Using gravel as decorative covering??

chrest

Hi we are going to put black membrane down on the garden and patio area and use decorative stone/pebble etc. I think we roughly have a 20-25m2 (40-50 bags) area to cover and have looked at b&q, wickes and homebase and there bags are about £5. A bag covers 0.4m2 which would obviously cost us alot of money. However I found this gravel at b&q for 1.83 per bag, which I think looks alright for the job, but is there any reason why we shouldn't use it for decorative purposes? ie: too sandy, wouldn't do the job etc.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9273143&fh_view_ size=150&fh_start_index=0&fh_sort_order=1&fh_sort_ by=_price_rrp_min&fh_location=%2f%2fcatal!!!1%2fen _GB&fh_search=aggreviates&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview =search&ts=1238686809657&isSearch=true

Thanks

Vibrant

Hi,
20mm gravel is fine, it has the advantages over smaller gravel, that it doesn't move about as much and cats are less likely to use it as a litter tray!!
I think that you will need more gravel than you expect, I usually use three, or four bags to cover 1sq metre.
A cheaper and easier option, would be jumbo bags, these usually hold 850KG and cost around £40 each.
If you measure the area carefully and phone a local gravel supplier, they will be able to recommend the correct amount to purchase.

p.s. Use weed fabric hooks to keep the fabric in place, it makes for a much better job:
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Garden-Sundries/Fleece-and-Fabric-Staples/invt/194528

amcluesent

I'd be cautious. A neighbour did a cheap job and the gravel always looks drab and somehow 'dusty', no real sparkle or colour to it at all.

After quite a bit of searching I ordered 'Solent Gold' 20mm from http://www.onlinegravel.co.uk/. Next day delivery and saves you loading heavy bags into the car at the DIY shed.

colt

wot about using different types to break up the area. use a cheaper one for the main part but use a different colour and type to put in a pattern it does look nice doing it this way