Using pea gravel to create walkways, decks and paved areas around pools can lessen the harshness of plain concrete. Pea gravel helps to give pool areas a more natural, tropical vibe, and can also be easier on the feet than concrete.
Pea gravel is most often recommended for the base of fiberglass pools. Get a tamper in there on the base material, and compact in lifts.
Limestone is easy to clean and maintain, and is an excellent choice for creating a beautiful, safe, and functional pool area that will stand the test of time.
It's also great for drainage in areas prone to puddling after rain. But pea gravel does have a few disadvantages, like messiness and difficult cleaning, especially when compared to materials like crushed gravel or pavers.
A pea gravel patio is inexpensive, easy to install, and simple to maintain! With that said, there are a few drawbacks, including the propensity for the rocks to scatter, the possibility of weeds (if you don't install it properly), and concerns with furniture sinking.
If you have loose or sandy soil, you'll need a base layer. If your area has hard clay soil, it may support the pea gravel on its own. You may just need to dig out and tamp down the area and add 2 to 3 inches of pea gravel over landscape fabric.
If you use pea gravel as a loose-fill option for your outdoor patio, you'll enjoy this stone's resilience to the elements. If you're a pet owner, pea gravel is also dog friendly, as the stones are easy to walk on and don't retain heat. You won't have to worry about these stones burning paws on a hot summer day.
Make sure to place plastic or thick landscaping fabric underneath the gravel, this prevents the weeds from taking over instantly. Try to use as many things as you have around your house to create your patio for cheaper. We used leftover flagstone from another project.
To prevent weeds from growing, you can dig up the first layer of topsoil and add landscaping fabric. The fabric between your soil and pea gravel will hinder weed growth.
Pea gravel is one of the best materials for landscape drainage because its small size allows for outstanding drainage. These rocks are only about ¾ inches in size. Pea gravel is available in a variety of shades, including brown, grey, blue, and red, making it a good choice for a number of different landscapes.
Evergreen plants are typically the most recommended for pool landscaping before they stay green year round and don't shed a lot of leaves that could get into your pool and pool filter. If you go for evergreen trees, they're also great for privacy.
Certain types of pool deck materials become more slippery than others, so you want to avoid them as much as possible. These include smooth concrete, tiles, and polished natural stone. Instead, choose materials that offer natural grip properties, such as wood, brick, composite, textured concrete, or unpolished stone.
Beginning with a layer of mulch surrounding the pool area, you can start to plant your favorite shrubs or bushes. A line of evergreen shrubs is a nice choice because it can hide the walls of your above ground pool. They also will look good all four seasons of the year.
Stones You Shouldn't Use
For drainage projects, you do not want to use any type of pea stone. While this stone is beautiful and great for other applications it is too small to drain properly.
When to Use Landscape Fabric. Landscaping fabric is most typically used beneath mulched areas around trees, shrubs, or bushes. Landscape fabric is laid over soil and then mulch is layered on top of the fabric. Landscape fabric also works well beneath gravel, rock, or hardscaping.
Garden Mulch: Pea gravel makes a great garden mulch. It helps to keep weeds down and retains moisture in the soil. Landscaping Borders: Pea gravel can be used to create borders around gardens, trees, and flower beds.
You can lay the pea gravel directly over grass or soil, but plants will grow up through the pea gravel.
Sure, bugs may hang out in the rocks and gravel, but because there is no food source, they won't stick around. Landscaping rock and gravel don't attract insects, unlike mulch which decomposes over time and attracts all kinds of pests.
WHAT BASE OR SURFACE CAN I PLACE MY POOL? Our pools can sit on pea gravel, decomposed granite, gravel, earth, sand, grass, or cement as long the space is completely level from all sides and the rock is not too large or pointy that it could dent the bottom of the tank.
Base for paving stones – due to its small size and natural strength, pea gravel can form a solid foundation beneath paving stones. Mulching material around plants – pea gravel prevents weed growth and retains moisture, making it a good choice of mulching material.
What is pea gravel? Pea gravel is small, rounded pebbles. Also referred to as pea stones or pea pebbles, each little rock of pea gravel is just a bit bigger than a pea (think green frozen peas). Pea gravel perhaps looks more like really large peas, like edamame or something of that size.
Pea gravel is a cheap and easy-to-maintain patio material that can be used on its own or with other elements like stones, pavers, or cement. 2. What Do You Put Under Pea Gravel? Landscaping fabric and sand or crushed rock (or both) are the most common.
Install Edging (Optional)
It'll help strengthen the edge from falling apart and keep pea gravel from finding its way all over your yard (which it's very good at doing, by the way). For walkways, simple plastic or metal edging are both suitable options.