Gravel Parking Grids

Gravel grids are free draining, wheelchair accessible, versatile paving products which allow you to create a wide range of surfacing finishes using different styles of stone. Gravel grids stop the stones from washing away or being scattered by tyres.

If your driveway or parking surface struggles with drainage or if you simply want to have a greater choice of final finish, gravel grids give you a fully permeable surface that’s solid, accessible and can be filled with any type of stone you like the look of the most.

The cornerstone of this is the shape of the grids themselves. With a reinforced cellular shape, this makes it a strong surface in its own right which will support the weight of all domestic and some commercial vehicles. With the introduction of stone, your driveway or parking space becomes a solid bed of compacted stone.

And the best part of using gravel grids is that you can put virtually any 10-30mm stone in that you like the look of the most. This gives you a much wider choice of finish for your surfacing vs bland tarmac or a similar choice.

They’re a great choice for your surfacing project.

Every good surfacing project starts with a well compacted sub base. Whether you’re using gravel grids and coloured stone or block paving to create your finish, the basis for this is always the same.

Without a good sub base, your final surface will start to move around and become uneven. The sub base quite literally is the foundation for any good surfacing job.

Our usual standard recommendation is to:

• Excavate to at least 210mm depth.
• Line the base of your hole with a permeable geotextile to allow rainwater to trickle through from the top to the subsoil.
• Fill your excavation 50mm at a time with Type 1 MOT, wetting and compacting each 50mm as you go along. Keep filling until you are 60mm from the final surface level.
• Once your base is fully compacted and level, layer over the sub base a layer of screeded 10mm sharp sand.
• To prevent the sinking movement of the grids into the sand and also to prevent any weeds growing, line the sand with permeable weed control fabric.
• Connect the grids together and assemble within the remainder of the excavation, with the grids sitting 5-10mm below the finished height.
• Fill with any 10-30mm stone you prefer.

The answer to this is dependent upon how well you prepare the foundations. Like a well built house, solid foundations give what’s on top the best possible standing in the long term.

If your sub base is built to standards, your grids can outlast and outperform any tarmac, concrete or even block paving surface. We use sturdy recycled plastic for our products and, with good ongoing care and preparation, reasonably expect your gravel grids to last in excess of 25 years.

Gravel grids, like any surfacing option, only sink substantially if the sub base is not prepared well or not used. Good compaction of the sub base and good in-fill of the grid stop virtually all movement. You may expect to see some secondary compaction but if your sub base is well compacted when you lay it, then the secondary movement would be very minimal.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to prepare your sub base well and according to our installation instructions.

Yes, you can. This is often one of the most affordable ways to replace an existing concrete surface and using gravel grids is the only way to lay gravel on concrete without you losing the gravel.

But when installing on concrete, you need to ensure your edging is well considered. Vehicles transferring from one surface up onto the grids can apply twisting forces onto parts of the grid not designed to be twisted, such as the sides of vertical walls. That’s why we have a range of different edging products, including the only ramp edge designed specifically for gravel grids.

Only if you want them to be. There’s no obligation to have your grids on show. Just lower the excavation by 10mm, so the grids sit 10mm below the final height. Then you can add more stone to the top to hide them.

If you prefer the assurance of seeing the grids, knowing that they’re working by seeing them, you will want to make sure that your grids are filled adequately enough with stone. Whilst the grids are ludicrously strong, the stone does the work, not the grids.

IBRAN gravel grids are made from 100% recycled plastic (PP+HDPE).

With so much plastic floating around in the oceans, why would we choose to use virgin material when we can lock it up for good?

Depending on what type of stone you’re using, it may vary but the general rule we apply is to start with at least 20-30kg per grid. So for 1 square metre, you need 80 - 120kg.

If you aren’t sure what this looks like across a large area or you just want the answer quickly, take a look at our gravel grid calculator.