Screenings for Patios in Lancaster, PA

If you are setting a patio, you are buying bedding material, not just stone. Pennsylvania Rock Supply handles gravel and aggregate delivery in Lancaster, PA, and most patio jobs here start with a compacted 2A modified base and finish with screenings or sand under the pavers. The ground you build on decides how thick that base runs.

Lancaster sits on mixed Piedmont ground, so the same patio plan can hit loamy upland soil in one yard and heavy clay in the next. That changes how much base you need.

Ground and Conditions in Lancaster

A thin base shows itself fast here. Pavers rock, joints open, and low corners hold water after a storm. The cause is usually soft subgrade under a base that never got compacted in lifts, not the pavers.

Heavy summer storms and spring rain run off built-up ground across Lancaster County. Over limestone valleys, runoff concentrated from roofs, gutters and drives can open sinkholes, so water needs somewhere to go besides the soil under your patio.

Winters bring repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Frost depth runs about 30 to 36 inches and is set by each municipality. On a poorly drained base, that cycling can heave and break up flatwork even though frost does not reach as deep here as in most of the state.

Patio, base and driveway work runs from spring, once the ground has thawed and dried, into late fall. Base stone should not go down on frozen, soft or muddy ground.

Materials for Lancaster Projects

Screenings are the bedding layer. The fine crushed stone dust and chips under a quarter inch, also called stone dust or #10 screenings, pack firm under pavers and flagstone and hold a level grade while you work. Below them goes a compacted base, and for that Pennsylvania buyers ask for 2A modified: crushed stone with the fines left in, so it binds and compacts hard. It is the standard base for patios, driveways, parking pads and shed bases. 2A Modified and Screenings are the two you will use most on flatwork.

Around them, the supporting materials do specific jobs.

For drainage behind a retaining wall or a downspout run, 2B stone is the clean 3/4 inch stone that lets water move through instead of packing tight. #57 Stone is the same size many yards call 2B, and #89 Crushed Stone covers tighter joints and bedding. Where a smaller clean chip is wanted for walkways or a decorative topping, 1B stone, also sold as #8 stone, is the one to ask for.

If your patio sits on fill, build the grade with fill dirt first, then cap it with 2A modified. Skip that order and the base moves.

Delivery to Lancaster and the Surrounding Area

You order online and choose your quantity by the ton or by the yard. If you are not sure which one fits your job, size the load with the calculator before checkout, then pick a delivery date that matches when your crew will be on site.

A dump truck brings bulk material to your site in Lancaster, and the driver needs a clear, firm spot to drop it. Keep the pile close to the work but off the subgrade you just prepped. Pennsylvania Rock Supply delivers across Lancaster County, including Ephrata, Elizabethtown, Columbia, Willow Street and Lititz.

What gravel is best for a driveway in Lancaster?

Start with 2A modified. It is the standard Pennsylvania base stone, crushed stone with the fines left in, so it compacts hard and carries a drive. Top it with driveway gravel if you want a finer surface. On a wet or poorly drained stretch, put 2B stone underneath for drainage first, then build the 2A modified base over it.

How much material will my project need?

It depends on the area you are covering and how deep the layer runs, and the answer changes with the material because stone, sand and soil do not weigh the same per yard. Enter your dimensions in the calculator on the product page and it returns the quantity in tons or yards. Order that figure and pick your delivery date.

Get Your Patio Quantities Sized

Measure your patio area, decide your base and bedding materials, and run the numbers through the calculator before you order. Pennsylvania Rock Supply delivers 2A modified, screenings, sand and drainage stone across Lancaster County, so you can have the whole patio build on site when you need it. Size your load and place your order online.