Limestone vs Gravel in driveway

If you're building a new driveway, or adding a top layer to an existing driveway, you may wonder whether gravel (river rock) or Limestone is better. I always wondered! In this video we talk about the advantages of each, and how we used #3 gravel for 22 years on top of over 50 tri-axle loads of shale to build a solid base for our long rural driveway. But this year, we're trying 22 tons of 2B limestone as a top layer. Here are what we've discovered and the difference in price, look, and attributes.
#gravel #limestone #driveway #outdoorgans #purplecollarlife
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Published May 14, 2023
Current subscriber count at the time of upload: 15,463
Purple Collar Life is a privately owned channel and part of Education Situation Specialists.

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[rodreddick]

Im in the mid south it hits 100 in summer and 0 in winter along with extreme rain in May and surrounding months my driveway is about a quarter mile also threw swamp like heavily wooded area near the Mississippi river The local rock company talked me into getting clay gravel mixed and a geo weed barrier to start as a base drive over it around a year then add a layer of crushed concrete forming a type of domed shape running into irrigation trenches along both sides of the driveway it has worked great absolutely no problems as of yet..

[dan__________________]

What we do when we build driveways or parking lots is we use road cloth underneath the base. This helps to stop the stone from disappearing into the soil. This is similar to how highway roads are built.

[berhorst]

In my early days, driving a dumptruck, the often-said phrase was "river gravel always finds its way back to the river." We always recommended crushed stone, especially for topping. 3/4 inch minus (3/4 or smaller, has dust and fines in it) was the recommended size unless a lot of heavy traffic. Perfect for a driveway. Gravel is great for making concrete, and for leach fields of septic tanks. Other than that, crushed stone for aeverything else

[cousin_JACK]

Glad you switched over to the limestone. You may have already noticed how clean it washes after rain and it does lock together so nicely, I’m currently slowly replenishing our driveway with it after having all the pea gravel wash away

[steveashworth]

Your driveway will only be as good as your sub grade!, the last thing you want to do is keep adding more stone every year which adds up in money spent!. Limestone locks in and gravel rolls around!. If you dont want to use fabric before you put stone down then you should put down 6 inches of #2 limestone and 2 inches of 3/4 inch limestone with dust to choke your #2 limestone in place. And to make your wife happy the cover your drive with an inch of gravel to still maintain the rustic look. No matter what you put on top if your base isnt good it will keep pumping dirt up and stone down.

[digdrivediy]

Great talk and comparison on limestone vs gravel. I think the limestone looks great! I can't believe your limestone prices there in NW PA! A 20 ton tri-axle load of washed stone here is about $400.

[ck]

3/4” limestone with plate compactor is what we use. Holds really well and is much more comfortable to walk and drive on. We have three roads on our property 100’ each road. Asphalt for our main entrance (can be plowed) one road 3/4” limestone to our carport and another road 3/4” limestone to the back side of property leading to our barn.

[stanfriedrick]

I used clean crushed concrete for base and low spots with nice coat of limestone on top to look good.

[msack]

We used B19 for years as a good base and even top coat. We switched to limestone with dust about 25 yrs ago and haven't looked back. It compacts well ans once dust gets wet, it makes it pretty hard and packed. Dust can be a pain when it rains hard, but we sometimes switch with washed topcoat. We also use a recycled crushed concrete gravel for our drive to out barn since it packs well and is much cheaper than limestone.

[thefrenchgardener]

Interesting comparison.... My drive is only 300 x 12 feet and has a 15degree pitch to it. After the initial gravel and clay base was packed down, I had 18 ton of #57 rock put down and rolled. I bought too much stone for the pitch so I have some spin ruts occasionally but it is clean, neat and apart from grading it with my ATV and a 8' piece of chain link fencing, it is holding pretty well. Thanks for the video....

[kcmelat]

I just scheduled our annual delivery of 2B washed limestone for our driveway. We’ve tried river rock in a few places before but found that it doesn’t lock in and rolls out of place or off the road. I agree that the cost of gravel has gotten crazy, now above $700 per tri-axle.

[ChattNCC]

Your pricing is similar to what we pay in our area. There is only one quarry in the area that can source limestone and it gets a premium price for its stone. Also, our haulers have seen a dramatic increase in their costs due to inflation with fuel, parts and repairs and they have been forced to raise their prices. The aggregate we buy is limestone crusher and it locks in great and will stay on our hills and curves. We’ve found that the limestone packs in great and outlasts the granite crusher used in the past. This added longevity makes the limestone a better value over time for us. Good luck with your experiment and with the upcoming wedding.

[Eric]

I'm glad I live next to a quarry. I load my trailer with limestone @ 7 a ton.

[RollingWithRuss]

Thanks for sharing! We're developing a 12.5 acre parcel in northern Indiana (currently it's corn/soy farmed) and will be putting about a 500' driveway in over the tilled farmland. This was helpful!

[tudorgheorghe]

Yeap, that was for me just to certify my solid knowledge about this! Well is all about haveing it ! Crushed will not disaper so quicly !

[jimmccullough]

Nice drive. In this area asphalt millings are a popular choice and readily available, and it packs well.

[davida.p.]

It looks good. It has an attractive appearance. 👍 We've used crushed granite for our driveway. It has a blueish color to it (I believe it's granite, anyway) and it works well for our application. The only drawback is that it comes in irregular pieces and can turn an ankle if you run or walk too quickly on it. Thanks for sharing, Chad! 😎

[Lilfarmrboy]

I just topped my driveway with 80 tons of limestone about two years ago. The original stone was installed in 1978 and has only been refreshed about 4 or 5 times before my last one. Hat tip - if you really want a firm base order stone dust first (same stuff they put on horse tracks) and spread evenly and let dry for a week or so. Stuff gets hard as concrete. Then top with stone. I second Neil’s driveway videos @digdrivediy

[davesauerzopf]

This is what they post from my local stone place.
2B Loose Crushed Stone$37.60 / Yard 28.90/Ton for 22 Ton loads.
3/4" loose crushed stone, washed and free of fine stone dust. Used for drainage or under concrete slabs and sidewalks. Not preferred in driveways because it will not compact and become a firm solid base, and will roll out from under the tires when driven on, but some people occasionally use it in the driveway and apply it in a very thin layer and it helps prevent the muddy condition caused by the fine stone dust that is mixed in the 2A modified.

[chrisdusty]

AR/Ok region the sb2 is the go to material. Geotextile keeps the rock on the surface longer.