Since there's not much on the web I thought I'd create a post with my experience. I ordered 10 bulk bags from JTDove at ~£80/bag, who sourced it from a quarry around Leeds area (although I suspect it was transported from down south, 'SB' quarries are all down south). I highly suspect that 'SB' is dolomite crusher run that's been put through a soil sieve.
'SB' is wonderful to work with, at least to put down. According to what little you can read on the web it should be compacted with a little but not a lot of water to create an area that looks like this...
Once wacked and left to dry it goes hard enough to walk on and roll lighter things on without adverse effect.
However I noticed that anything with weight, like the wheels on my wacker, would start creating a channel and lift the gravel up. This would be unsightly and wouldn't go away unless refilled etc. Basically it was not good enough to replace concrete (slabs, blocks).
In one area I went a bit crazy with the watering can and created a sludge. The wacker plate sticks to it and it won't propel itself forward well. However once I dry I noticed that apart from looking a bit **** it was much harder creating only a little dust when walked on.
So I decided to make the rest like this. Doing so would open up pockets which would need refilling. I think it's pretty resistant to soaking water.
Here's an area in progress but mostly done. It looks like mud until it dries. I highly recommend vigilance when it comes to walking on carpets!
So my final thoughts are SB looks great for paths but less so for larger areas which start looking like a farm yard.
'SB' is wonderful to work with, at least to put down. According to what little you can read on the web it should be compacted with a little but not a lot of water to create an area that looks like this...
Once wacked and left to dry it goes hard enough to walk on and roll lighter things on without adverse effect.
However I noticed that anything with weight, like the wheels on my wacker, would start creating a channel and lift the gravel up. This would be unsightly and wouldn't go away unless refilled etc. Basically it was not good enough to replace concrete (slabs, blocks).
In one area I went a bit crazy with the watering can and created a sludge. The wacker plate sticks to it and it won't propel itself forward well. However once I dry I noticed that apart from looking a bit **** it was much harder creating only a little dust when walked on.
So I decided to make the rest like this. Doing so would open up pockets which would need refilling. I think it's pretty resistant to soaking water.
Here's an area in progress but mostly done. It looks like mud until it dries. I highly recommend vigilance when it comes to walking on carpets!
So my final thoughts are SB looks great for paths but less so for larger areas which start looking like a farm yard.
