How to Edge a Gravel Driveway

How to keep the gravel in the gravel driveway? A bit of spray is inevitable (be honest - was it you who peeled out last week?), but a solid edge will help.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Work Gloves
• Work Gloves
• Bow Rakes
• Measuring Tapes
• Sand
• Grub Axes
• Pressure-treated Wood

1. Move all vehicles off the driveway.

2. Measure both sides of the driveway and get enough sturdy, pressure-treated wood to line both sides (2-by-12 is a good choice for this).

3. Rake the gravel from the edges toward the middle of the driveway, getting the edges as clean as you can. Ideally, you'd like a clean, 2-foot strip along the inside of each edge.

4. Dig a narrow, deep trench along both sides of the driveway with a grub ax to set the pressure-treated wood into. The trench needs to be fairly substantial, because a driveway gets a lot of use and pressure, and it should be fairly deep, because you don't want the edge of the wood to stick up too far. If you're using 2-by-12 wood, the trench should be about 3 inches wide and 9 inches deep (and as long as your driveway).

5. Scoop out the trench, making the bottom as smooth and flat as possible.

6. Fill with a 1-inch layer of sand.

7. Place the wood in the trench, making sure the boards are level and that their ends (if you need more than one board on each side) match closely.

8. Pack dirt tightly around the boards to hold them in place; take any remaining dirt to the garden.

9. Rake the gravel from the middle of the driveway back to the new edges.

Tips & Warnings

• Gloves are essential for this job - pressure-treated wood is full of chemicals and splinters are almost bound to get infected.

[akendall]

on 1/26/2009 If you seal, prime or stain the wood it will last longer in the ground.

on 11/22/2005 Instead of 2 x 12s, you can use landscape timbers. Use large nails or stakes to attach the timbers to the ground.