Construction Stone
Woodward Landscape Supply offers all of the types of stone needed to build the proper foundation for your hardscaping project. These materials are generally not visible in the finished installation, but are critical to the stability and longevity of it. Our construction stone options include 2A modified, 2B, 1B, ballast, and screenings.
2A Modified
- 2A modified is 3/4" stone graded down to grit. It is gray and from a distance might look like dirt; but, it is many sizes of stone that are designed to compact into a solid surface.
- It is the primary material used for the base under patios, sidewalks, wall, driveways, etc. which are going to be constructed from segmental materials such as pavers and wall block.
- 2A modified has the special characteristic of being able to be compacted, i.e., when a plate compactor is used on it, 2A modified becomes solid and impermeable.
- For this reason, 2A modified is also used for driveways that are not paved and may be called "driveway stone."
2B
- 2B is 3/4" only clean stone. Like 2A modified, ours is grey. But, unlike 2A modified, compacting 2B has very little impact on the density of the stone. It is 95% compacted when dumped into a pile.
- 2B is the primary material used behind walls for strength and drainage.
- Because it drains, 2B is also used for French drains, under sheds, and in other construction projects requiring drainage.
1B
- 1B is 1/2" clean stone. It has all of the characteristics of 2B except size. Because it is smaller, it does not drain as fast.
- The primary hardscaping applications for 1B is in the installation of permeable pavers, where it is used to fill the joints between pavers after they are installed.
Ballast
- Ballast is larger clean stone, approximately 2-4," and has all of the characteristics of 2B.
- In hardscaping, ballast is the base stone for permeable pavers.
Screenings
- Screenings, also known as grit or stone dust, are finely ground stones. Smaller than 1B, screenings are so fine that they do not drain well; but, because they are uniform is size, there is some drainage.
- Screenings used to be the setting bed of choice for concrete pavers but are no longer recommended for this purpose.
- Screenings are the product of choice for setting natural stone such as pattern or irregular flagstone.
- Screenings are also used to level the first course of natural stone walls.