Gravel-Lok Demo: Community First Fund Bank, Lancaster PA

Gravel-Lok and Penn Stone join forces to improve storm water management in Lancaster.

Installation:  Coated concrete with gravel-lok.

2 ½” of ¼” Royal Blend gravel was overlaid on 5” of concrete at the bank entrance. Then Gravel-Lok was applied to bond the aggregate.

Gravel-Lok user testimonial

Hi,

We purchased the Gravel-Lok about a month or so ago, and it worked out really well. We redid our pathway to the front door entrance. It looks even better than we expected. The amber cast works great with our overall landscape tone and sets off nicely against the green lawn and stone house.

Thank you so much for an awesome product and solution.

Best,
Grace H.

New York Botanical Garden: Gravel-Lok Demonstration

Gravel-Lok Pedestrian Sidewalk -
New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx, NY


Installed porous Gravel-Lok pavement with two different sizes of Royal Blend decorative stone. They used a non-woven geotextile fabric, Cell-Tek's LSG-4, 4" Load Support Stabilizer Grid, infill of clean, washed stones for permeability and installed strips of 1/2" and 3/4" size Royal Blend decorative stone on top of the system before applying Gravel-Lok.

Gravel-Lok is great for Xeriscaping!

(via eartheasy.com - solutions for sustainable living)

Xeriscaping refers to the conservation of water through creative landscaping.

Originally developed for drought-afflicted areas, the principles of xeriscape today have an ever broadening appeal. With water now considered an expensive and limited resource, all landscaping projects, residential or commercial, can benefit from this alternative.

Xeriscapes do not have a single look - almost any landscaping style can be achieved. The principles can be applied to all or part of a yard, in any geographic region of North America.

Xeriscape Benefits

Saves Water. For most of North America, over 50% of residential water used is applied to landscape and lawns. Xeriscape can reduce landscape water use by 50 - 75%.

Less Maintenance. Aside from occasional pruning and weeding, maintenance is minimal. Watering requirements are low, and can be met with simple irrigation systems.

No Fertilizers or Pesticides. Using plants native to your area will eliminate the need for chemical supplements. Sufficient nutrients are provided by healthy organic soil.

Improves Property Value. A good Xeriscape can raise property values which more than offset the cost of installation. Protect your landscaping investment by drought-proofing it.

Pollution Free. Fossil fuel consumption from gas mowers is minimized or eliminated with minimal turf areas. Small turf areas can be maintained with a reel mower.

Provides Wildlife Habitat. Use of native plants, shrubs and trees offer a familiar and varied habitat for local wildlife.
_________
CHECK OUT http://eartheasy.com/grow_xeriscape.htm FOR MORE XERISCAPE INFO

Gravel-Lok Demo - Penn Stone - Lancaster PA

Authorized Gravel-Lok Dealer, Penn Stone in Lancaster, PA, demonstrated how Gravel-Lok can lock up loose stones. They mixed Gravel-Lok liquid together with Royal Blend decorative gravel and troweled it out over an existing base course of CR6 (crush and run). This bonds the stones and creates a durable porous pavement.

FOLLOW GRAVEL-LOK ON TWITTER: @Gravel-Lok - CLICK HERE

C&S Companies install Gravel-Lok pathway in Syracuse NY

C&S Companies, ranked as one of the nation's leading engineering and architectural design firms, recently hired Anthony DeMarco & Sons to install a 2000 sf Gravel-Lok pathway at their campus headquarters in Syracuse, NY.  C&S has been in business for 42 years, has 8 offices throughout the US, and employs over 400 people.

They learned about Gravel-Lok through Paragon Supply in Syracuse, NY, an authorized dealer of Gravel-Lok C&S prides themselves on advancing creative ideas and practical solutions and found Gravel-Lok to be appealing for its "green" feature of permeability combined with the beautiful look of natural stone.

The pathway meanders through their campus and past a sediment pond.  They used a non-woven geotextile fabric, Cell-Tek's 3" cell depth recycled Load Support Grid (LSG-3), filled the cells with #57 clean, washed, angular stone, and added a layer of 1/2" size decorative stone before applying the Gravel-Lok liquid to bond the stones together.

Commercial Use of Gravel-Lok for Bike Rack Pavement

 

Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc., Landscape Architects, wanted to promote the eco-friendly "Ride Your Bike To Work" program at their Baltimore, Maryland offices.  In keeping with their green endeavors, they chose to install Cell-Tek's Gravel-Lok system to achieve a 'green' porous pavement, a popular trend in cities everywhere to prevent the harmful effects of stormwater runoff on our nation's waterways.  The system included a non-woven geotextile fabric, Cell-Tek's LSG-2, recycled 2" Load Support Grid filled with #57 clean, washed angular stone, a layer of 1/4" size Royal Blend decorative stones and Gravel-Lok to bond the stones together.

Before Applying Gravel-Lok

After Applying Gravel-Lok

Letter of Appreciation

Gravel-Lok Photo Galleries

Gravel-Lok Stone Scaping Gallery: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gravellok/StoneScaping#

Gravel-Lok Jobs & Projects Gallery: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gravellok/GravelLokProjects#

Letters of Appreciation

Call a Qualified Gravel-Lok Contractor Today!

Stone Scaping with Gravel-Lok

Making Nature Better

Gravel-Lok News: Stone Scaping with Gravel-Lok

ELIMINATE WEEDS, ZERO MAINTENANCE, NO MORE MULCHING. STONES ARE BONDED IN PLACE AND WILL NOT MOVE!

Go Here for Gravel-Lok News: http://www.gravel-lok.com/email/email_stonescape.html

Businesses strive for eco-friendliness

  When environmentalist and lawyer Clay Henderson began touting eco-friendly ideas more than a decade ago, he said he was "swimming upstream."
Now such efforts by businesses to be greener are part of the norm.
"There clearly seems to be a realization that the more you conserve, the more it will save you money," said Henderson.
Henderson said he is glad to see so many businesses helping to save the environment. "You are seeing more and more green businesses," he said, while acknowledging an improved bottom line is at the heart of the movement

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By VALERIE WHITNEY - Daytona Beach News Journal. Go Here for full story: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2010/06/22/businesses-striving-for-eco-friendliness.html

Gravel-Lok Stone Scaping

These recent job pics were sent to us by Chris Cameron in Wood River IL who said, "Check out the before and after pics. Great product!"

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Job Corps students show off pavement for Earth Week

LONG BEACH - Job Corps students celebrated Earth Week Tuesday by demonstrating the advantages of using permeable pavement instead of concrete to keep polluted runoff from reaching the sea. The display at the Long Beach Job Corps Center was part of a week-long attempt to raise awareness of the environment, sustainability and climate change.

Earth Day is Thursday and Earth Week continues through Sunday.

Water hitting the permeable pavement sinks through the layers, returning to the ground instead of running off into storm drains and carrying bacteria or trash to rivers and oceans, Meredith Reynolds, Long Beach Sustainability Coordinator, said.

By Pamela Hale-Burns. Long Beach Press-Telegram. pam.hale@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1476
Go Here for full story: http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_14922898

Gravel-Lok News April 2010

check out the latest version of our Gravel-Lok bi-weekly newsletter.
GO HERE: http://www.gravel-lok.com/email/email_0410.html

Gravel-Lok Design Options

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD - GRAVEL-LOK DESIGN OPTIONS (pdf)

You and storm water: A major source of pollution

via McClatchy Newspapers; By Terri Bennett


How would you feel if you knew that you and your neighbors are the biggest source of water pollution in the U.S.? Well, it's true.
It's generally not intentional, but each day we all do things that add up to one big problem.

Storm water runoff is just what it sounds like: water from rain or snowmelt that flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces like driveways, streets and parking lots prevent storm water from being absorbed into the ground, contributing to the flow of runoff.

Storm water flows downhill to the nearest storm drain. What most people don't understand is that anything that enters a storm drain flows untreated into a nearby creek, river or lake. These rivers and lakes are the source of drinking water to 85 percent of Americans and a valued resource for swimming, boating or fishing for all of us.

FOR FULL ARTICLE GO HERE: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2011528718_drains.html

Rainwater-absorbing lot designed to curb runoff

The new lot will have a drainage system that will absorb storm water and cut down on the amount of runoff into a nearby lake.
The work is part of a federally funded project aimed at improving water quality in the small Iroquois Lake in the southeast part of the park.
The Olmsted Conservancy received a $1.4 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to cover most of the work at Iroquois and some similar work to help Willow Pond at Cherokee Park. The money was secured by former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup while she was in Congress.
The expanded amphitheater parking lot at Iroquois is expected to be complete by early summer. The Cherokee project will be complete later this spring when the final native plants are added.

Story and photo By Charlie White • cwhite@courier-journal.com via Kentuckiana.com
Go here for full article: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100324/GREEN/3240335/Rainwater-absorbing+lot+designed+to+curb+runoff

Gravel-Lok Demo Days March & April 2010

Gravel-Lok will be doing a demostration Thursday March 25 at the New Library - 3601 Eastern Ave in Baltimore MD with Custom Stoneworks & Design at 3pm. Call 877-470-9200 for more information.

Wednesday April 21, we will be holding a training session at our office in Crofton MD to learn more about Gravel-Lok and installation procedures. The session starts at 10:30am and lasts for about 2 hours . You are more than welcome to come join us as well as bring a coworker or friend to the event. Space is limited and filling up fast so if you are interested in attending RSVP now by calling 888-851-0051.

Coming Together for Clean Water - Stormwater Pollution

"What, where, and how communities build will affect their residents’ lives including access to clean water. More pavement and non-porous surfaces mean less area where water can soak into the ground, where it recharges our water supplies and nurtures ecosystems. Stormwater that isn’t absorbed runs over these developed areas, picking up contaminants and sediments that eventually flow into rivers and streams."

Excerpt taken from the EPA's water blog/discussion forum. Go here for the full article: http://blog.epa.gov/waterforum/2010/03/topic-3-the-role-of-development/

'Building Your Green Home' panel discussion

A four-bedroom, 4,200-square-foot home to be built later this year in Upper Makefield was designed to rest lightly on the land, starting with high-density cement-panel basement walls set in gravel.

The building will be constructed of structural insulated panels that minimize wood use and chemical off-gassing. It will have super-high-efficiency windows, ground source heat, a storm water cistern for irrigation, an upgraded septic system, native, drought-resistant landscaping instead of a lawn, pervious paving and durable fiber-cement siding that uses recycled wood.

Paving material that lets rainwater percolate into the ground is under consideration, whether in the form of pervious asphalt or manufactured paving stones.

Hartke says his Holicong-based architectural partnership found it difficult to find pervious asphalt to pave its own parking lot about seven years ago, but, he says, "Now, you can find a supplier. Almost all asphalt manufacturers can provide it."

Excerpts from "Show features 'Building Your Green Home' panel discussion" By: GWEN SHRIFT - Bucks County Courier Times. READ FULL ARTICLE at: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/177/2010/march/16/in-the-air.html

Will the system stay permeable forever?

As a permeable system the Gravel-Lok bonded pavement is full of voids which allow water to pass through. Like any other permeable pavement those same voids will eventually get clogged with dirt, dust, debris and this will reduce permeability over time . There are vacuum services specifically designed for porous pavements which are becoming increasingly popular. Recommended cleaning depends on site conditions and the amount of sediments the system is exposed to. Without maintenance, typical permeable systems become completely clogged within 5 - 7 years.

What type of maintenance can I expect with the Gravel-Lok pavement?

Gravel-Lok is relatively maintenance-free and no annual treatment is necessary. If the system is being used for vehicular traffic some loose stones may occur depending on the type of stone used and degree of abuse. Typically, you can expect about 1% of stones to dislodge or become loose in about a 5 year period. If desired, a disturbed area can be treated with more Gravel-Lok.

Will snow plowing affect the pavement? What about salt?

Snow plowing has the potential to damage the pavement but this can be minimized if you use a rubber blade on the plow and exercise caution. Obviously, the type of stones will make a difference too. Harder stones such as marble and granite will be more durable. Softer stones are going to be more vulnerable. A snowblower would be a safe machine to use. Additionally, it is completely safe to apply salt for melting ice and snow.

How does Gravel-Lok perform under freeze/thaw cycles?

If installed properly, with adequate base materials that allow for drainage, Gravel-Lok will withstand freeze/thaw cycles. If freeze/thaw cycles are a concern then we suggest creating expansion joints (saw cut) at appropriate intervals.

What type of maintenance can I expect with the Gravel-Lok pavement?

Gravel-Lok is designed to be maintenance-free and no annual treatment is necessary. If the system is being used for vehicular traffic some loose stones may occur depending on the type of stone used and degree of abuse. Typically, you can expect about 1% of stones to break off or become loose in about a 5 year period. If desired, a disturbed area can be treated with more Gravel-Lok.

How long will it last?

If installed properly the Gravel-Lok pavement will have the same lifespan as other forms of pavement such as concrete or asphalt.

How strong is Gravel-Lok?

Gravel-Lok is a system. The top layer of bonded aggregates has the structural integrity of asphalt. The key to any pavement surface is the foundation it is built on. Below the bonded aggregates is Cell Tek's Geocellular Confinement System which constrains open-graded aggregates. The passive resistance of the infilled cells prevents lateral movement and distributes the load over a wider area. The system also reduces the impact on the subgrade up to 28% while reducing the amount of base material required.

Leveling Stones with a Lawn Roller

A lawn roller is the best solution for leveling out stones prior to installing the Gravel-Lok bonding agent.  The roller flattens out the stones helping to create the smoothest surface possible. 

Gravel-Lok Demo Days Rescheduled for March 3, 2010

The Demo Day Scheduled for 2/24 has been RESCHEDULED for March 3rd, 2010 from 8-9:30am and 10:30am-12pm at the Cell-Tek office in Crofton MD. PLEASE call to RSVP and hold your spot. E-mail info@celltekdirect.com for RSVP, questions, directions, etc.

Gravel-Lok Demo Days

Hello Friends,

This year we will be holding training sessions to learn more about our products and installation procedures.  The sessions last for about 2 hours and provides an incredible opportunity to learn more about geosynthetics. You are more than welcome to come join us as well as bring a coworker or friend to the event.  We look forward to working with you in the future and want to help make your projects better with the use of geosynthetics.

The Demo Day Scheduled for 2/24 has been RESCHEDULED for March 3rd, 2010 from 8-9:30am and 10:30am-12pm. PLEASE call to RSVP and hold your spot. E-mail info@celltekdirect.com

Cured Product: MSDS

One of the primary concerns when placing permeable materials near plant life and over soil is the longterm safety of the product. Will the product leach into the ground? Is it carcinogenic? These are questions commonly asked by design professional when considering which product to use. On the Cell-Tek website you can find posted a copy of the Gravel-Lok MSDS (cured Product) report.

In the report you will discover that Gravel-Lok in its cured state becomes an inert substance meaning it becomes chemically inactive. The physical state is a solid which is not soluble in water. The cured product is stable and not reactive.

The toxicological findings show that it is not considered a carcinogen with the following agencies:
1. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
2. National Toxicology Program (NTP)
3. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

VIDEO: Gravel vs Gravel-Lok

Gravel-Lok (Sneak Peak Inside New Brochure)

VIDEO: Ripping Up Gravel-Lok

Building a Tradeshow Booth: Mants Show 2010

This year for the Mants show we created a puzzle display layout.  The reason for this when rectangular samples are laid out most people think that we are making block paving stones.  We wanted to create an interesting design that poised the question:  What is this?

It worked the audience found our display puzzling and attractive and was a huge hit at the Mants show in Baltimore, Maryland.

Step 1:  

We projected on two sheets of plywood a puzzle layout.  We traced the outline with a magic marker

Step 2:

The plywood was cut out into the puzzle shapes.  The puzzle was then put back together and a 3 inch aluminum divider was put in place to separate the different aggregates used for each puzzle piece.

We were unable to get the puzzle pieces apart so we picked up the whole display with a fork lift and loaded it on a pick up truck and brought the whole unit to the tradeshow.  Weighing in at 1600 lbs. it was quite a venture.

The Finished Tradeshow Booth

RIP:  Tearing the booth apart