Lawns & Landscape Beds

When putting stone on front lawns and landscape beds it is a good idea to use a weed barrier fabric. Weed Barrier allows water and nutrients to pass through to plants while also inhibiting weed growth. The best way to help the weed barrier do its job is to put the proper amount of stone over it. Weed Barrier manufacturers recommend a minimum of 3" of stone to keep the suns UV rays from penetrating and degrading the weed barrier. When using large stone such as 3"-5" or 5"-8" it may be helpful to have a layer of smaller stones underneath to fill any gaps between the large stone.

Weed Barrier can also be used under mulch to prevent weed growth, though it is not as important to use it with mulch as it is with stone.

You may want to use any number of products to border your ground cover areas . The different options include: plastic or aluminum landscape edging, pressure treated wood landscape ties, decorative concrete edgers, or various types of natural stones.

Driveways & Parking Areas

For the best possible job you should excavate to a depth of 6", then install weed barrier, followed by 4" of Quarry Process, and then a 2" layer of decorative clean stone. 3/8" and 3/4" sized stone are the best choices for driveways and parking areas. Crushed stone is a more practical choice for this type of installation as it packs better, but if you prefer the look of round gravel it can also be used.

If you would rather take the easy route, just spread 2" of stone over the existing ground and your done. Don’t use weed barrier with this method as it will likely be torn up by the tires of your car.

Remember, with driveways its best to keep the depth of stone at about 2". If its too deep cars may get buried. You can always add more stone in a year or so as it packs down. With 3/8" stone it may be a good idea to spread at a depth of 1 1/2".

Commercial Installations

When installing stone or mulch in landscaped islands in and around parking lots, the best method is to keep the starting grade 6" below the curb line. You can then install weed barrier topped with 4" of clean stone. Often islands are filled with dirt and topped with a thin layer of stone. This usually leads to exposed and degraded fabric along with lots of unsightly weed growth, and stone spilled out on to the parking lot.