My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. They came in my requested time frame (afternoon) and dropped it off where I asked on my driveway. The topsoil was exactly what was a...
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How Much Material Do I Need?
Use 2 to 3 inches for decorative beds, 3 to 4 inches for walkways and splash areas, and 4 to 6 inches of compacted base for driveways over Elyria's soft silt loam subgrade.
Use our free stone calculator
What is a Yard?
A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.
My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. They came in my requested time frame (afternoon) and dropped it off where I asked on my driveway. The topsoil was exactly what was a...
How Much Material Do I Need?
Use 2 to 3 inches for decorative beds, 3 to 4 inches for walkways and splash areas, and 4 to 6 inches of compacted base for driveways over Elyria's soft silt loam subgrade.
Use our free stone calculator
What is a Yard?
A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.
My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. Th...
Read full review
My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. They came in my requested time frame (afternoon) and dropped it off where I asked on my driveway. The topsoil was exactly what was advertised, clean with no rocks or other debris. The price was reasonable. I plan to use them again in a couple weeks to order compost for my garden beds.
Measure the length and width of the area in feet and decide on depth, then remember stone is quoted by weight as often as by volume. A cubic yard covers about 100 square feet at 3 inches. For irregular Elyria beds that wrap a foundation corner, break the shape into rectangles and add them up rather than guessing.
Complete Your Outdoor Stone Project
Add professional grade landscape fabric and steel or poly edging to keep stone from migrating into the lawn, and pick up a few bags of paver base if you are setting stepping stones.
Install solid edging or your stone will vanish. Elyria silt loam is soft, and without a hard border every mowing pass and every heavy rain pushes gravel a little further into the turf, where it becomes a mower blade hazard. Steel edging set 4 inches deep is worth the extra cost over flimsy plastic, which pops out of the ground during our freeze and thaw cycles. Set edging first, fabric second, stone last.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Get the slope right before a single stone goes down. Water only moves if you give it a grade, and many Elyria yards sit nearly flat on the old Black River terrace. Use a string line and a level to establish at least a 1 percent fall, meaning an inch of drop for every 8 feet of run. Grading the subgrade correctly is the single biggest difference between a drainage bed that works and one that becomes a mosquito pond.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Order about 10 percent extra. Stone settles into the silt loam beneath it during the first season, especially where the ground was not compacted, and coverage estimates always assume a perfectly level base that no real Elyria yard has. Having a small leftover pile behind the garage means you can top off thin spots next spring without paying a second delivery fee, which often costs more than the extra material itself.
The Unique Landscape of Elyria
Elyria's silt loam does not drain quickly, and after a typical soaking rain the water has nowhere to go on flat older lots, which is why so many homes here fight standing water at downspouts and along foundations. Decorative and drainage stone gives that water a fast path and a surface that does not wash away like mulch does. The city averages 38 inches of rain a year, much of it in heavy spring events, and gravel beds handle that volume without rutting or floating out of place. Stone is also the practical choice for Zone 6b winters, since it will not break down, will not need annual replacement, and tolerates the road salt that gets tracked into beds along driveways and walks. At 709 feet with gentle slopes toward the Black River, many Elyria yards benefit from stone lined swales that carry runoff instead of letting it pond. Once installed properly, a stone bed can last a decade or more with only occasional raking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click a question to see the answer
Answer
What size stone should I use around my downspouts?
Use 1 to 2 inch river rock or washed gravel in a splash bed at least 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. Elyria roofs shed a lot of water during our spring downpours, and smaller pea gravel scatters under that force while larger stone stays put. Set the bed on landscape fabric and pitch it away from the house so runoff moves out into the yard instead of soaking the foundation backfill.
Answer
Will stone mulch work in my planting beds, or is it bad for plants?
Stone works well for evergreens, ornamental grasses, and low water plantings, but it does not feed Elyria silt loam the way hardwood mulch does. It also radiates heat, which can stress hydrangeas and hostas during a humid Lorain County July. Use stone along foundations, driveways, and downspout areas, and keep organic mulch in beds where you are growing perennials or shrubs that need soil building.
Answer
How does stone hold up to Ohio winters and road salt?
Better than any other landscape surface. Elyria sees repeated freeze and thaw cycles from December through March, and stone is unaffected by them while mulch mats down and organic edging heaves. Limestone can show some surface pitting from heavy salt exposure over many years, but it will not rot or blow away. Rinse salt heavy beds along the driveway once in early spring.
Answer
Do I really need landscape fabric under stone?
Yes, and in Elyria it matters more than most places. Silt loam is fine textured and works its way up between stones surprisingly fast, and once soil fills the voids you have a perfect weed seedbed. Use a woven professional grade fabric rather than the thin rolls sold at big box stores, overlap seams by 6 inches, and pin every 2 feet.
Answer
How much does a yard of stone weigh and can my driveway handle the truck?
A cubic yard of gravel runs about 2600 to 3000 pounds. Our trucks are heavy when loaded, and the older narrow driveways in Elyria's east side neighborhoods sometimes have edges that crumble under that weight. Tell us about slope, overhead wires, and pavement condition when you order and we will plan the drop accordingly, including street side unloading if needed.
Answer
What stone works best for a gravel driveway or parking pad here?
Build with a base of 304 crushed limestone, which contains fines that compact into a firm surface, then top with 57 stone if you want a cleaner look. Elyria's silt loam subgrade is soft when saturated, so you need at least 4 inches of compacted base and preferably 6 in areas that see truck traffic. Adding geotextile fabric under the base keeps the stone from disappearing into the soil.
Answer
Can I use stone to fix the wet low area in my backyard?
Stone alone will not fix it, but a stone filled trench will. Dig a French drain sloped at least 1 percent toward a legal outlet, line it with fabric, lay perforated pipe, and backfill with washed 57 stone. This is a very common repair in Elyria's flatter neighborhoods where silt loam holds water for days. Check the city code before discharging anywhere near a property line or storm structure.
