The Different Uses for Gravel

by Kevin Smith Author

Sakrete all-purpose gravel is an extremely diverse material. It can be used in many different ways to achieve whatever look you want with your projects. Gravel is useful for more than just looks and filling in boring parts of your yard, though that is a fantastic use for it. There are functional uses of gravel with concrete slabs, concrete mixes, and drainage bases.

Concrete Mixes

Something that all-purpose gravel is extremely useful for is making custom concrete mixes. Gravel makes up the majority of the coarse aggregate that is used in concrete mixes. With this type of gravel, you can customize your concrete to your specifications to achieve whatever look and consistency you desire in your concrete.

Landscape and Decoration Projects

There is a multitude of landscape and decoration projects that can be done with gravel. Walkways can be lined with gravel or even made out of just gravel. Flour beds can be lined with gravel to hide the dirt or mud. Gravel can be used to create new and beautiful shapes in your yard to make it unique. It can also be used to surround a fire pit area and protect your lawn from being burned.

Base Material for Concrete Slabs

In order to prevent concrete slabs from cracking and shifting it is important to have a strong gravel base underneath the slab. It is also important to have the gravel underneath a concrete slab to create an area for water to drain without pooling and eroding soil underneath the slab. This keeps the concrete slabs in the best possible condition for as long as possible.

Drainage Base

Gravel can be used when burying posts into the ground. The gravel is a cheaper alternative to using concrete and will achieve the same locking abilities as concrete would, but without the hassle of having to deal with pouring the concrete and letting it cure. Gravel is also a great material to use as a drainage base around pipes that are buried into the ground. Allowing liquids to drain as needed into an area of gravel will save you money in the future as your pipes will not be damaged like they would be if the pipe was merely surrounded by dirt.

As you can see, Sakrete all-purpose gravel has many uses for whatever project you have, whether it’s making a custom concrete mix, burying posts and pipes, and beautiful landscaping projects.