
• Which type of soil do I have?
• Does it drain freely?

Installing a sub base is an essential step in any surfacing project for trucks, vans, vehicles, and motorcycles. It is the framework upon which the entire undertaking is built.

In the absence of a fixed sub foundation you are dependent on the shifting, contracting, and expanding soil (especially clay-based soils) to support immobile objects. The grids would move like a bedsheet through a mangle between your car’s tires and the ground.

Moreover, placing a sub foundation underneath your grids will help with the absorption of any water if your soil retains water and has drainage issues.

2. Getting Materials

A list of materials and a delivery timetable are essential for any project to be finished. Knowing when the deliveries are expected to arrive will help you schedule which installation step to begin first. Having adequate materials to finish the project guarantees that there won’t be any needless delays.

Getting the right installation

Make sure the subbase layers are sufficiently deep and compacted before laying gravel grids on a freshly laid surface.

Our recommended depths are as follows:

• Geotextile beneath a 150mm layer of compacted type 1/2/3 MOT
• 10mm sharp sand
• Weed suppressant membrane
• 40mm gravel grids
• 50mm depth of 20mm angular gravel

Getting Subbase Materials

After determining whether or not to install a sub base, it’s important to determine the precise amount required to guarantee the proper foundation. We constantly discuss the importance of properly laying the foundation because we want your new surface to last for a very long period.

When compacted, your sub base should have a minimum depth of 150mm.

Every decent sub base has a permeable geotextile or membrane underneath it that lets water seep into the soil below. There is a levelled layer of sand and another membrane to prevent the grids from moving through the layers on top of each sub base.

You can place whatever 10–30 mm stone you wish inside the grids, but keep in mind that the smaller the stone, the more likely it is to become lodged in the tyre. Filling it will be difficult if the stone is larger than 30 mm. You should use 20mm angular gravel for your driveway for optimal results.

Where to buy Gravel Grids?

The most important step of all – ensuring you have enough grids to completely cover the area you’ve measured.

To do this you’ll need to calculate how many gravel grids your site needs. Grids are in 4 units per metre squared so if you need 40m2, then you will receive 4 x 40 = 160 grids.

IBRAN Driveway Gravel Grids

To make sure the surface is finished, functional, and long-lasting, you may want to acquire additional parts for the installation in addition to the membrane, sub base, and grids.

Here are a few products that are worth taking into account:

– Edging Ramps for Gravel Grids

If you’ve decided to install the grids over an existing surface, you will need edging ramps to ensure that the entrance is protected and anchored. These ramps should be bolted down using 12mm expansion bolts. See -> Edging Ramps

3. Preparing the sub base

It’s time to get the installation site ready now that your materials are ordered and on the way. You can omit the guide’s step on excavation if your gravel grids are going to be installed on concrete.

Setting up your levels correctly

A decent sub base requires a sufficient amount of material to be added, it must be compacted, and it must be level.

How far down you should dig

It is now time to start excavating the site. Digging to a minimum depth of 210mm is required to accommodate the sub base, sand, grids, and stone overfill, according to our suggestions.

To expedite the process and avoid enduring numerous agonising hours of digging, think about renting a mini-digger.

Utilise a permeable geotextile membrane to line and grade the surface. This membrane prevents the sub base from sinking while allowing water to permeate to the ground layer.

How deep your sub base should be

Ensure you have enough type 1, 2 or 3 MOT to build a 150mm thick sub base layer after calculating your overall sub base requirements .

The sub base must be layered up 50 mm at a time, compacting each layer as you go. This is the crucial portion of the installation. Keeping the sub foundation moist and using a whacker plate/compactor are beneficial. This moisture fills up the spaces by binding any fine particles (also known as “fines”) in the substance.

Don’t forget to use a spirit level to confirm your final level.

Using sharp sand to level your surface

By doing this, you can maintain the levelness of your grids and make sure that there is no extra twisting involved in the connections between them.

You’ll need to “blind” the surface with at least 10 mm of sharp sand for this. Before it is levelled and compacted, this sand is equally distributed throughout the subbase layer. This layer prevents the sub base from passing through into the grid layer while simultaneously shielding the weed suppression membrane.

Installing a weed suppressant membrane over the sand will, in the end, help to keep the sand and the grids apart and reduce weed development.

Filling any holes

Only installations on already-existing tarmac or concrete surfaces are covered by this stage.

Most people decide to repair a tarmac or concrete surface because it is really ugly and badly broken. It is possible to install gravel grids on top of tarmac or concrete, but you will need to use type 1 MOT and sand to cover any holes.

You can begin laying gravel grids now that your surface is prepared.

4: Laying the Gravel Grids

At this point, the metamorphosis really starts to take shape. The process of quickly connecting the grids to produce a single, continuous surface over the membrane, ready for your stone, is incredibly satisfying.

Make sure that every grid in the row is orientated in the same direction. When laying the grids, make sure the male connectors are on the right and bottom. One row at a time, work your way up and back while pressing the female connectors down onto the male connectors.

It might be necessary to trim the grids as you approach the edges to make them match the contours of the space you’re installing them in. Any saw will work for this, but a jigsaw is the best option.

Ensure that your borders are securely tucked into the area’s sides. The grids don’t move when a car drives over them thanks to their snug fit. This is the perfect moment to employ any edging products you may be utilising.

Verify the surfaces to make sure no lumps or bumps are hiding. The grids must be level with the surface.

5: Filling with stone

The last step in your installation is to add gravel to the cells.

Although 20mm angular gravel is what we suggested using, you are free to fill them with anything you think looks better. 10 mm gravel works well in places where there is less traffic and not much vehicle use. Wheelchair-accessible locations are ideally suited for 30mm gravel.

Certain installers choose to utilise the whacker plate intended for the sub foundation to crush the stone inside the cells. While this is not required, it does help with compaction at the bottom cell walls.

You can now use your gravel driveway!

Go here to see detailed product information on IBRAN Gravel Grids