Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Grass won't grow. Gravel-Lok It!


When faced with the problem of getting something to grow in shaded tree areas of a property there are not too many solutions. Putting hardscaping such as pavers can be too costly and plain old gravel or mulch can be messy with constant maintenance. Another factor can be ensuring that the tree roots still gets plenty of water. When a resident in Severn Maryland approached Life Time Pavers after talking with several landscape architects there was only one solution. The contractor recommended an aggregate bonding system called Gravel-Lok to solve the problem. Gravel-Lok created a cost effective solution that maintained the natural look of the landscape. The cost of the project was about 45% less than traditional hardscaping options. The 900 sft project was installed in 2 days and the end product exceeded the expectations of the client. Gravel-Lok being completely pervious was the ideal choice to help preserve the natural water flow to the root system of the existing trees. By using a 1 inch Delaware valley river jack stone the earth tone colors blended nicely into the landscape. The clean edge was achieved by using a plastic paver edge restraint with spikes. The base system was produced using Cell-Teks SG200 stabilizer grid with a nonwoven geofabric separator and infilled with #57 stone open graded aggregate to achieve maximum permability. Gravel-Lok can be utilized in a wide variety of applications such as pathways, driveways, laying over old concrete and asphalt and much more.








Understanding Gravel-Lok


  • Basically it is a polyeurathane. It's Plastic
  • No mixing required it is ready to use.
  • Moisture curing liquid that cures to an inert substance.
  • Color: Amber Liquid
  • Will not leach into the ground
Viscosity: 400 - 700 times the thickness of water. Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear stress or extensional stress.


 A common measure of the viscosity (thickness) of a liquid. It is important to know your product’s cps when selecting items like mixers or pumps.

VISCOSITY: 400 – 700 Centipoise at 77°F (25°C)
Viscosity is the measurement of the thickness of a liquid. Viscosity is an important parameter in determining the "mouthfeel" of a product. The most common unit of expressing viscosity is the centipoise (cps) unit. The viscosity of water at 25° C is 0.89 cps



Moisture:
Gravel-Lok is cured by the moisture in the air. The higher the humidity the quicker it cures.
When winter approaches and temperatures fall below 50 degrees and there is less moisture in the air it takes longer to cure.

If you are using Gravel-Lok on a CR-6 base you will want to make sure there hasn't been rain for several days. If there is moisture in the ground it will cause the liquid to foam. No need to be alarmed you can crush the foam with a stick or by stepping on it.

The Cell-Tek Stabilizer grid allows for faster drying of the base. Also if foaming occurs it is lower in the system and most likely will not rise to the surface.

The foaming on the bottom can also help to make a stronger installation because it is a build up of the liquid on the base of the gravel.

Gravel-Lok can even be used by digging out and putting down 2 inches of stone and pouring it on. But much like asphalt without a base we all know what happens after some freezing and thawing.

Gravel-Lok Online Estimator

Calculate your next Gravel-Lok project with our on line estimator.
Create a material list you can print or email to your supplier.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Surface Stone


  • Gravel-Lok was originally created to bond together pea gravel.
  • Gravel-Lok works best with stones ranging from 1/4 inch to 1 inch in size.
  • Gravel-Lok will bond together stones up to 3 inches in size.
  • Stones should be clean of fines and debris.
  • The smaller the stone the more Gravel-Lok required.
  • Stones should be dry prior to installing Gravel-Lok
  • Gravel-Lok is an amber liquid so brown, gray, yellow or darker stones are recommended.
  • Limestone based (whitish stones) are NOT recommended

Friday, October 23, 2009

French Drain System with Gravel-Lok Surface



Gravel-Lok French Drainage System:  

The system is a typical french drainage system.  Only difference the top stones will not move or shift, because they are locked in place with Gravel-Lok




Typical French Drain Cross Section

Friday, October 16, 2009

Surface Stone (Maryland Area)


Delaware Valley River Gravel (1/4 Inch)


Maryland Pea Gravel


Tipple Red (1/4 Inch)


Delaware Valley River Gravel (1 inch)

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Gravel-Lok Featured At Maryland Home Show

Come see Gravel-Lok on display with Man Caves at the MD Home Show in Timonium this weekend Oct 16th - 18th.  Homeshow Website



BOOTH SETUP


NATURAL STONE POROUS PAVING

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The Gravel-Lok System (Porous Top to Bottom)




The Gravel-Lok system is the ultimate porous paving solution.

SG 300 Base System will yield a structural number SN of 2.0
Water Storage of 2.1 inches

SG 400 Base System will yield a structural number SN of 4.24
Water Storage of 2.45 inches