I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Any suggestions ?

In article ,
says...
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Limestone chippings will tend to compact together and form a fairly
solid surface.

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
says...
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access
to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best
thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost
hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that
would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles
etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Limestone chippings will tend to compact together and form a fairly
solid surface.

But for a long time, you'll be treading a grey slurry into your house
and car. Railway ballast is horrible to walk on, particularly if you're
not wearing boots - you tend to go over on your ankles. "Spent
ballast", i.e. the stuff that emerges from track relaying can be cheap,
and has more fines - too much sometimes. Crushed concrete or brick from
a demolition/recycling yard is a possibility - cheap but can be dirty.
Road planings are another one - never tried them myself, but a lot of
farmers use them for tracks and gateways.


--
Kevin Poole
**Use current month and year to reply (e.g. )***
Car Transport by Tiltbed Trailer - based near Derby

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:23:22 -0000, Autolycus wrote:

the stuff that emerges from track relaying can be cheap,
and has more fines - too much sometimes.

And when you consider that most suburban railway carriages don't have
a tank for the WC waste, I wouldn't want it in my drive.

--
Nigel M

Mike Harrison wrote:
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Any suggestions ?

Pea shingle works. But better is to sprinkle down cement powder, rake
it, then put the gravel down. Without the cement, the gravel slowly
sinks into the mud. The cement gives enough extra solidity to stop that
happening.

NT

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:23:22 -0000, "Autolycus" wrote:


"Rob Morley" wrote in message
et...
In article ,
says...
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access
to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best
thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost
hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that
would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles
etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Limestone chippings will tend to compact together and form a fairly
solid surface.

But for a long time, you'll be treading a grey slurry into your house
and car. Railway ballast is horrible to walk on, particularly if you're
not wearing boots - you tend to go over on your ankles. "Spent
ballast", i.e. the stuff that emerges from track relaying can be cheap,
and has more fines - too much sometimes. Crushed concrete or brick from
a demolition/recycling yard is a possibility - cheap but can be dirty.
Road planings are another one - never tried them myself, but a lot of
farmers use them for tracks and gateways.

Walking is not an problem - it only gets reversed onto and I have a motorised garage door!

http://www.pavingexpert.com/cellpav1.htm

Mike Harrison wrote:

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something like railway ballast, which is more
'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place better,
especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

As long as the area has a 'border' 20mm gravel won't go far. Use a
landscape fabric underneath.

Just bought some 20mm gravel, £30 a tonne delivered. Cheap as chips.

Dave

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:41:28 +0000, Nigel Molesworth wrote:

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:23:22 -0000, Autolycus wrote:

the stuff that emerges from track relaying can be cheap,
and has more fines - too much sometimes.

And when you consider that most suburban railway carriages don't have
a tank for the WC waste, I wouldn't want it in my drive.

That was the case with the Mk I slam door stock. Most of that is
gone now and all newer units have had retention tanks for years.

Of course, you might get ballast from a line last relayed in 1957 but the
richards would be pretty well rotted down by now :_)

Tim

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:44:04 +0000, Tim S wrote:

And when you consider that most suburban railway carriages don't have
a tank for the WC waste, I wouldn't want it in my drive.

That was the case with the Mk I slam door stock. Most of that is
gone now and all newer units have had retention tanks for years.

On my line they have only just gone. Standing on the platform looking
at turds nesting in a pile of paper in hopefully a thing of the past.

--
Nigel M

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:28:13 GMT, "david lang" wrote:

Mike Harrison wrote:

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something like railway ballast, which is more
'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place better,
especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

As long as the area has a 'border' 20mm gravel won't go far. Use a
landscape fabric underneath.



Just bought some 20mm gravel, £30 a tonne delivered. Cheap as chips.

What sort of area would a tonne typically cover for this sort of use ?

Mike Harrison wrote :
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my
garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put
over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of
concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would
have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Have you considered those recycled plastic frame type things? If you
imagine something a little stronger than a plastic milk or bear bottle
crate, a couple of inches high - set in the surface of the soil so that
the grass grows through it, protected from wear by the plastic.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

It happens that Mike Harrison formulated :
Just bought some 20mm gravel, £30 a tonne delivered. Cheap as chips.

What sort of area would a tonne typically cover for this sort of use ?

At a guess and depending upon depth, 9 to 12 square foot.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Mike Harrison wrote:
What sort of area would a tonne typically cover for this sort of use ?

I had a driveway some 8m x 4m and covered it with around 40/50mm deep. Tool
2 tommes.

Dave

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:06:26 GMT, Mike Harrison wrote:

What sort of area would a tonne typically cover for this sort of use ?

Assume density about 2x water, so divide by 2 to get volume, so 1
tonne = 1/2 cubic metre. At 1/20 metre deep (5cm) you are looking at
about 10 sq metres.

--
Nigel M

"Mike Harrison" wrote in message
...
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my
garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to
put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle
of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would
have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and
might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Any suggestions ?

What about the plastic mesh used for creating temporary car parks? It just
rolls over the grass and stops things like feet and tyres sinking in. If you
leave it long enough, the grass grows through and makes it a semi-permanent
surface. There are also slightly more permanent solutions, which take the
form of open grid tiles, which are pressed into the soil.

Colin Bignell

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:44:04 +0000, Tim S wrote:

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:41:28 +0000, Nigel Molesworth wrote:

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:23:22 -0000, Autolycus wrote:

the stuff that emerges from track relaying can be cheap,
and has more fines - too much sometimes.

And when you consider that most suburban railway carriages don't have
a tank for the WC waste, I wouldn't want it in my drive.

That was the case with the Mk I slam door stock. Most of that is
gone now and all newer units have had retention tanks for years.

Of course, you might get ballast from a line last relayed in 1957 but the
richards would be pretty well rotted down by now :_)

Tim


The other option would be to make sure that it comes from
stations.....



--

..andy

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:01:55 GMT, Mike Harrison wrote:

I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Any suggestions ?

Yew, Crushed limestone, and whack it flat - about 2". thick MOT type I road
base.

Then just leave the grass to grow back naturally, or, if you are in a
hurry, sprinkle a THIN layer of topsoil on it and re-seed.

I've done this where people use my roadside verge as a passing place, and
it really stops the damage.

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:28:13 GMT, david lang wrote:

Mike Harrison wrote:

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something like railway ballast, which is more
'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place better,
especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

As long as the area has a 'border' 20mm gravel won't go far. Use a
landscape fabric underneath.

Just bought some 20mm gravel, £30 a tonne delivered. Cheap as chips.

Dave

Mine cost me 16 a ton this time, 12 a ton last...mind you that was 16
tons...

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:06:26 GMT, Mike Harrison wrote:

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:28:13 GMT, "david lang" wrote:

Mike Harrison wrote:

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something like railway ballast, which is more
'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place better,
especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

As long as the area has a 'border' 20mm gravel won't go far. Use a
landscape fabric underneath.

Just bought some 20mm gravel, £30 a tonne delivered. Cheap as chips.

What sort of area would a tonne typically cover for this sort of use ?

Abouyt 5 sq meters.

Its about 3 tonnes to a cubic meter IIRC - see www.thepavingexpert.com for
all this stuff

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:16:32 -0000, nightjar wrote:

"Mike Harrison" wrote in message
...
I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my
garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to
put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle
of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would
have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was
wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and
might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Any suggestions ?

What about the plastic mesh used for creating temporary car parks? It just
rolls over the grass and stops things like feet and tyres sinking in. If you
leave it long enough, the grass grows through and makes it a semi-permanent
surface. There are also slightly more permanent solutions, which take the
form of open grid tiles, which are pressed into the soil.

Colin Bignell

if you want to spend money, get those perforated conctete blocks that allow
gars to grow through.

Limestone is cheaper, and once the grass grows, if traffic is light, no
slurry.

Use Grasscrete. Concrete blocks with holes in to allow grass to grow through but strong enough to support the car.

www.grasscrete.com

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Nigel Molesworth
saying something like:

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:44:04 +0000, Tim S wrote:

And when you consider that most suburban railway carriages don't have
a tank for the WC waste, I wouldn't want it in my drive.

That was the case with the Mk I slam door stock. Most of that is
gone now and all newer units have had retention tanks for years.

On my line they have only just gone. Standing on the platform looking
at turds nesting in a pile of paper in hopefully a thing of the past.

Gentlemen should please refrain
From flushing the toilet while the train
Is standing at the station for a while

We encourage contemplation
While the train is at the station
So cross your legs and grit your teeth and smile
--

Dave

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mike Harrison
saying something like:

I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

PSP - pierced steel planking. Used to be dirt cheap, ex-MOD.
--

Dave

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 19:16:02 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Nigel Molesworth
saying something like:

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:44:04 +0000, Tim S wrote:

And when you consider that most suburban railway carriages don't have
a tank for the WC waste, I wouldn't want it in my drive.

That was the case with the Mk I slam door stock. Most of that is
gone now and all newer units have had retention tanks for years.

On my line they have only just gone. Standing on the platform looking
at turds nesting in a pile of paper in hopefully a thing of the past.

Gentlemen should please refrain
From flushing the toilet while the train
Is standing at the station for a while

We encourage contemplation
While the train is at the station
So cross your legs and grit your teeth and smile

Please refrain from urination
while the train is in the station
And never never ever have a poo
Porter standing underneath
will catch it in the face and teeth
He wouldn't like it - nor would you.

Leastways that is waht WE sung, as kids...

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:01:55 GMT, Mike Harrison
wrote:

I have a grassed (well only just) area adjoining the concreted access to my garage - at this time of
year it gets very muddy & I was wondering what would be the best thing to put over it to reduce the
amount of mud-splattering of the car. Probably not worth the cost hassle of concreting but I was
thinking about putting on some some sort of stone/gravel cover that would have some drainage &
reduce the general gunkkiness...

Gravel/pea shingle would probably end up going everywhere - I was wondering about maybe something
like railway ballast, which is more 'square' than shingle/pebbles etc. and might stay in place
better, especially as it became embedded in the soil over time.

Any suggestions ?


In my experience you need something solid, gravels and the like just
get full of mud, if neer a source of mud.

I put several lorries full of slate on my yard 2 years ago, the mud
has washed into it, and its back to a mudbath. The only good thing is
its now a good hard base to put some concrete onto.

Rick