Photo: Angela Roma

What is the easiest gravel to walk on?

Pea Gravel It's composed of rounded pebbles, so it is comfortable for pets or bare feet to walk across.

pacificgardendesign.com - Gravel Options for Patios and Paths - Pacific Garden Design

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Gravel is a great, low-impact material for patios and pathways. It is less expensive than solid materials like concrete, pavers, or flagstone; is quick to install; and has many environmental benefits over solid surfaces. The type of gravel used affects the function of the space, but it can also impact the overall aesthetic. A speckled gray gravel can evoke a zen garden feel, golden decomposed granite conjures Tuscan themes, and dark lava rock harkens back to mid-century landscapes. Here’s an overview of a few gravel options to consider for a gravel path or patio.

Pea Gravel

Pea gravel is a popular material because it is inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors and sizes. It’s composed of rounded pebbles, so it is comfortable for pets or bare feet to walk across. Because of its round shape, however, pea gravel can’t be compacted into a smooth surface. Individual pebbles simply shift against one another when force is applied, like plastic balls in a ball pit. Just as a child jumping into a ball pit will plunge down beneath the surface, your feet, furniture legs, and trash can wheels will similarly displace pea gravel as they press down. This makes pea gravel a poor choice for patios, where it will impede the movement of people and furniture, and a high maintenance choice for paths, where it will require frequent smoothing and cleanup of stray pebbles that have been inadvertently flung out of place.

Basalt Chip

Basalt is a dark, volcanic rock that is plentiful across the Inland Northwest, thanks to lava flows that blanketed the region a few million years ago, making it a fairly affordable choice in the region today. The rock is fairly uniform in color, which makes it ideal for understated use in the landscape. Basalt comes in many sizes, from cobbles several inches across to small gravel of less than half an inch. Because of the texture of the rock, chipped basalt breaks into jagged, angular pieces. While this can be uncomfortable on bare feet, it does mean that the edges of the gravel pieces will lock together when compacted. This allows you to create a much stronger surface than pea gravel, as the individual chips do not shift and travel in the same way as round pebbles. Smaller-sized basalt chip will create a smoother, flatter patio, but the smaller pieces can also be more painful to step on.

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Is 10mm gravel better than 20mm?

What size gravel should I use? It is often recommended to use 20mm size stones rather than 10mm to create a gravel driveway. Whilst we argue both are perfectly suitable for use in a project, 10mm gravel can sometimes get caught in tyre treads of larger cars so a larger gravel may work better in some instances.

stoneworld.co.uk - Which gravel should I use for my driveway? - Stoneworld Oxfordshire

Gravel is extremely low maintenance provided you have laid a fabric membrane down before laying the gravel as this suppresses the growth of weeds. It is also weather-resistant meaning it is a great choice of material to use, particularly within the UK where the weather changes frequently. Gravel is also great for drainage, as water can move through it a lot faster than it can through soil and other materials. This will help eliminate puddles developing on the driveway. Furthermore, gravel is highly durable which contributes to it affordability. In comparison to other alternatives like Natural stone paving and concrete, gravel is very cost–effective and is offered in a wide range of colours and sizes. It is also very simple to lay. Unlike other driveway surfaces, driveway gravel does not require hiring a professional landscaper.

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