Road & Driveway Fabric
Woven & Non-Woven Road Stabilization Applications
Applications are generally divided between paved and unpaved roads, both applications can benefit from road stabilization fabrics. Depending on the site specifics certain fabrics may work better in some situations. Road stabilization fabrics are available in both woven and non-woven geotextile constructions.
Woven geotextiles are specifically designed for applications that require heavyweight, high strength performance, whether it’s road or ground stabilization or aggregate separation. Woven geotextile fabrics are made from polypropylene, which is resistant to UV rays, insects, mildew, soil chemicals, and more. Woven geotextiles are most common when separation is more important than water flow through the fabric.
Non-woven geotextiles are needle-punched and made from 100% polypropylene staple fibers. Much like woven geotextiles, they are resistant to ultraviolet light, but on top of that, it combats rot, degradation, and naturally occurring acids and bases. Non-Woven geotextiles provide great separation while allowing more water to pass through than standard geotextiles but has lower tensile strength when compared with the same weight as standard woven geotextiles. Extremely permeable, they are best suited for drainage, sediment control, and separation.
How Does Driveway Fabric Work?
Driveway fabric works by providing a layer underneath the concrete or aggregate that helps to control water flow and act as a separation layer. Since there is a solid separation between the ground and the concrete, gravel is no longer needed for concrete driveways, which makes maintenance much easier. With separation between soil and aggregate in a gravel driveway you will greatly reduce the maintenance and the need for replacing gravel in the future.
What Is the Best Kind of Fabric for Driveways?
The different kinds of fabric you can use as a separation layer under your driveway usually depends on the application. If you will be primarily using it for vehicle traffic, you’ll want a strong, durable fabric that can withstand the wear and tear off cars frequently driving over it. For a walkway, you’ll just want to make sure that it is water-resistant and long-lasting. When deciding between woven or non-woven the movement of water on the driveway will help determine whether you need a woven or non-woven fabric to move water through the driveway or off the driveway.
What Is the Best Base Material for a Driveway?
For a driveway, gravel is easier to install and cheaper than concrete. There are several different types of gravel that you can choose from depending on your area and the purpose of your driveway. The most common type of gravel used for driveways is crushed limestone. There are several products including woven and non-woven geotextiles and geocells that can greatly improve the quality of your gravel driveway.
Geocells: Geocells are a geosynthetic in a honeycomb construction that expands to allow soil or aggregate to be contained in a cellular module they can greatly increase the bearing capacity of the fill material allowing less gravel to be utilized.You should limit your initial budget to around $6 per square yard during your initial installation. This is an average price for simple driveway matting materials. The cost of the fabric will depend on several factors:
The base material underneath the drivewayThe quality of the material
The amount of fabric needed
The thickness of the material
What Do I Do If I Damage the Fabric?
If you have damaged your fabric, the most common solution is to simply replace the damaged area with a new layer of the same material. However, if the damage is more severe, you may need to purchase a brand-new roll of fabric to cover the damaged area.
Do I Need Fabric Under a Gravel Driveway?
Fabric separation underneath your driveway is an excellent way to extend the life of your gravel driveway and improve other factors such as rutting and potholes. The fabric when acting as a separation fabric will keep the soil particles under the driveway from migrating up causing you to lose your aggregate.
What to Consider When Buying Driveway Fabric
Driveway fabric types: Both Woven and non-woven fabrics provide excellent separation. The main thing to determine is if you want water to move through the driveway or across the driveway depending on the terrain of your site. As woven fabrics will not let much water pass through while non-woven fabrics allow much more water filtration.
Weather: Driveways are constantly exposed to the elements, whether it’s freezing conditions or harsh UV rays. Geosynthetic driveway fabrics can greatly improve your driveway longevity by providing separation and support for your driveway in a variety of weather conditions.
Water Permeability: Driveway fabric should, ideally, allow water to seep through its material so it doesn’t collect on top of the driveway itself. If the water is not managed correctly, this can lead to all sorts of damage over time, including potholes and cracks.