I think this is a great idea. A stone driveway is only as good as it’s compactability. If you don’t have enough fines mixed in with your stone, it’s not going to lock everything together and compact it. For those saying it’s all going to crack up, what’s there to crack? He’s not pouring a 1” slab on top of the stone. He’s literally sweeping the cement into the voids essentially creating fines you would normally get with crushed concrete or #60-10 limestone base material. The only thing that would make this work better would be to run a plate compactor to work the cement down and keep adding material to lick it in throughout the thickness. It’s never going to setup like concrete, but I do believe it will stabilize the stone and reduce washout, ruts and potholes.
May I just suggest that using a fertilizer machine with wheels place the powder concrete into the barrel that can be rolled onto your stones makes it a lot easier then you go over it with the sweeper. Making sure it's all level then use Garden hose on fan mist spray and slightly wet it down. 24-hours before driving on it.
@@popsoldboats3406 one should always wear a mask regardless of what equipment they're using no matter how big or small the job is. particles of particulate like that can destroy a person's lungs that's why many concrete workers have such horrible problems it's a topic that's not really discussed that often but should be. Just like anyone doing remodeling should also be warned about asbestos and its many forms even removal of popcorn ceilings can be loaded with asbestos. old AC ductwork in many addicts along with pipe wrap insulation for winter time. People should always have understanding of what they're working with that should always be prepared by wearing the proper equipment such as proper design mask and ventilation equipment. Also wearing gloves is very important too because those extreme fine particulates can also get into the skin pores. Proper eye protection as well because it can also get into the mucous membranes of the eyes not only causing eye problems but also lead to cancer.
We had this done on our long driveway about 3 years ago and it’s held up great! No ruts or potholes. A little dusty when it’s dry but cheaper than paved.
Did they simply fill any pot holes with aggregate and compact? Then sweep over with concrete as in this video? I find it hard to believe that such a simple method lasts - you’re help would be greatly appreciated.
@@123prestolee I've spread concrete out similarly, not on purpose, but a bag fell and broke... it was too thin and simply busted up after being driven over
Its similar to soilcreting, it doesn't set up like concrete normally will. It bonds and compacts the dirt. This is like what they do to prepare putting down asphalt streets on top of. It won't shatter or break. It will help with gravel drives.
We did similar with our gravel drive. It kept losing rock. We got bags of quick Crete and mixed with pebbles and the gravel. It rained a light shower. Now the driveway is hard and set!
We did this back home in India it only lasted a couple months because of driving agricultural equipment over it. I think it would be okay if it only received light vehicular traffic
@@_mark009 concrete gets its ultimate strength after 28 days and gains more than 50% of strength after 7 days. I would suggest not driving on it for at least one day and you should be ok. If you use it for potholes you better have it on gravel not on normal fill because that may cause the same issue again.
I DID MY DRIVE WAY WICH IS 3/4 OF A MILE WIT A CONCRETE TRUCK WIT 10YRDS OF SCREENINGS WIT 6 SACKS OF PORTLAND CEMENT ADDED AT THE PLANT. ITS HARD A STEEL LOL
You people are BRILLIANT!!! I am making garden paths on my 4 acres with soil cement. I use the dollar cement a lot. Never thought to use it like this. Good thinking!
When all said and done you have just another gravel drive way . I totally see what your trying to get is a concrete or asphalt drive, but only a half inch thick ! Concrete is the best value there is in construction, if done correctly. If your trying to stretch your dollar, 3/4 of your labor is already there at the this point , rather that end up with something that doesn’t add value find a old mixer and just mix and place small appropriately size section of area or hard surface ? This will give you the flexibility of time and budget with a reasonable degree of planning and design you will get a structurally sound product with all the benefits of real equity . There are so many ways to make your project successful with stamping and colors , textures , acid stains overlays that were unavailable to the DIY not too many years ago. I’m semi retired concrete guy that has done everything the hard way most of my life and I’m not mocking anyone that is try to innovate or reinvent better wheel but the Romans got it right and a few millennia later and it’s pretty much done with Same methods and materials because it’s proven to be a product that will last . My last suggestion and most important. What ever you do …. The sub soil or material fill needs 95% compaction and there’s a ton of ways to get that because it’s only as strong as what is holding it up , ie good drainage or undisturbed soil it will fail if it holds water above the frost line .
There's some good tips here but I think everyone in the comments completely missed the point. This guy already had a gravel driveway and was simply looking to do something with it low cost that would help it hold up longer. He spent probably less than a hundred bucks on some torn up bags of cement and a weekend spreading it out. Overall it's not a bad idea for a problematic gravel drive way if you're not ready to pay tens of thousands for a new drive way. I think most people forget that some of us have country size driveways. For me in particular it would cost about 20k to put in a concrete driveway. A few trucks of gravel only costs about 1k. Bottom line everyone's best solution is gonna be different based on your needs.
@allensandven0 does drenching dirt count as compaction? 😅 I just dug up some dirt to put in a drain and then sloped the dirt leading to the drain. I plan do so something similar to what this guy did in my side yard that gets very light foot traffic and I drenched the soil after sloping it to ensure the water would flow the way I wanted it. Planning to do the cement and pea gravel tomorrow.
Do yourself and favor and use some limestone screeining or use the correct 3/4 inch crush gravel when building your driveway. I see people use clear gravel far too often on their driveways. It has very little compaction.
I wonder how it would be to use twice as much and work it in with a box scraper. Also a follow up video would be nice to see how well it really worked.
+1. Great question. Also considering doing similar with quicklime or hydrated lime to prep almost 100% clay driveway and prepping pads for concrete that are 2-3 ft of fill.
@@johnoswald6192that will work . I have 100% clay here in the Carolinas. I’ve experimented with a few different methods. You can mix pure Portland cement into the clay or hydrated lime. The only problem I had was more clay covering up my test area after a hard rain. it was very hard though. You have to till It in . There’s also a liquid thats for building roads out of clay or sand called K-31 but It’s expensive . It’s also on UA-cam.
So looks don't count then? And how long is 1.5 - 2 in thick gravel/concrete combo going to last after a vehicle drives over it (and with no reinforcement)? Are you going to put relief joints in? I'm pretty sure the concrete in my drive is 6 in. thick (at least); and it was put in after the driveway was graded, prepped and compacted. A little bit of cement filtering down between your gravel just means now you're going to have larger chunks of gravel being displaced.
Of course it will crack, there is no rebar reinforcing this loose gravel/concrete mixture. It's more of cheap solution to common gravel driveway issues. It works great if you have a lot of land and long stretches of gravel driveways.
Nice I thought of this when I was a kid and everyone called me nuts. Our street was gravel and always had pits near each driveway especially ours on a corner. Spent hours a week with rake leveling it out and we had a bags of cement in garage .
Bro I would have never in a million years tried something like this, but its a quick cheap solution to make the driveway useable until I do my asphalt paving next year. 👍
You sir Have essentially made 2/3 of a Roman road. Roman’s would add a layer of clay on top then very large flat stones to surface. Good work dude for rediscovering a two thousand year old technique and sharing it to so many people.
People do this all the time with farming or agriculture related things and it really annoys me. Like yeah. So you made a UA-cam video about some s*** that people have been doing since before toilets
We have a large patio area consisting of loose stones. This is EXACTLY what we have been talking about doing to firm up the surface to make pedestrian traffic easier.
what kind of stone did you use did you use CR 14 or 57 stone or something else also I really don't need a huge space just enough to park a pickup truck and a sports car yes I used to work for a Grading Company :) thank you in advance for any help you could give me I greatly appreciate it:)
Has anyone tried mixing the gravel and concrete with decomposed granite? I'm wondering if it would be a good filler to get more coverage with the concrete, but wouldn't impact it's strength.
It hapoened to me inadvertantly whent the concrete truck brought concrete to pour my house pad. Granted it was mixed concrete but it was no deeper than two inches and it still hasnt cracked. In cold ass weather or any other conditions. Cheap way out? Do yall understand how much concrete cost? I have a over 600' ft driveway i could buy a new vehicle for the prices ive been quoted. There is a balance point and anything is better than doing nothing., especially if you dont have a big driveway like i do. Why does everyone have to act like an expert when all they do is probably worked for a guy for a week before they found out it was hard work. In tgese times with a collapsing dollar that we muat be resourceful and conscious of our money.
You may laugh at what he did but, considering it will keep the dust down and yes it should keep the gravel from washing out as easily. Sure, it will break up over time but, it will add resilience for a few years.
It’s been working quite well, in fact, as I find bags of concrete that are torn for a dollar. I’ve been continuing to add them to other parts of the driveway. The driveway does not get washed out even when there’s quite a bit of rain. Hope this answer helps.👍
I’ve been wanting to do something like this to our driveway and under our carport. I hate the gravel and dust it creates. Is there an after video? I’d like to see what it looks like done and see how it’s held up?
Awesome video, I will use this as an alternative to a concrete walkway in my backyard! Materials are cheap, and all the labor I can do myself for free! I was quoted $16,000 for a concrete walkway in my yard!!😳
@@tyler1671the trades right now are ridiculously priced. Good for them, but it goes back to our trash government handing our loans to people who weren't ready to get degrees they wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Left a scarcity of tradesmen and now people want 7bgrand for 2 days of work where the guy who set it up pockets 2k+ of that 😂 It's a Racket and again, good for the guys making money off it but the other bonus is its getting more and more people into learning it themselves. You know, like 90% of our grandfather's did? 😂
@@LoriCrabtree31 whoever did it for 10 owned all their own shit for 20 years and don't hsve to chsrge Mt cousin owns a tree company 40 years ago prices were high now he will cut a 5k job for 3k
This is cement stabilising of aggregate, alternatively can be done with lime. Doesn't last forever and breaks up eventually under any significant traffiicking, but can make a loose material less of a hazard. On sloping drives it can limit rainwater washout of fines from a subbase.
Thank you for the terminology. I wasn't sure how to Google this. ❤ This simple type of cementing is all I need for around my little cabin. I like to keep things low tech and simple.
Nice job. Always good to see someone not having to smash the account to get a good result. I would hope though that people wear a quality mask or respirator when working with powder, that stuff is caustic and will burn your lungs out. Carcnagine as well.
I am currently adding a 46 x 80 ft parking area. Can I do this over the fill dirt before adding roadbase? I am asking because my fill will not compact very well at all.
WOw, thanks for that, I have bit of a slope to the garden, with those small stones, and my motorbike is in a barn and is slippery on the stones going up the slope and down, + the rain washes it down. I think this will do the trick I hope! Only need about 2.5 meter wide and about 5 mtr long, Great idea.... I may mix a small amount of sharp sand in a barrow with it, tip and sweep.
I have a 1500ft gravel driveway w some wash out points. I don’t have 60k to blacktop it so this seems to be a great option to harden a solid road base in the hopes to prevent future washouts. I spread 3 loads of dense grade on top of established 57’s w number 2 under that and I have several spots washing out already. Thank you for the video!! Amazing, folks troll gravel driveway videos Lolol.
I think it would last longer if you agitated the existing gravel before you dust the top with the portland and the mortar mix. But for a quick fix that will work for awhile
My gravel driveway washes out with rain. We got a ton of rain since we live by the river. I was thinking of doing this but then a thin layer of hay or straw, wetting it between each layer, then another layer of mortar/cement wetting top layer again. Im thinking giving the cement fibers in between will help it stick together and not crack over time. Just a theory. I seen earth houses built with clay and hay fibers, and they held up for hundreds of years.
Does adding to the cement make the gravel less permiable by water? Some municipalities want gravel to allow recharging of aquafers. My town may require a retaining pond or leach tank if the driveway is not permiable.
Awesome idea but you could of saved yourself serious time by not just dumping in one big pile then spreading it, you should have just notched a good hole in corner of bag and then spread it out by pouring it out evenly on the ground then touching it up with broom. Just food for thought on your next drive way 😉
Tell me how that experiment comes out. I'm designing a garden of Eden. Its a diamond in the rough but once complete you will not have to do anything but eat. Self seeding, it's basically a biosphere for the home gardener with money to spend on a "landscape supermarket".
I think a real test will be after winter. So far it’s been working out really well as far as water not eroding away the gravel. The area we picked was a high traffic area for water drainage. It would typically Cut ruts into the gravel as the water moved from one side to the next. In the spring will continue this process for the rest of the drive after we see what the winter brings. Hope this answers some of your questions
I have done this before it works well, the key is not to use too much too soon. You don't want it to set up like concrete because then it will crack like half-ass concrete. He might have added too much here. I would add a little over several weeks.
Has anyone tried the liquid sealer pavement you get in those 5 gallon buckets from the hardware stores over a crushed stone driveway? I'm wondering if that's a viable alternative to concrete? I would assume the latex in the pavement would be far more flexible than the concrete and be less prone to chipping and breaking apart.
Asphalt emulsion over gravel and topped with smaller aggregate gives you a chip seal, an affordable and semi-durable road surface. Best sprayed with a distributor truck or trailer.
I did this on my driveway ambut way lighter and it has held up very nice so far. We have a incline approach to the road and we always loose gravel. Ill probably add a couple bags every year
The concrete just holds the gravel in place, whenever I get cheap bags of concrete then I apply it to the part of the driveway that needs at the most. Hope this answer helps.👍
This DOES work. Hell, I emptied wet slurry from a wheel barrow (extra watery) all down my driveway 6 years ago and it's still hard as a rock. "Experts" will tell you 'no way' but it works. Beats hell out of continuously buying gravel.
It always surprises me that this is not more widely known. I've used Portland Cement to stabilize or strengthen aggregate driveways many times. The way we would do it is to first completely scarify the driveway, then spread the Portland Cement using a broadcast spreader. You have to use a decent quality one, like an Agri-Fab, or you won't get a good pattern. It's not the brand, it's the construction of it and the manner in which the flow and broadcast is controlled. Once the entire area was covered, we'd run the scarifier through the whole surface again to get it well blended, then compact the surface with a roller. Important note on gravel surfaces: You HAVE to have a surface layer of well compacted small stones in the 0.5 - 1.5 inch range, or the surface won't have any protection from rain erosion.
My driveway gets washed away at least once a year. Or... it's not exactly 'my' driveway i mean where i rent. But the guy who owns the driveway just lets the gravel get washed out to the street because he's about to retire and move a couple years and says this is cheaper and he doesn't care to do more. He throws new gravel down then goes over it with the tractor to pack it down. It's fine most of the time. But when he leaves, if I'm still renting here. I might want to figure out a way to keep the driveway from becoming a riverbed. I'm looking for ideas now just in case
@@derealized797 - This is what I suggest: 1. Rent a piece of equipment to completely break up and loosen the top few inches of the driveway. 3" or thereabouts is usually a good target. There's lot of ways to skin a cat, but you can always rent a skid steer with a toothed bucket. One of those DR Driveway Rakes won't get the job done, you need a bit more depth than they can give you. The smallest compact dozer at your rental place works well too. 2. If you have any potholes that go down more than the 3" you went down for the driveway as a whole, dig those out a bit deeper. You stop when you get to the bottom of the pothole or when you hit dirt/clay, whichever comes first. 3. Use the Skid Steer to smooth out the surface as best you can. Try to get it as smooth as you can mange. The material will start to pack down again as you work, which is fine. Think of it like spreading icing. 4. If the driveway surface isn't 2" above the surrounding grade, bring up the surface using a stone/dust mix. Use Limestone if it's available, and you want the whitest stone available in your area, because it has a higher calcium carbonate content and will be harder. The names for it vary from place to place, but you basically want the crushed stone from about 1" or so down to fines. Smooth that out and pack it down with the equipment you're using. 10 Tons per 1,000sqft should get you about an inch and a half of thickness. 5. Now you want to top it with #57 Limestone. That's stones in the 0.75" to 1.25" range. Basically the size of mixed grapes. Use 7 Tons per 1,000sqft. Spread that stuff out as evenly as you can manage. That's the wearing course and it protects the driveway from rain. Three Notes: First, call a trucking company, not a stone yard. You'll pay a lot less. You may need to call around a bit before you find the right one, but the truckers pay well below retail and they tend to pass the savings on to you so they can get the gig. Second, get the stuff tailgated out as much as you can. It makes the "spread evenly" part easier. Third, the small the truck, the more you pay for stone. You get the best prices having it delivered in a 20 Ton load. In fact, it's often cheaper to have a 20 Ton truck deliver 10 Tons, even with paying for the "empty" freight. YMMV Once everything is in place and well spread out, go over it with a vibrating drum roller or a plate compactor. The plate compactor is more effective, but the riding roller is a helluvalot easier. The ones that have a 36" wide drum are the size of a riding lawn mower and you can rent them with a small trailer than you can pull with an SUV or pickup truck. Pack it real well. Then, keep after the weeds. If you have trees by the driveway, you need to use RoundUp or the generic equivalent. (Glyphosate). If you don't, you can use GroundClear or a similar weed killer that is more persistent.
I think this is a great idea. A stone driveway is only as good as it’s compactability. If you don’t have enough fines mixed in with your stone, it’s not going to lock everything together and compact it. For those saying it’s all going to crack up, what’s there to crack? He’s not pouring a 1” slab on top of the stone. He’s literally sweeping the cement into the voids essentially creating fines you would normally get with crushed concrete or #60-10 limestone base material. The only thing that would make this work better would be to run a plate compactor to work the cement down and keep adding material to lick it in throughout the thickness. It’s never going to setup like concrete, but I do believe it will stabilize the stone and reduce washout, ruts and potholes.
Exactly what I did with my walkway and it's great !! 2 yrs now !!
May I just suggest that using a fertilizer machine with wheels place the powder concrete into the barrel that can be rolled onto your stones makes it a lot easier then you go over it with the sweeper. Making sure it's all level then use Garden hose on fan mist spray and slightly wet it down. 24-hours before driving on it.
amazing suggestion
not a safe way to handle Portland, lime your lungs would suffer.
@@popsoldboats3406 one should always wear a mask regardless of what equipment they're using no matter how big or small the job is. particles of particulate like that can destroy a person's lungs that's why many concrete workers have such horrible problems it's a topic that's not really discussed that often but should be. Just like anyone doing remodeling should also be warned about asbestos and its many forms even removal of popcorn ceilings can be loaded with asbestos. old AC ductwork in many addicts along with pipe wrap insulation for winter time. People should always have understanding of what they're working with that should always be prepared by wearing the proper equipment such as proper design mask and ventilation equipment. Also wearing gloves is very important too because those extreme fine particulates can also get into the skin pores. Proper eye protection as well because it can also get into the mucous membranes of the eyes not only causing eye problems but also lead to cancer.
Bet you wear a bike helmet….
@@Theryougo1
*Cancer and Brain Damage is no joke. Both kills intelligence and makes many idiots*
We had this done on our long driveway about 3 years ago and it’s held up great! No ruts or potholes. A little dusty when it’s dry but cheaper than paved.
Did they simply fill any pot holes with aggregate and compact? Then sweep over with concrete as in this video? I find it hard to believe that such a simple method lasts - you’re help would be greatly appreciated.
I’d also like a reply on that
me too
@@123prestolee I've spread concrete out similarly, not on purpose, but a bag fell and broke... it was too thin and simply busted up after being driven over
I've never seen anything so stupid
Its similar to soilcreting, it doesn't set up like concrete normally will. It bonds and compacts the dirt. This is like what they do to prepare putting down asphalt streets on top of. It won't shatter or break. It will help with gravel drives.
GOD DARN SOMEBODY GOT TGE SENCE TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ILL BUY YOU A CS OF URE FAVORITE DRINK BROTHER. GREAT ANSWER
Yup, soil stabilization! That’s what pays my bills
@@keithcronk7980THIS HOSS NOS WHATS IP
GOBLESS
We did similar with our gravel drive. It kept losing rock. We got bags of quick Crete and mixed with pebbles and the gravel. It rained a light shower. Now the driveway is hard and set!
Now two years later, are you still happy with the work? Has it held up nicely after driving over it for two years? TIA
@@garyshearer500 no way
Do you have part 2 of this to see the complete results?
We did this back home in India it only lasted a couple months because of driving agricultural equipment over it. I think it would be okay if it only received light vehicular traffic
I have a 1/4 mile gravel driveway, I fill pot holes with bags of concrete and find that it works better than adding more gravel.
@Kevin Byrne how long did you let it set before driving on it?
@@_mark009 concrete gets its ultimate strength after 28 days and gains more than 50% of strength after 7 days. I would suggest not driving on it for at least one day and you should be ok. If you use it for potholes you better have it on gravel not on normal fill because that may cause the same issue again.
@@abdullahn9827 thanks appreciate it. It's for a gravel driveway
I'm getting ready to do this...I thought it was brilliant 😍
I DID MY DRIVE WAY WICH IS 3/4 OF A MILE WIT A CONCRETE TRUCK WIT 10YRDS OF SCREENINGS WIT 6 SACKS OF PORTLAND CEMENT ADDED AT THE PLANT. ITS HARD A STEEL LOL
Very nice....would have liked to see the end-product after it set-up.
You people are BRILLIANT!!! I am making garden paths on my 4 acres with soil cement. I use the dollar cement a lot. Never thought to use it like this. Good thinking!
You got that right
When all said and done you have just another gravel drive way . I totally see what your trying to get is a concrete or asphalt drive, but only a half inch thick ! Concrete is the best value there is in construction, if done correctly. If your trying to stretch your dollar, 3/4 of your labor is already there at the this point , rather that end up with something that doesn’t add value find a old mixer and just mix and place small appropriately size section of area or hard surface ? This will give you the flexibility of time and budget with a reasonable degree of planning and design you will get a structurally sound product with all the benefits of real equity . There are so many ways to make your project successful with stamping and colors , textures , acid stains overlays that were unavailable to the DIY not too many years ago. I’m semi retired concrete guy that has done everything the hard way most of my life and I’m not mocking anyone that is try to innovate or reinvent better wheel but the Romans got it right and a few millennia later and it’s pretty much done with Same methods and materials because it’s proven to be a product that will last . My last suggestion and most important. What ever you do …. The sub soil or material fill needs 95% compaction and there’s a ton of ways to get that because it’s only as strong as what is holding it up , ie good drainage or undisturbed soil it will fail if it holds water above the frost line .
But a concrete driveway raises taxes. I think this is more for someone just trying to get a bit more strength in areas on a budget.
@@headgieslife4177 that’s like saying I don’t like being paid over time $1.5x wage because of taxes or spend 50% less but replacing it 4 time as often
Should of just put pea gravel over it
There's some good tips here but I think everyone in the comments completely missed the point. This guy already had a gravel driveway and was simply looking to do something with it low cost that would help it hold up longer. He spent probably less than a hundred bucks on some torn up bags of cement and a weekend spreading it out. Overall it's not a bad idea for a problematic gravel drive way if you're not ready to pay tens of thousands for a new drive way. I think most people forget that some of us have country size driveways. For me in particular it would cost about 20k to put in a concrete driveway. A few trucks of gravel only costs about 1k. Bottom line everyone's best solution is gonna be different based on your needs.
@allensandven0 does drenching dirt count as compaction? 😅 I just dug up some dirt to put in a drain and then sloped the dirt leading to the drain. I plan do so something similar to what this guy did in my side yard that gets very light foot traffic and I drenched the soil after sloping it to ensure the water would flow the way I wanted it. Planning to do the cement and pea gravel tomorrow.
Do yourself and favor and use some limestone screeining or use the correct 3/4 inch crush gravel when building your driveway. I see people use clear gravel far too often on their driveways. It has very little compaction.
This is exactly what I’m looking for, great, to the point, demonstration.
I wonder how it would be to use twice as much and work it in with a box scraper. Also a follow up video would be nice to see how well it really worked.
Trust me, it DIDN'T!
@@stlstreets1318 how do you know ?
Crushed limestone or a base stone powder would work better more flexible
+1. Great question. Also considering doing similar with quicklime or hydrated lime to prep almost 100% clay driveway and prepping pads for concrete that are 2-3 ft of fill.
@@johnoswald6192that will work . I have 100% clay here in the Carolinas. I’ve experimented with a few different methods. You can mix pure Portland cement into the clay or hydrated lime. The only problem I had was more clay covering up my test area after a hard rain. it was very hard though. You have to till
It in . There’s also a liquid thats for building roads out of clay or sand called K-31 but It’s expensive . It’s also on UA-cam.
So looks don't count then? And how long is 1.5 - 2 in thick gravel/concrete combo going to last after a vehicle drives over it (and with no reinforcement)? Are you going to put relief joints in? I'm pretty sure the concrete in my drive is 6 in. thick (at least); and it was put in after the driveway was graded, prepped and compacted. A little bit of cement filtering down between your gravel just means now you're going to have larger chunks of gravel being displaced.
How did this hold up over time? When you drive on it, is it cracking?
Of course it will crack, there is no rebar reinforcing this loose gravel/concrete mixture. It's more of cheap solution to common gravel driveway issues. It works great if you have a lot of land and long stretches of gravel driveways.
Of course
You have to use just concrete and soil to not have Crack and last
Nice I thought of this when I was a kid and everyone called me nuts. Our street was gravel and always had pits near each driveway especially ours on a corner. Spent hours a week with rake leveling it out and we had a bags of cement in garage .
Bro I would have never in a million years tried something like this, but its a quick cheap solution to make the driveway useable until I do my asphalt paving next year. 👍
This is smart, and I can tell you from experience, that this works very well.
You sir
Have essentially made 2/3 of a Roman road.
Roman’s would add a layer of clay on top then very large flat stones to surface.
Good work dude for rediscovering a two thousand year old technique and sharing it to so many people.
Correct my friend
Why clay? Aggregate?
@@Screch drainage I believe
Roads back then were on a bit of a slope left and right to push water to the edges.
Clay enhanced the effectiveness.
People do this all the time with farming or agriculture related things and it really annoys me. Like yeah. So you made a UA-cam video about some s*** that people have been doing since before toilets
@@kash666666not every one is as smart as you...your highness 😂😂😂
We have a large patio area consisting of loose stones. This is EXACTLY what we have been talking about doing to firm up the surface to make pedestrian traffic easier.
Will it kill the weeds?
Dude you're a hero.
Doing this Tomorrow.
I'd like to see what it looks like next year
what kind of stone did you use did you use CR 14 or 57 stone or something else also I really don't need a huge space just enough to park a pickup truck and a sports car
yes I used to work for a Grading Company :) thank you in advance for any help you could give me I greatly appreciate it:)
Has anyone tried mixing the gravel and concrete with decomposed granite? I'm wondering if it would be a good filler to get more coverage with the concrete, but wouldn't impact it's strength.
This is a great tip! can you make a few photos or a video of how it looks after it is dry?
I am sure it looks terrible lol 😂
@@Entrepreneurusa right? It looks terrible before it dries definitely the cheap route to take
100 percent Guarantee it's crumbled up. Wast of time, money and effort
It hapoened to me inadvertantly whent the concrete truck brought concrete to pour my house pad. Granted it was mixed concrete but it was no deeper than two inches and it still hasnt cracked. In cold ass weather or any other conditions. Cheap way out? Do yall understand how much concrete cost? I have a over 600' ft driveway i could buy a new vehicle for the prices ive been quoted. There is a balance point and anything is better than doing nothing., especially if you dont have a big driveway like i do. Why does everyone have to act like an expert when all they do is probably worked for a guy for a week before they found out it was hard work. In tgese times with a collapsing dollar that we muat be resourceful and conscious of our money.
@@stevensquires5329 well said
You may laugh at what he did but, considering it will keep the dust down and yes it should keep the gravel from washing out as easily. Sure, it will break up over time but, it will add resilience for a few years.
Nonetheless a waste product of open random bags of concrete and a cheaper alternative to adding more and more gravel a win win win in my book
Would love an update, but particularly at the end of the driveway seems like a good way to keep dust down
It’s been working quite well, in fact, as I find bags of concrete that are torn for a dollar. I’ve been continuing to add them to other parts of the driveway. The driveway does not get washed out even when there’s quite a bit of rain. Hope this answer helps.👍
I’ve been wanting to do something like this to our driveway and under our carport. I hate the gravel and dust it creates. Is there an after video? I’d like to see what it looks like done and see how it’s held up?
Exactly how I used to do it! Worked great... and then I bought a black truck...
Will it crack and flake apart later?
Did this in Az. but just around the edges...did exactly what I wanted.
Why not just add more gravel and build a border with landscape timber to hold the gravel?
Can I do this on garden stones to stop the weeds and stop them moving around too much?
Be nice to hear your thoughts after this had a chance to set in for a while. Thanks for the video. Good job.
Awesome video, I will use this as an alternative to a concrete walkway in my backyard! Materials are cheap, and all the labor I can do myself for free!
I was quoted $16,000 for a concrete walkway in my yard!!😳
Think hard work comes cheap ?
How much did it end up costing you?
@@tyler1671the trades right now are ridiculously priced. Good for them, but it goes back to our trash government handing our loans to people who weren't ready to get degrees they wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
Left a scarcity of tradesmen and now people want 7bgrand for 2 days of work where the guy who set it up pockets 2k+ of that 😂
It's a Racket and again, good for the guys making money off it but the other bonus is its getting more and more people into learning it themselves.
You know, like 90% of our grandfather's did? 😂
@@tyler1671 $16K for a walkway? I've seen long driveways done for $10K. I guess it depends on where you live.
@@LoriCrabtree31 whoever did it for 10 owned all their own shit for 20 years and don't hsve to chsrge Mt cousin owns a tree company 40 years ago prices were high now he will cut a 5k job for 3k
This is cement stabilising of aggregate, alternatively can be done with lime. Doesn't last forever and breaks up eventually under any significant traffiicking, but can make a loose material less of a hazard. On sloping drives it can limit rainwater washout of fines from a subbase.
Thank you for the terminology. I wasn't sure how to Google this. ❤ This simple type of cementing is all I need for around my little cabin. I like to keep things low tech and simple.
My dad did this back in the 60s. He used a drop spreader to apply the dry concrete
Is it still holding up?
@@kimyatawilliams4588 it worked well until he had a garage built and moved the driveway
Decayed granite is far superior for this application but can be hard to get in some areas of the country and it looks much nicer
Does this method keep weeds from growing through the gravel?
Nice job. Always good to see someone not having to smash the account to get a good result. I would hope though that people wear a quality mask or respirator when working with powder, that stuff is caustic and will burn your lungs out. Carcnagine as well.
I am currently adding a 46 x 80 ft parking area. Can I do this over the fill dirt before adding roadbase? I am asking because my fill will not compact very well at all.
WOw, thanks for that, I have bit of a slope to the garden, with those small stones, and my motorbike is in a barn and is slippery on the stones going up the slope and down, + the rain washes it down. I think this will do the trick I hope! Only need about 2.5 meter wide and about 5 mtr long, Great idea.... I may mix a small amount of sharp sand in a barrow with it, tip and sweep.
I have a 1500ft gravel driveway w some wash out points. I don’t have 60k to blacktop it so this seems to be a great option to harden a solid road base in the hopes to prevent future washouts. I spread 3 loads of dense grade on top of established 57’s w number 2 under that and I have several spots washing out already. Thank you for the video!! Amazing, folks troll gravel driveway videos Lolol.
LOL!!! Gravel trolls!!!
I suggest 3yd truck of road mix.
I'll pave it for 54,000
@@kevinjamieson7899 Lol highest I’d go is 52
@@AB-rg9zm lol
How about a drop spreader wide open
I think it would last longer if you agitated the existing gravel before you dust the top with the portland and the mortar mix. But for a quick fix that will work for awhile
I actually didn't think of that, very clever idea
What’s agitate the existing gravel means in practicality???
Does that means wetting it before appplying the mortal mix?
@@Afuw41 no it means using some sort of mixing method like tilling the Portland into the gravel and base dirt to cause a bonding effect
Good idea👍. How's it holding up?
You can also compact it right after hosing it down for ultimate strength, it should probably be like a cheap ashfault driveway
Important step
Ashfault….😂
My gravel driveway washes out with rain. We got a ton of rain since we live by the river. I was thinking of doing this but then a thin layer of hay or straw, wetting it between each layer, then another layer of mortar/cement wetting top layer again. Im thinking giving the cement fibers in between will help it stick together and not crack over time. Just a theory. I seen earth houses built with clay and hay fibers, and they held up for hundreds of years.
I have a snow blade on my tractor for big snows. Will it be destroyed by plowing?
Do you know the difference in motor mix and Portland? I though not.
Do u need a building permit to do that on your land or property....
Does adding to the cement make the gravel less permiable by water? Some municipalities want gravel to allow recharging of aquafers. My town may require a retaining pond or leach tank if the driveway is not permiable.
Would it be permanent or semi permanent?
Hi this mortor mix you are using is just cement right. not prrmix concrete with gravel included thanks
How did this work out over time?
How well is this holding up?
Awesome idea but you could of saved yourself serious time by not just dumping in one big pile then spreading it, you should have just notched a good hole in corner of bag and then spread it out by pouring it out evenly on the ground then touching it up with broom. Just food for thought on your next drive way 😉
My back couldn’t do that!
Yeah those bags are extremely heavy. Not a good idea to put your back in a positions of supporting the weight.
Tell me how that experiment comes out. I'm designing a garden of Eden. Its a diamond in the rough but once complete you will not have to do anything but eat. Self seeding, it's basically a biosphere for the home gardener with money to spend on a "landscape supermarket".
Did the concrete wash away from the rain? I need to fix my old walk?
I’m thinking this will be a broken up mess in no time
NO IT WERE WOUNT. YOU APPARENTLY DONT KNOW WHAT THE FLIP URE TALKING ABOUT IVE GOT 35+ YRS IN CONCRETE & PIPELINE S RAMROD.
Keith Cronk was that English?
Yes maybe but for $1 a bag you really can’t go wrong
I'm sure it's not a one and done solution but if you keep dumping cement into your wet spots eventually you're gonna have concrete lol
And dusty. The previous owners of last house had derivatives gravelled with recycled concrete. It broke down quickly into dust.
I’m curious how this holds up over time. Can you give an update?
I think a real test will be after winter. So far it’s been working out really well as far as water not eroding away the gravel. The area we picked was a high traffic area for water drainage. It would typically Cut ruts into the gravel as the water moved from one side to the next. In the spring will continue this process for the rest of the drive after we see what the winter brings. Hope this answers some of your questions
@@livefree6878 hows it holding up so far
I have done this before it works well, the key is not to use too much too soon. You don't want it to set up like concrete because then it will crack like half-ass concrete. He might have added too much here. I would add a little over several weeks.
1 or 2 winters.
MINE HAS BEEN DOWN 4 15+ YRS NO PROBLEMS WIT IT.
Does it become like mud and stick to your car?
Can you use this to just help lock down the stones? I have an area that is stoned and I want to do this help lock it all in
What does it look like when it sets?
I definitely would appreciate a update to this video to see the finished product maybe a year later.
Yes please!!!
How long until it starts cracking?
I love this idea. I'm going to copy this and do this in my backyard parking
Wonder how a fertilizer spreader would work?
Cool idea friend.
I'm pretty sure it would just fling shit everywhere
@Mitch Batten TELL HIM MITCH HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THIS SIR.
Will it prevent weeds for coming up?
So, what is the result????
Would this work on a sloped driveway? The previous owner put gravel- but it washes away.
Did this end up holding very well??
My gravel place sells ground up asphalt from roads. Spray a little diesel fuel on it in summer and roll over it.
How’s it holding up?
Has anyone tried the liquid sealer pavement you get in those 5 gallon buckets from the hardware stores over a crushed stone driveway? I'm wondering if that's a viable alternative to concrete? I would assume the latex in the pavement would be far more flexible than the concrete and be less prone to chipping and breaking apart.
Asphalt emulsion over gravel and topped with smaller aggregate gives you a chip seal, an affordable and semi-durable road surface. Best sprayed with a distributor truck or trailer.
What is the term for this in the contractor world ? I would like to have a quote for this sounds durable for just a car driveway....@@kulagabe
@@dkat1108 it is called a chip seal.
Doesn’t water solidify the concrete?
*Added sand? How much and how?*
How long will it last until it starts cracking
Could’ve used a lawn drop spreader to lay out the concrete to get a more even all around coverage for the entire driveway
I did this on my driveway ambut way lighter and it has held up very nice so far. We have a incline approach to the road and we always loose gravel. Ill probably add a couple bags every year
i have a dedicated fertilizer spreader i use for my driveways.
Can you use quickrete the same way?
I wouldn’t advise doing this. When it breaks up the concrete becomes like broken glass. I know because I did it and it was a huge mistake.
You need to "rototill" it in after spreading it.
The link up top is to batteries, am I missing something?
I’d like to see how good or bad it looks in a week.
It works bud. Did it to my gravel drive way 4 yrs ago. Helps in stay together from rain and helps on weeds. I’m in Florida too
@@irietropicals4255 AMEN ALL SORTS OF PRO CONCRETE COMMANDOS ON Y TUBE.
THEY DON'T KNOW SCAT BROTHER. BE SAFE CARRY A BIG BROOM HANDLE BROTHER
What type of gravel ?, and how would it work for a walkway?
Don't waste your money. I've tried this it lasted about one hard rain. Today about one year later you can't even find any sign of concrete.
For the price and a little labor this might be a cheap short term inexpensive fix. Thanks bro.
So how did this hold up?
How's it held up a year later?
How many bags of morter mix did you use?
How has this held up? New video follow up?🎉
Do you have to do the driveway all at once?Or can you do sections?
The concrete just holds the gravel in place, whenever I get cheap bags of concrete then I apply it to the part of the driveway that needs at the most. Hope this answer helps.👍
Don't you loose the draining ability of the gravel then?
what is the long term update results?
Would water drain into the ground if I use mortar mix. I am trying to install artificial turf on top of DG and want proper draining.
How is this after a few years?
This DOES work. Hell, I emptied wet slurry from a wheel barrow (extra watery) all down my driveway 6 years ago and it's still hard as a rock. "Experts" will tell you 'no way' but it works. Beats hell out of continuously buying gravel.
can you just put stone dust down and wet it when that come pack like concrete in itself
It always surprises me that this is not more widely known.
I've used Portland Cement to stabilize or strengthen aggregate driveways many times.
The way we would do it is to first completely scarify the driveway, then spread the Portland Cement using a broadcast spreader. You have to use a decent quality one, like an Agri-Fab, or you won't get a good pattern. It's not the brand, it's the construction of it and the manner in which the flow and broadcast is controlled.
Once the entire area was covered, we'd run the scarifier through the whole surface again to get it well blended, then compact the surface with a roller.
Important note on gravel surfaces: You HAVE to have a surface layer of well compacted small stones in the 0.5 - 1.5 inch range, or the surface won't have any protection from rain erosion.
My driveway gets washed away at least once a year. Or... it's not exactly 'my' driveway i mean where i rent. But the guy who owns the driveway just lets the gravel get washed out to the street because he's about to retire and move a couple years and says this is cheaper and he doesn't care to do more. He throws new gravel down then goes over it with the tractor to pack it down.
It's fine most of the time. But when he leaves, if I'm still renting here. I might want to figure out a way to keep the driveway from becoming a riverbed.
I'm looking for ideas now just in case
@@derealized797 -
This is what I suggest:
1. Rent a piece of equipment to completely break up and loosen the top few inches of the driveway. 3" or thereabouts is usually a good target. There's lot of ways to skin a cat, but you can always rent a skid steer with a toothed bucket. One of those DR Driveway Rakes won't get the job done, you need a bit more depth than they can give you. The smallest compact dozer at your rental place works well too.
2. If you have any potholes that go down more than the 3" you went down for the driveway as a whole, dig those out a bit deeper. You stop when you get to the bottom of the pothole or when you hit dirt/clay, whichever comes first.
3. Use the Skid Steer to smooth out the surface as best you can. Try to get it as smooth as you can mange. The material will start to pack down again as you work, which is fine. Think of it like spreading icing.
4. If the driveway surface isn't 2" above the surrounding grade, bring up the surface using a stone/dust mix. Use Limestone if it's available, and you want the whitest stone available in your area, because it has a higher calcium carbonate content and will be harder. The names for it vary from place to place, but you basically want the crushed stone from about 1" or so down to fines. Smooth that out and pack it down with the equipment you're using. 10 Tons per 1,000sqft should get you about an inch and a half of thickness.
5. Now you want to top it with #57 Limestone. That's stones in the 0.75" to 1.25" range. Basically the size of mixed grapes. Use 7 Tons per 1,000sqft. Spread that stuff out as evenly as you can manage. That's the wearing course and it protects the driveway from rain.
Three Notes: First, call a trucking company, not a stone yard. You'll pay a lot less. You may need to call around a bit before you find the right one, but the truckers pay well below retail and they tend to pass the savings on to you so they can get the gig. Second, get the stuff tailgated out as much as you can. It makes the "spread evenly" part easier. Third, the small the truck, the more you pay for stone. You get the best prices having it delivered in a 20 Ton load.
In fact, it's often cheaper to have a 20 Ton truck deliver 10 Tons, even with paying for the "empty" freight. YMMV
Once everything is in place and well spread out, go over it with a vibrating drum roller or a plate compactor. The plate compactor is more effective, but the riding roller is a helluvalot easier. The ones that have a 36" wide drum are the size of a riding lawn mower and you can rent them with a small trailer than you can pull with an SUV or pickup truck.
Pack it real well.
Then, keep after the weeds. If you have trees by the driveway, you need to use RoundUp or the generic equivalent. (Glyphosate). If you don't, you can use GroundClear or a similar weed killer that is more persistent.