Weed Membrane on a driveway

garratt83_2

To All

I'm currently doing my drive up and need some advice on when to put the membrane down.

Its a gravel drive and I'm doing it properly.

It will have a MOT sub-base about 15mm thick and 5mm of gravel.

When do I put the membrane down? Before the MOT sub-base or after?

Any advise would be great.

Cheers

AdrianW2

If you believe Her Majesty's government, an MOT1 sub-base isn't doing it properly any more (because it doesn't drain well enough).

Anyway, your question is a FAQ here

garratt83_2

Yeah seen that website but that is for a flagged drive and mine is a gravel drive?

AdrianW2

From Paving Expert - "So, to summarise, landscape fabrics can be very useful for decorative gravel or bark areas, such as scree/alpine beds or planter areas, are a boon to deep-filled play areas, but can cause more problems than they solve beneath paths and driveways if not well-buried. "

When we did a friend on mine's, he put the membrane between the sub-base and the gravel. Like Mccormack's say, sometimes the gravel slides about and reveals the fabric layer.

missile

IMHO, 5 mm gravel is not enough

garratt83_2

Sorry I ment to say 15CM of MOT and 5cm of gravel

Johnhowell

For gravel drives the recommendation to satisfy the new Planning Regs is Sub-base Type 3 instead of Type 1, it has slightly less fines. Type 1 is permeable but not as much as Type 3.

We are thinking of redoing our gravel drive as well, and because of the soft nature of our sub-grade am proposing to use Terram 1000 under the sub-base. It will stiffen up the construction and is permeable. As for weeds - not too sure. I have seen it reported during my investigations, that most weeds seed on the surface as blown in rather than through the base.

Do read the Pavingexpert website - there is a section on gravel drives and membranes.

What size stone are you going to use? What edging are you going to use?

John

garratt83_2

It seems to me that the membrane goes down before the Sub-base, which I thought was right but my bro disagrees.

John, I am going to use 10mm mixed pea gravel as its on offer and I like the look of it.

Edging, I am using concrete blocks at the front edge (path) and rope style edging http://www.landscapingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/product/Edging-Cotswold-Buff/365. But the ones I am going to use are much deeper and black.

Bit to hot at the mo to do much work but hope to be done by Friday.

Suzy_M

Membrane under sub-base to stop it breaking up in to the sub-soil etc. and membrane under the gravel to help reduce the depth weed roots can go?