Any experiences with a bluestone/gravel driveway?

[NYTom]

I started a thread on driveways last week.
//www.city-data.com/forum/long-...y-options.html

[OneToGo]

Originally Posted by Mrpepelepeu

OK. I just found on Google something that may by awesome:
Tar and chip!

Any experiences?

It's great! Especially in the hot sun when the tar gets on your feet and your drag it thru Mrspepepepeu's carpet.

[Mrpepelepeu]

Are you talking from experience? I can't imagine the tar rising above the stone...

[kokonutty]

A proper bluestone driveway is not simply dumped on the ground and raked around. It would be easy to make a proper installation of "oil and gravel" in the OP's existing driveway. Usually a base of crushed stone or RCA is created and the top of that is then coated with a tarlike, heavy oil. The stone is then spread on the oil and rolled to force the gravel down into the oil. This captures most of the stone leaving only a light coating of loose stone on the top.


An occasional sweeping at the bottom of the driveway and possibly the top is all that's needed in the way of maintenance. The driveway can be shoveled by hand or with a snowblower. The only difference is that the snowblower blades should be set a little higher to avoid throwing the loose gravel around and an inch or so of snow will remain. The same would be true if hand shoveling.

[loveithateit]

One of the neighbors here poured what looks like polyeurethane to hold the rocks together on his driveway. I have no idea if they are blue stones though.

[Mrpepelepeu]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

A proper bluestone driveway is not simply dumped on the ground and raked around. It would be easy to make a proper installation of "oil and gravel" in the OP's existing driveway. Usually a base of crushed stone or RCA is created and the top of that is then coated with a tarlike, heavy oil. The stone is then spread on the oil and rolled to force the gravel down into the oil. This captures most of the stone leaving only a light coating of loose stone on the top.


An occasional sweeping at the bottom of the driveway and possibly the top is all that's needed in the way of maintenance. The driveway can be shoveled by hand or with a snowblower. The only difference is that the snowblower blades should be set a little higher to avoid throwing the loose gravel around and an inch or so of snow will remain. The same would be true if hand shoveling.

Thanks. Do you know a contractor that you'd recommend for oil and gravel? Is that the same as tar and chip?

[SadieLu]

Originally Posted by hotkarl

Yes.
It sucks.

All over the lawn, walk way, in the house, gets stuck in your tires and will drive you insane with the clicky clicky noise while you're driving, weeds.
Can't plow or shovel it very well.

Agree! And it's a PITA trying to shovel. We had a gravel driveway for years, finally got rid of it and went with blacktop.