Decomposed Granite Delivered in Bulk

Granite is a hard rock, but it is made of separate mineral grains locked together. Over thousands of seasons, water, heat and frost pry those grains apart, and the rock crumbles in place into a coarse grit. Quarries dig that crumbled layer and screen it. What arrives is Decomposed Granite at 1/4 inch and fines: sand-sized and smaller grains mixed with tiny flakes and a share of rock dust.^[1]

The fines are the whole point. When the material is damp and pressed, the dust fills the spaces between the larger grains and binds the layer into a crust that a wheelbarrow can roll across. The color runs gold to tan, softer than crushed gray stone and close to the look of a desert trail. A cubic yard weighs about 2,500 lb, and it is sold by the ton.^[1]

A packed layer still loosens a little at the surface. Foot traffic loosens a thin skin of grit over the months, and that loose film is normal. Raking it back, wetting it and tamping it again restores the surface, so a Decomposed Granite walk ages like a trail that needs an occasional grooming.^[1]

Garden paths are the first job most people buy it for. A packed Decomposed Granite walk feels smooth and slightly soft, it is easy on bare feet, and it bends around beds in curves that would take a saw to cut in pavers. Patios and seating areas come next, since a table and chairs sit level on a firm layer.^[1]

Decomposed Granite makes a tidy ring around trees and shrubs, where it keeps the trimmer off the trunk and still lets rain reach the roots. Many people use it to fill the joints between large flagstones, under a bench, beside a fire pit, in a bocce lane or as the floor of a dry garden with low-water plants. The gold to tan color pairs well with green foliage and with warm stone walls.^[1]

Skip it for steep slopes, for spots where a downspout pours straight onto it and for anything that carries heavy trucks. Fast water carries the fines away, and the surface softens if it stays wet for long. On those spots a coarser stone works better.^[1]

Dig the path or patio out deep enough for a stable base and the surface layer together. Firm the soil, and on soft or clay ground roll out a landscape fabric to keep the layers apart. A layer of compacted crushed base under the Decomposed Granite helps a lot on paths with steady foot traffic, since it stops the soil from pushing up through the surface. Set a sturdy edge first: steel, stone or treated timber. Loose grit spreads into the lawn without one.^[1]

Spread the Decomposed Granite in thin lifts rather than one deep pour. Rake each lift level, mist it with a hose until it is damp through but not muddy, and run a plate compactor or a hand tamper over it. Repeat until you reach the finished height. A 2 inch layer takes about 0.77 tons per 100 square feet, and a 3 inch layer about 1.16 tons, which suits a walking path over a good base.^[1]

Patios and spots with more traffic get a 4 inch layer at about 1.54 tons per 100 square feet. A 6 inch fill, about 2.31 tons per 100 square feet, is for places with no separate base at all. Crown the center or slope the surface slightly so rain drains off the edge instead of standing in puddles, and let the packed layer dry for a day or two before heavy use.^[1]

Pea Gravel and Walkway Gravel are both 3/8 inch stone, so they stay loose and crunch underfoot. They drain faster than Decomposed Granite and never get muddy, but chair legs sink into them and stones migrate onto the lawn. Choose one of them when you want a casual, loose look and quick drainage, and choose Decomposed Granite when you want a surface that packs firm and looks like earth.^[1]

River Rock is the decorative partner. Its smooth 1 to 3 inch stones never pack, which makes it a poor walking surface but a good border, drainage strip or creek bed beside a Decomposed Granite path. Edging a tan path with a band of River Rock catches runoff before it can wash the fines away, and the contrast in texture frames the walk.^[1]

Decomposed Granite comes from places where granite sits near the surface and has weathered in place for ages. Local quarries and pits dig that softened layer, crush any larger lumps and screen the result to 1/4 inch and fines. Some yards keep it in open bins, others blend it from crushed granite and screened dust.^[1]

Gravel Valet fills each order from a yard close to the job, so the material travels a short way. Granite deposits differ, and the gold to tan color of a load leans toward whatever the nearby rock holds: a deeper honey gold in one area, a paler tan in another. If you are matching an existing path, tell us before you order, and we will check what the closest yard has.^[1]

Decomposed Granite in sacks is heavy for its size, and a path of any length eats through a car's worth of bags in a few minutes of spreading. Each bag means another trip, another lift and another torn sack in the bin. A loose load arrives in one drop, by the ton, right where the work starts.^[1]

Loose material also comes without packaging, palleting or a store markup on every bag. You order the amount the project needs, add a little for compaction, and spread from one pile. For a patio, a long walk or a tree ring across a yard, a single bulk delivery replaces a weekend of hauling and is the thriftier way to get the job done.^[1]

Measure the area and decide the finished depth after compaction. The calculator turns length, width and depth into tons from the weight of about 2,500 lb per cubic yard. Packing shrinks a loose layer, so order a little more than the bare math gives, especially for a patio laid in several lifts.^[1]

Enter your ZIP to see the delivered total, choose your tons and check out. Pick a firm drop spot near the work, and if rain is coming, a tarp over the pile keeps the fines from washing off before you spread them. Our team contacts you to confirm the delivery day and any access details for the truck.^[1]