Gravel Grids

Gravel grids are free draining, wheelchair accessible, versatile paving products. They allow you to create a wide range of surfacing finishes using different styles of stone. Gravel grids stop the stones from washing away or being scattered by tyres.

Gravel grids give you a solid, permeable gravel surface that is accessible. You can fill them with any type of stone you like the look of the most.

The cornerstone of this is the shape of the grids themselves. With reinforced cells, the surface is strong in its own right. They will support the weight of all domestic and some commercial vehicles. Add stone, and it becomes incredibly strong.

The best part of using gravel grids is that you can put any 10-30mm stone in that you like the look of the most. This gives you a much wider choice of finish for your surfacing vs bland tarmac or concrete.

They’re a great choice for your surfacing project.

Every good surfacing project starts with a well compacted sub base. This is true whether you’re using gravel grids with coloured stone or block paving to create your finish.

Without a good sub base, your final surface will start to move around and become uneven. The sub base is the foundation for any good surfacing job.

Our usual standard recommendation is to:

• Excavate to at least 210mm depth.
• Line the base of your hole with a permeable geotextile. This allows rainwater to trickle through from the top to the subsoil.
• Fill your excavation 50mm at a time with Type 1 MOT, wetting and compacting each 50mm as you go along. Keep filling until you are 60mm from the final surface level.
• Once you have compacted and levelled your base, add a layer of screeded 10mm sharp sand.
• To prevent the grids from sinking into the sand, line it with permeable weed control fabric. This also helps to prevent any weeds growing, .
• Connect the grids together, with the grids sitting 5-10mm below the finished height.
• Fill with any 10-30mm stone you prefer.

The answer to this is dependent upon how well you prepare the foundations. Like a well built house, solid foundations give what’s on top the best possible standing in the long term.

If you build your sub base to a good standard, your grids will peform to a good standard. They can outlast and outperform any tarmac, concrete or even block paving surface. We use sturdy recycled plastic for our products. With good preparation and ongoing care, you can expect your gravel grids to last more than 25 years.

Like any surfacing option, gravel grids only sink if the sub base is not prepared well or not used.

Good compaction of the sub base and good in-fill of the grid stops virtually all movement. You may see some secondary compaction but a well compacted sub base helps to minimise it.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to prepare your sub base well. For best results, please refer to our installation instructions.

Yes, you can. This is often one of the most affordable ways to replace an existing concrete surface. Using gravel grids is the only way to lay gravel on concrete without you losing the gravel.

But when installing on concrete, you need to ensure your edging is well considered. When cars ramp up from one surface onto the grids, they apply twisting forces onto parts of the side walls. That’s why we have a range of different edging products. This includes the only ramp edge designed especially for gravel grids.

Only if you want them to be. There’s no obligation to have your grids on show. Lower the excavation by 10mm, so the grids sit 10mm below the final height. Then you can add more stone to the top to hide them.

If you prefer to see your grids, you will want to make sure that you fill your grids with enough stone. Whilst the grids are strong, the stone does the heavy work in the long term, not the grids.

We make IBRAN gravel grids from 100% recycled plastic (PP+HDPE).

With so much plastic floating around in the oceans, why choose virgin material when we can lock it up for good?

Depending on what type of stone you’re using, it may vary. The general rule we apply is to start with at least 20-30kg per grid. So for 1 square metre, you need 80 - 120kg.

There are so many different types of gravel. Think about things like your tyre treads when you choose your gravel. To lay a gravel driveway or parking lot, we recommend 20mm angular gravel. For footpaths, we recommend 10mm pea gravel. Our gravel stabiliser holds anything from 10mm to 30mm.

If you aren’t sure of the numbers or you want a quick answer, take a look at our gravel grid calculator.

You can install gravel grids can on any surface including soil and grass surfaces. But for the very best performance, it is definitely advised to use a solid sub base of type 1 MOT.

Soil and clay surfaces expand and shrink through the various seasons. This results in movement which undermines the installed surface. This is true whether that is with gravel grids, paving or concrete/tarmac. If you're not worried about that movement too much, then at the very least, line the base with a membrane. This helps stabilise the surface beneath the grids and prevent any surface-level movement.

Installation of gravel grids is very simple and anyone can do it.

We recommend you read our installation guide to make sure you're prepared for the project.

As with any other landscaping product, there are many different brands and prices. We manufacture our grids here in the UK and use good quality materials. This makes them both cost effective and very high quality.

But the real question is, what is the cost of not installing gravel grids for your gravel driveway? Several factors lend themselves to this answer.

You could decide that throwing some hardcore and stone down will be enough for the job. That might be true for a few months. But if you intend to drive over it, you'll find the stones start to quickly disappear. Then large ruts appear in your driveway which lead to damage to your car.

You'll end up spending time and money on replacing the missing stone, making it a hassle.

With a gravel retention grid system, it feels like walking over a block, resin or tarmac surface. And it will maintain the same even finish as the day it was installed.