Used crushed limestone instead of gravel for my driveway base in Kentucky

The contractor talked me into it saying it would compact better, and now after two heavy rains the whole thing is turning into a muddy mess. Has anyone else had this problem with limestone or did I just get a bad batch?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_barnes704d ago

Had the exact same nightmare. Limestone breaks down way too fast in Kentucky clay soil. Ended up ripping it all out and putting down 3/4 inch washed gravel with fines. That stuff locks together tight and actually drains. Limestone turns to soup when it gets wet. Your contractor wasn't totally wrong about compaction but he missed the part about drainage.

cameron_craig4d ago

Man I've been there with limestone in Kentucky and it's a losing battle. We put down a 4 inch layer of crushed limestone on our farm road near Louisville and after one good April rain it turned into white paste that stuck to everything. The problem is limestone has calcium carbonate that literally dissolves in acidic water, and Kentucky rain is naturally acidic from all the organic matter. You need angular washed rock like Number 2 or Number 57 limestone that's been washed clean of the fines, not the crushed stuff with the dust mixed in. That dust is what turns to mud when it gets wet. If you can scrape off the top couple inches and put down 3/4 inch washed gravel with some crushed concrete mixed in, it'll lock up tight and actually let water run through it instead of turning into soup.