Driveway Fabric

Driveway fabric helps prevent ruts and potholes and greatly reduces the need to replace the majority of the rock surface of your driveway every few years. It also helps prolong the life of your asphalt or cement driveway by reducing cracking.

US 200 is the fabric we recommend for the typical residential driveway application. Some unique job site or traffic conditions may require utilizing a heavier stabilization fabric. However, US 200 is a COMMERCIAL GRADE construction fabric and has high tensile strength. US Fabrics will be happy to assist you with making the proper choice for your project.

Woven or Nonwoven?

US 200 is a woven stabilization fabric. Some companies promote a nonwoven such as Typar® for driveways. A nonwoven's primary function is as a filter fabric and not a stabilizer.

Woven stabilization fabrics provide separation between the subgrade and stone and spread the vehicle load to prevent rutting, while also allowing water to pass. Also, nonwovens have a much greater elongation, meaning they stretch more, thereby making them less appealing for driveway applications.

Furthermore, to achieve the tensile strength equal to US 200 requires a medium to heavy weight nonwoven that will cost at least 25% more. Typar® Driveway Fabric is nearly 1/2 the strength of US 200.

How Easy Is It to Use?

The typical residential driveway fabric installation is simple and straight forward.

Prepare Surface

Remove any protruding objects, such as stumps and rocks that could result in tearing or puncturing the driveway fabric. Level the surface without excavating too deeply and creating a "bathtub" effect that will hold water. If there are any areas that consistently hold water, the water will need to be removed via French drain, strip drain, or other means.

Place The Driveway Fabric

Place the stabilization fabric directly on the prepared surface. Roll it out flat in the roll direction, trying to minimize folds and creases. When required, overlaps should be 1'-3'. 12" washer top pins or 6" sod staples can be used for convenience, but are not required to hold the fabric in place. If necessary, placing a pile of stone, dirt, or some other material on the corners is enough to hold it in place during the dumping of the aggregate.

Place the Gravel

Place and compact the gravel in 6"-8" lifts. Dump trucks and loaders can be driven directly on the fabric if needed. However, avoid quick stops, starts and turns. The preferred method is to dump the stone onto the stabilization fabric and then push it out onto the fabric to provide some protection. Make sure to create a slight crown to your driveway to facilitate water draining to the sides.

What Type of Aggregate (Rock) Should I use?

Aggregate should be crushed, angular, 1" minus in size (diameter) with about 10% dust (or fines). Limestone is a good option, but other stone will work fine. Some names for this type of stone are "dense grade aggregate (DGA)" or "crusher run." Driveway Fabric eliminates the need to utilize stone larger than 1" in size. Do not use rounded stone.

Installation Video

You can view an installation video on our videos page.