NIDAGRAVEL INSTALLATION
Note: THIS INSTALLATION GUIDELINE IS JUST THAT...A GUIDELINE. EVERY REGION HAS DIFFERENT GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND METHODS TO PREPARE A SUBSTRATE FOR PAVING. IN ALL CASES, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER THE NECESSARY THICKNESS OF THE FOUNDATION LAYER, DEPENDING ON THE EXPECTED LOAD CAPACITY AND ANTICIPATED TRAFFIC (LIGHT OR HEAVY VEHICLES).
THE FOUNDATION LAYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRANSFERRING AND SPREADING THE LOADS TO AND OVER THE SUBSTRATE, SO THE THICKNESS AND NATURE OF THIS LAYER WILL VARY ACCORDINGLY.
1. THE NIDAGRAVEL PANELS ARE BEST SET USING A RUNNING BOND, OR STAGGERED JOINT METHOD. SET FULL SIZED PANELS OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR AREA AND SAVE THE CUTTING ALONG THE EDGES FOR LAST.
2. EACH PANEL HAS A GEOTEXTILE BACKING, THAT PROTRUDES ON ONE LONG AND ONE SHORT SIDE. THE PROTRUDING SIDES SHOULD BE SET UNDERNEATH THE NON PROTRUDING SIDES TO TO OVERLAP THE BACKING. ONCE FILLED WITH GRAVEL, THESE OVERLAPPING PANELS WILL ENSURE THAT THE GRAVEL DOES NOT MIGRATE UNDER THE PANELS AND CAUSE A LIFTING. THE LARGE PANEL SIZE AND THE FILLED WEIGHT OF THE PANELS (ROUGHLY 500 LBS) WILL NOT MOVE OR SHIFT, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ANY CONNECTORS OR ANCHORS, EVEN ON A SLOPE OF UP TO 15%, AND ARE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO FOLLOW THE NATURAL CONTOURS OF YOUR SPACE.
3. CUTTING THE EDGE PIECES IS EASY WITH A HAND HELD CIRCULAR SAW, AN ANGLE GRINDER, OR JIG SAW. THE LARGER PCS OF CUT SECTIONS CAN BE SAVED FOR USE IN OTHER AREAS THAT NEED SMALLER PIECES TO MINIMIZE YOUR WASTE. PLACE THESE CUT PIECES AND PLACE USING THE SAME OVERLAPPING GEOTEXTILE METHOD.
YOUR NOW READY FOR STEP 4.
1. PLAN ON SPREADING ENOUGH GRAVEL OVER THE NIDAGRAVEL PANELS TO A HEIGHT OF 3/4” ABOVE THE FILLED HEXAGON CELLS. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOME NATURAL SETTLING AND AN OVERALL FINISHED HEIGHT OF 3/8” OVER THE TOP OF THE HONEYCOMB CELLS. YOU CAN ALSO RUN A VIBRATING PLATE OVER THE NEWLY DISPERSED GRAVEL TO MECHANICALLY SETTLE ALL OF THE GRAVEL IN PLACE OF YOU WANT TO ACCELERATE THIS PROCESS.
2. IN SPREADING THE GRAVEL, YOU CAN USE WHEEL BARRELS AND HAND DUMP THE GRAVEL INTO PLACE FOR SPREADING, OR YOU CAN USE A GRAVEL DUMP TRUCK TO POUR THE GRAVEL ON THE SURFACE FOR SPREADING.
IF YOU USE THE DUMP TRUCK, YOU SHOULD 1ST BACK UP THE TRUCK TO DUMP A LOAD AT THE LEADING EDGE AND SPREAD THE GRAVEL, BACKING UP THE TRUCK OVER THE NEWLY FILLED CELLS TO CONTINUE TO DISTRIBUTE THE GRAVEL. THIS WILL ALLOW THE STRENGTH OF THE FILLED HEXAGON CELLS (100 TONS/SQUARE YARD) TO PROJECT THE NIDAGRAVEL PANELS FROM HEAVY TRAVELING LOADS WHILE UNFILLED.
NOTE ON GRAVEL TYPE AND SIZE: THE NIDAGRAVEL HONEYCOMB CELLS CAN HANDLE GRAVEL SIZED FROM 1/8” TO 5/8”, WITH 3/8” BEING THE SWEET SPOT. HARD ANGULAR GRAVEL IS PREFERRED AS IT LOCKS IN PLACE THE BEST. PEA GRAVEL AND MORE ROUNDED GRAVEL ALSO WORKS, BUT YOU CAN EXPECT MORE SURFACE GRAVEL TO MIGRATE, REQUIRING A BIT MORE MAINTENANCE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE ON SLOPED CONDITIONS.
YOU NOW HAVE A DURABLE AND RESILIENT GRAVEL PAVING SURFACE, WITH MINIMAL MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS.
SIMPLE AND ELEGANT!
STEP FOUR – FILLING THE NIDAGRAVEL PANELS WITH GRAVEL.
STEP THREE - LAYING THE NIDAGRAVEL PANELS INTO PLACE:
1. DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF BORDER EDGING WORKS BEST FOR YOUR APPLICATION. CONCRETE OR STONE PAVERS, METAL OR PLASTIC BORDERS, WOOD OR BENDER BOARD EDGING IS ALL APPROPRIATE FOR THIS PURPOSE.
2. SET YOUR BORDERS, KEEPING IN MIND THAT THE FINISHED HEIGHT OF THE BORDER SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1/2” HIGHER THAN THE FINISHED GRAVEL FILLED NIDAGRAVEL PANELS. THIS WILL ADD OVERALL STABILITY AND PREVENT THE GRAVEL FROM MIGRATING OFF OF THE PANELS.
YOUR NOW READY FOR STEP 3.
STEP TWO - BORDER EDGING:
1. DETERMINE THE DESIRED FINISHED HEIGHT OF THE GRAVEL FILLED PANEL SURFACE. DIG OUT THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF DIRT/SOIL TO ALLOW FOR 12”-16” OF TAMPERED CRUSHED CONCRETE (BASE ROCK) OR DRAIN ROCK (IF MAXIMUM PERMEABILITY OF THE DESIRED).
2. ADD A 1” LAYER OF SHARP SAND FOR LEVELING PURPOSES.
YOUR NOW READY FOR STEP 2
FOR HEAVIER USE PARKING LOTS AND DRIVEWAYS WITH OCCASIONAL HGV USES:
1. DETERMINE THE DESIRED FINISHED HEIGHT OF THE GRAVEL FILLED PANEL SURFACE. DIG OUT THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF DIRT/SOIL TO ALLOW FOR 6”-8” OF TAMPERED CRUSHED CONCRETE (BASE ROCK) OR DRAIN ROCK (IF MAXIMUM PERMEABILITY OF THE DESIRED)
2. ADD A 3/8” TO 1/2” LAYER OF SAND OR FINELY CRUSHED ROCK FOR LEVELING PURPOSES.
FOR DRIVEWAYS, RV & BOAT PARKING SPACES AND SIMILAR:
1. DETERMINE THE DESIRED FINISHED HEIGHT OF THE GRAVEL FILLED PANEL SURFACE. DIG OUT THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF DIRT/SOIL TO ALLOW FOR 2”-4” OF TAMPERED CRUSHED CONCRETE (BASE ROCK) OR DRAIN ROCK (IF MAXIMUM PERMEABILITY OF THE DESIRED).
2. ADD A 3/8” TO 1/2” LAYER OF SAND OR FINELY CRUSHED ROCK FOR LEVELING PURPOSES.
YOUR NOW READY FOR STEP 2.
FOR FOOT PATHS, GARDEN PATHS, PATIOS, AND CYCLE PATHS.
STEP ONE - EXCAVATING AND ESTABLISHING THE FOUNDATION LAYER:
NIDAGRAVEL INSTALLATION GUIDELINE IN FOUR SIMPLE STEPS..
