Construction Stone Guide

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Construction Stone Guide

material

March 3, 2022

Material

Construction Stone Guide

Welcome to the ultimate construction stone guide—where you’ll learn all the information you need about what stone you should use for your next residential or commercial project.

Commercial Uses for Stone

There is a wide range of options available if you’re looking for commercial stone—the most common among these being 57 Rock, Flex Base, Pea Gravel, Road Base, Utility Rock, and Crushed Stone.

Residential Uses for Stone

Many kinds of stone overlap in that they are useful for residential projects as well. Pea Gravel, 57 Rock, Utility Rock, Flex Base, and Crushed Stone all fall under this category. However, there is one type of stone which is more popular for residential use: River Rock.

River Rock

River Rock is a form of washed gravel that is found on the banks of rivers. Like Pea Gravel, it comes in an array of colors, but it comes in a diverse range of sizes as well. There are three different types of River Rock:

Granite, Basalt, and Manufactured. Granite River Rock is the most popular choice for outdoor decoration and landscaping, while Basalt River Rock provides a good filler. Finally, Manufactured River Rock can be used in cases where natural River Rock is not strong or large enough, such as for outdoor staircases.

If you’re not sure what you’d like to add to or change about your landscape, some ideas are to create a border or wall, build a staircase, or add a water feature.

Borders and walls

Borders and walls can stifle weeds and protect plants in your yard or garden, as well as keep out moisture and prevent erosion in areas which are prone to rain.

Staircases

Staircases are a beautiful and unique addition to your landscape, and the best kinds of rock to use for these are kinds that are both durable and pleasing to look at.

Water features

Water features, such as ponds and fountains, are a great way to add a calming aspect to your landscape

Order Quarry Direct Trucking

One of the most important aspects of the material and aggregate hauling business is having close connections with local quarries, from where we source all our stone. We at Twisted Nail provide pit-to-plant, pit-to-jobsite, and pit-to-consumer hauling options in the Waco, Bryan, and Austin areas of Texas. This means that we can deliver any materials you need straight to your desired location in a way that is both time- and cost-effective.

QUARRIES IN AUSTIN AND WACO TEXAS: WHAT THEY PRODUCE

A quarry is essentially a type of mine that is used to extract stones and such that will be repurposed into building materials. Quarries belong to a group of mines called open pit mines. The reasoning....

When you work with our dedicated professionals, we’ll provide quarry direct trucking to bring your materials from a quarry to your preferred residential or commercial job site. This makes delivery faster and easier if you are ordering a lot of materials from a quarry, and working with us takes pressure off of you because you don’t have to find and coordinate with a quarry on your own.

Contact Us for Construction Stone Today

With the wide range of options construction stone can help build, we’re sure you’re eager to get started on your next project. You can count on us at Twisted Nail to help make your next residential or commercial project the most successful it can be. With our strong work ethic and connections to local quarries, as well as the ability to source stone from anywhere in Texas, we’ve got you covered. Have questions? Not sure which type or amount of stone you need? Give us a call today, and we’ll be happy to help!


FAQs

An end dumps carry weight depends heavily on the specific road regulations, the power unit weight, and the composition of the trailer. A steel trailer, typically referred to as a Round Bottom, will be heavier and will have a payload of approximately 21 to 23 tons. By contrast, an aluminum end dump is much lighter and can carry anywhere from 23-28 tons, with some set-ups being able to approach 30-ton payloads. 

End dumps are typically loaded by heavy machinery, such as a front-end loader or excavator, or by a series of conveyor belts. End dumps are top load trailers. An owner-operator with an end dump trailer will uncover the trailer via an electric tarp switch in the cab. With the trailer uncovered, the heavy machinery is free to load from the top of the trailer, being careful to evenly distribute the material. Once loaded, the owner-operator flips the tarp switch, covers the load, and continues their run.  

There are several different types of hydraulic lifts that are usually part of dump trailers. These include telescopic, dual-piston, and scissor lifts, among others. Most dump trailers use hydraulics to automatically lift the dump box and unload the materials in a quick, seamless action.

An end dump is an excellent investment for owner operators or construction companies that transport bulk aggregate on a frequent basis. Depending on your needs, a steel or aluminum end dump will ensure that you are able to reliable keep your customers jobsites and stockpiles full. 

Depending on market timing, a typical aluminum end dump will range between $15,000 to $70,000+, with steel round bottoms priced around $10,000-$50,000+. These trailers are also offered for rent or lease, with trailers available for around $850-$2,000 per month. When renting or leasing, it is typical for all repairs to be the responsibility of the renting owner operator. 

FAQs

Flex base can be an excellent choice for a driveway but is not often used as a primary input in TXDOT construction. Flex base is best suited for farm roads, driveways, RV pads, and for other foundations that will not receive heavy traffic. Flex base is cheaper than most alternative options, such as asphalt or base that meets TXDOT specifications. Additionally, once set and compacted, a flex base road or driveway is cheaper and easier to maintain.

Yes, road base and flex base are the same material family. That said, the differentiating factor is typically the testing results of each material. When shopping for material, it is important to identify exactly what type of material you are buying. Retailers will categorize Base as a broad category and can leave identification to consumers, which is challenging and confusing. In general, if a retailer is selling a Road Base it can be assumed that the material is of higher construction quality than flex base, meaning it will have a wider range of approved uses. However, some vendors will sell Flex Base as a Road Base; this makes it important to understand if the material you are purchasing is a true Flex Base, is ‘Spec 247’, or is TXDOT approved. With each increase in quality comes an increase in cost, so it is important to identify which material will best suit the needs of your project.

Flex Base is a mixture of loose aggregate and coarse aggregate, can be a wide range of color based on source location, and is composed of materials ranging from dirt to rock that are 1”-3” in size. Most Flex Base, particularly around Central Texas, will range from tan to brown, will consist of a dirt material and rocks that range from 1” to 2” in diameter. There are specialty materials that will include rocks up to 3” in size, but these are typically reserved for heavy construction projects.

Any driveway’s depth should be at least 5” to ensure structural integrity and better load capacity. For road base in particular, experts recommend a thickness of 6-8”.

Customer Service

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Twisted Nail is here to help. If you need something hauled in central Texas, we can get your job done, safely, timely, and reliably.

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