How to gravel a muddy driveway

If you have a muddy driveway, there's a good chance you're finding lots of muddy footprints in your front entry, and the rainier the weather, the muddier the footprints. The situation can be remedied with gravel and improved drainage. Build a rock drive from the bottom up, or repair an existing gravel driveway by installing gravel in layers. This will allow water to drain away, keeping your driveway drier. If you don't have heavy equipment to move the gravel or trucks to haul it, you can rent the equipment you need.

Remove sticks, leaves, grass and other organic material from the driveway if it's a new drive. These items allow the road bed to be too soft. Scrape the topsoil away with a tractor and blade. Pile the dirt elsewhere to use for other projects. If your drive is already gravelled, scrape the rock away with a tractor and blade to get down to solid soil. You can reuse the gravel later.

Slope the ground on either side of the driveway, using the tractor and blade. Water running under a gravel driveway causes it to break down and become muddy.

Smooth the area where you plan to build the driveway with the blade. Unroll geotextile fabric along the length of the driveway. The fabric facilitates drainage by keeping the base rock free of subsoil. Scatter small rocks on the fabric to hold it in place. If you are repairing an existing driveway, skip this step.

Measure the length and width of the driveway to determine how much rock you need. The thickness of the gravel also factors into how much you need to buy. When you call the quarry to order your rock, give the sales rep your dimensions, and he will figure out how much you need.

Spread a layer of large rocks. Order a load of No. 3 stone from the quarry. The driver who delivers the rock will dump it at various points along your driveway to make it easier for you to spread with the tractor and blade.

Use a mechanical roller or a tamping machine to settle the rocks in place. This equipment is available at a rental store if you don't own it. Work either piece of equipment along the driveway. Then run the equipment across the drive.

Order enough No. 57 gravel, which is a smaller, to cover your driveway to a 4-inch depth. The truck driver can dump the rock at various spots along the drive so that you can spread it.

Spread the No. 57 to the edge of the driveway with the tractor and blade. Use the tractor and blade to finish spreading this layer. Roll or tamp this layer.

Order and pour a 4-inch layer of smaller No. 21A gravel on top of the No. 57. Use the tractor and blade to grade the driveway so that it is higher in the middle to allow for drainage. Tamp or roll the No. 21A gravel.