Good points all around. I've used woven geotextile fabric a couple times, mainly because it was cheap and easy to find locally. Here's what I've noticed:
- Settling did happen eventually, especially after a couple freeze-thaw cycles. Nothing catastrophic, but enough that I had to top off gravel once or twice.
- Totally agree on angular crushed stone vs rounded gravel. Rounded stuff just shifts around too much—learned that lesson the hard way when my patio started looking like a wave pool after a year or two...
- Haven't tried non-woven yet, mostly because it's pricier and I'm cheap (lol). But your point about drainage makes sense—might bite the bullet next time if it means less maintenance down the road.
- Definitely compacted in lifts with a rented plate compactor. Worth every penny, IMO. Saw a neighbor skip this step and his driveway turned into a rollercoaster ride within months.
"Clay soils are always a headache..."
Yeah, tell me about it. My whole yard is basically modeling clay disguised as dirt.
I've had similar experiences with woven geotextile—it's decent for basic projects, but if you're dealing with clay-heavy soil, non-woven really does make a noticeable difference. It helps keep fines from migrating upward, which reduces settling over time. Yeah, it's pricier upfront, but considering the hassle of topping off gravel every year or two...might actually save you money (and headaches) in the long run. Just my two cents from past builds.
"Yeah, it's pricier upfront, but considering the hassle of topping off gravel every year or two...might actually save you money (and headaches) in the long run."
Interesting point—I hadn't considered non-woven geotextile for clay-heavy soils before. Last year, I tackled a small patio project on similar ground conditions and went with woven fabric. While it held up okay initially, I've noticed some uneven settling lately. Makes me wonder if switching to non-woven might've prevented that issue altogether. Definitely something I'll keep in mind for future projects...
That's an interesting observation about woven fabric. I went through something similar when I built a small walkway last summer. Initially, I thought woven geotextile would be enough since it seemed sturdy and was cheaper, but after a few months, I noticed some shifting and unevenness too. It wasn't terrible, but definitely noticeable enough to bug me every time I walked on it.
After doing some digging (literally and figuratively, haha), I realized that woven fabric is great for strength and stability in certain conditions, but it doesn't handle drainage as effectively as non-woven. Clay-heavy soils tend to hold water, and if the fabric isn't letting moisture pass through easily, you end up with pockets of water underneath. Over time, that trapped moisture can cause settling or shifting—exactly what happened to me.
I ended up redoing part of the walkway with non-woven geotextile underneath, and so far it's been holding up much better. The drainage improvement alone seems worth the extra upfront cost. But now I'm curious—has anyone tried combining both types of fabric? Like maybe using woven fabric for strength and then layering non-woven on top or below for drainage? Wonder if that would give you the best of both worlds or just complicate things unnecessarily...
I totally get where you're coming from on the cost thing—I always try to save a buck too, but sometimes it bites me later. Your idea about combining woven and non-woven fabrics actually sounds pretty smart. I haven't tried it myself, but logically it makes sense: woven for strength, non-woven for drainage. Might be worth experimenting on a small section first though, just to see if it's practical or ends up being overkill...
