"Lining a gravel driveway" Topic

I have a gravel driveway with no edge. The grass and gravel just sort of meld together. I want to neaten up the appearance with 4x4 pressure treated Lumber. Seems to be the cheapest way to improve the look.

Anyway, how do you secure the 4x4 ties from moving? I asked at Home Depot, and the 20 something kid in the aisle had a look on his face like I asked him to explain Quantum Physics.

Any advice? Thanks, Xin

1/2"x3' rebar. drill holes about 10" from the end of each 4x4 and stake them into the ground with the rebar. the rebar will last 6 times longer then the wood.

I'll second the rebar recommendation. That will be the cheapest, most flexible method available to you.

And I know exactly what you mean about the lack of help from the people at Home Depot (and really any big box home improvement store).

I've gotten lots of help at Lowes. Even useful. Good luck with your driveway project. Let us know how it turns out. I'm thinking of doing something similar.

Assuming you can pound rebar 3 ft into the ground I'd never try to do it in Houston by hand. The gumbo/soil/clay here makes that a chore unless you have the physique of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson.

I've seen flagstone/brick to edge gravel driveways, but they don't seem to last as someone always drives over them.

Assuming you can pound rebar 3 ft into the ground

How hard could it be? It's not like Northern New Jersey has rocks.

LOL, I'll keep a portable defibrillator handy.

You might want to wet the ground where you plan to set the rebar before you start pounding it into the ground. It will soften up the ground some.

Use landscape timbers not 4x4s.

4x4s will look nice right up until a tire hits them. They are not big enough to stay in place even when staked. At a minimum, use 4x6 with the wide side flat. 6x8 landscape timber or good used railroad ties are better. Make sure the treatment is rated for ground contact. A lot of the "treated" stuff in the big box stores is not and will rot away in a year or 2. Yellowood brand is the best if it is available. Home Depot or Stock Lumber usually carry it. If your driveway isn't too long, excavate the grass and organic layer first and set the frames in the trench. If not, the organic layer will compress and the boards will tip or shift.

If you put used RR ties in a trench, as Cold Steel suggests, they will not need staking. The RR ties are heavy enough to stay in place without staking. I've done something similar for edging along my property line. Be forewarned: RR ties are very heavy. It may be a two-person job. Good luck!