Get matched with top mulch and topsoil pros in Battle Creek, NE

Yes, you can custom-color your gravel if you’d like. Use an acrylic- or oil-based paint designed for outdoor use, and apply sealant to protect it from the elements. Some companies offer customized color gravel, either mixing the colorant in a cement mixer with gravel or using industrial mixers to dye, paint, or color it.

Determining how many boulders you’ll need for your landscaping project depends on the area you need to cover and how big each boulder is. First, you’ll need to determine how big of an area you want covered, then divide that by the base surface area of the boulders. A landscape professional can help you determine how many boulders will be right for your project.

Topsoil should go down first. If the topsoil is next to your house, make sure the grade slopes away from the house to keep water from pooling against your foundation and possibly leaking into your basement or crawl space. Don’t cover your decorative landscape mulch with topsoil as that defeats the purpose of laying down the mulch. If you’re trying to create a certain soil composition to improve plant growth, you’ll likely want compost mixed into the topsoil instead of mulch. Over time, any decorative wood mulch will simply decompose under the topsoil.

Artificial turf usually requires some sort of base. If you’re installing the grass over soil, you’ll want to add a weed barrier (weeds can damage your fake grass) and an artificial grass sub-base . Typically, this is a mixture of gravel and sand, like crushed miscellaneous base (CMB) or decomposed granite. If you're placing turf over concrete, you can skip the sub base and use a padded underlayment.