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While you don’t need to put anything down before mulch, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent weed growth. As long as you remove weeds before you spread mulch, you should be in the clear. But a herbicide is something that you can put down before mulch as an extra layer of protection.

Yes, you need to use landscape fabric under your rubber mulch. Rubber mulch doesn’t decompose, so putting landscape fabric down can work as a barrier between your mulch and soil, preventing your mulch from mixing with your soil and leaching chemicals like aluminum, cadmium, and copper into it. Also, since weeds can occasionally get through rubber mulch, using landscape fabric as a second form of protection can increase its effectiveness. 

When laying gravel, it's often a good idea to apply a base layer, such as sand or crushed concrete. You may also want to layer a weed-blocking membrane on top of the base layer to prevent weeds and grass from sprouting up in your gravel driveway. Without the appropriate base layer, the gravel you lay may sink into the soil.

Pea gravel can retain some heat, but it generally stays cooler than materials like concrete, asphalt, or stone pavers. Lighter-colored pea gravel reflects more sunlight and tends to stay cooler, while darker-colored gravel can absorb heat and become warmer to the touch.