Designing or redesigning a patio can be a mind-boggling experience as the choices in patio materials and furnishings are overwhelming, but there are materials that can be effectively used, such as gravel. Any patio area can benefit from the use of budget-friendly gravel. Here are a few things you should know about using gravel for your new or redesigned patio.
Gravel for Patios
One type of gravel used for patios is usually pea gravel. It is often found implanted in concrete slabs or pavers, but it can be used in other patio areas in loose form. It is obviously small in size with rounded stones and comes in various stone sizes and colors. Most garden and landscape centers, as well as home stores and hardware stores, carry pea gravel.
Budget Friendly
When you compare pea gravel to other types of patio materials, it is far less expensive to use and place in different areas of a patio or yard. Even inexperienced backyard warriors can easily work with this type of gravel.
Flexibility
Besides being easy to handle and work with, small gravel is one flexible material. It is easily moved from one area to another and can be quickly poured, shoveled and manipulated into almost any patio space that requires isolation or delineation. Depending on a patio’s size, any design can be finished in a matter of a few minutes to a long weekend.
Drainage and Erosion
With the use of pea gravel in a backyard or patio design, any water that is used around the gravel almost immediately soaks into the ground beneath it, so there is no surface water sitting unabsorbed and major drainage issues are eliminated. Pea gravel also helps to avoid erosion of the area around it. If there is any incline in the patio area where the pea gravel is placed, no grading is necessary, as it would be with pavers and similar materials.
Slippage
Pea gravel does shift, slip and slide around if it doesn’t have fortification beneath it. To combat the shifting, utilize a layer of stabilizing material and place it over any landscaping material. Once that is in place, fill in with the gravel. To avoid any mixture of wet gravel and dirt in a landscaped area, and any resulting messes, utilize fabric designated for landscaping and place it underneath a patio space. This fabric will also inhibit the growth of weeds.
Maintenance/Upkeep
The maintenance of pea gravel is usually easy. The main issue with upkeep is simply preserving a smooth and even level of the gravel. This will require raking the gravel back to its original position. Leaves can present a problem as can snow and other debris. A leaf blower can help to remove the leaves, snow and debris. With snow that is heavier and deeper, shovel off the top layer and allows a thin amount of snow to remain on top of the gravel. With the remaining layer of snow, use salt to eliminate and melt any snow that is left.
Installing a new patio area can be an expensive and time-consuming project, but pea gravel can make a patio transformation a whole lot easier and less expensive, plus easy to maintain. Believe it or not, with all the gravel choices out there and varieties in colors and different sizes, a patio or backyard area can be beautifully designed with simple pea gravel. If you are unsure as to whether a gravel patio is an answer to what you want for your backyard patio space, fill out the online contact form, and an expert will get back to you with the answers you need to make an informed decision.
