Bulk Aggregates for Patios in Bloomington, WI

Wisconsin Rock Supply serves gravel and aggregate delivery in Bloomington, WI to two kinds of buyers: contractors who set base and bedding by the truckload, and homeowners building one patio or driveway. Traffic bond is the material most orders start with. The silt loam over sandstone and dolomite here drains hard in some spots and holds water in others, so bedding choice matters more than it does on flat, sandy ground.

Materials for Bloomington Projects

Patio and flatwork jobs depend on what goes under the pavers. You need a bedding layer that compacts and stays put, and a base below it that carries the load without pumping when the ground is wet.

Screenings, which many suppliers call stone dust, are the standard paver and patio bedding in Wisconsin. They spread fine and pack hard, so pavers sit flat with no rocking. Use a thin layer, screeded level over a compacted base, not as the base itself.

Under the bedding. It is crushed stone with the fines left in, so it locks together and sheds water instead of shifting. Some yards label the same material road gravel.

Where the subgrade is soft, wet, or clay-heavy, start with Breaker Run as the coarse sub-base, then cap it with traffic bond. Breaker run is the Wisconsin material for a construction entrance or a base over ground that will not hold on its own.

For the joints between pavers, Mason Sand sweeps in tight and stays. Around drainage and under a slab, Washed Sand levels and beds without the fines that trap water.

Ground and Conditions in Bloomington

In the Driftless Area and western coulees, the ground is silt loam formed in windblown loess over sandstone and dolomite. It is thin and stony on steep slopes and some ridge tops, with sandy and silty river deposits on valley floors and terraces.

A base that looks fine in July often fails here in March. Silty soil holds water and softens as frost comes out, so a thin base on a slope or at a hillside seep ruts and pumps. Frost reaches 48 to 72 inches under pavement by late winter, which is deep enough to heave a shallow patio edge.

Swapping pavers will not help; a deeper base with drainage will. Excavate past the soft layer, put down geotextile where the subgrade stays wet, and build the base in lifts you compact one at a time. On a slope, crown or pitch the finished patio away from the house and add a drainage layer of Drain Rock at the low edge. Where bedrock is shallow, water also moves through cracks and springs, so plan an outlet before you dig.

Runoff off steep ridges and ridge-top fields washes loess downhill and cuts gullies and stream banks in heavy storms. Low valley sites should allow for high water after those storms. Build from the end of the spring thaw into late fall, and check spring weight limits before you schedule a haul, since Class II highways and posted county, town, and village roads carry them.

Delivery to Bloomington and the Surrounding Area

Order online, and decide first whether you are buying by the ton or the cubic yard. Tons measure weight, yards measure volume, and the conversion depends on the material: traffic bond and breaker run are heavy, while mulch and topsoil are far lighter per yard.

To estimate quantity, multiply length by width by depth in feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards, then convert to tons for the material you picked. Round up a little, because a base spread too thin will not compact and you will be short at the worst moment.

Bulk delivery drops loose material where the truck can reach, so tell us about the driveway, the grade, and any overhead lines when you order. Wisconsin Rock Supply delivers across Bloomington and Grant County, including Platteville, Lancaster, Boscobel, Fennimore, and Cuba City.

Questions Bloomington Buyers Ask

What gravel is best for a driveway in Bloomington?

Use 3/4" Traffic Bond as the base. It is the dense graded base sold across Wisconsin, a crushed stone with fines that packs hard and sheds water. On soft or clay ground, put breaker run underneath first, then cap with traffic bond and compact in lifts. Top the finished drive with driveway gravel if you want a finer running surface.

How much material will my project need?

Measure length and width in feet, multiply by the depth you want in feet, and divide by 27 for cubic yards. Then convert to tons for the specific material, since traffic bond and sand weigh far more per yard than mulch or topsoil. For a patio base, plan a solid compacted layer, and add a little for waste.

Get Your Patio Base Sized Right

Use the calculator on our site to turn your patio or driveway dimensions into tons of traffic bond, screenings, and breaker run. Then place the order and we will deliver the bulk material to your Bloomington site. Sort out the quantity now, and your base goes down once, right.