10 Best Driveway Edging Ideas On A Budget

Last Updated on March 22, 2022 by Kimberly Crawford

No matter what your driveway material is, it gets a little smeared and washed out every time it rains, when torrential winds are in season or when the material itself begins flaking or cracking.

To maintain its aesthetic value and to help you economize through inexpensive maintenance, you can resort to driveway edging.

There are a lot of ways to edge your driveway depending on your preferred style and of course, relative to the material used for the driveway.

If you are considering driveway edging, it pays to have head start ideas on what they can look like. So, in this post, we will give you a rundown of some of the best driveway edging ideas without denting your pockets.

Types of driveway edging

There are two basic types of driveway edging: raised edging and flat edging. As the name suggests, raised edging is higher than the driveway. It is beneficial if you want to create an aesthetic border between your driveway and your lawn.

On the other hand, a flat edging is at the same level with the driveway. Aesthetically, it creates color and shape contrasts on your driveway.

Benefits of driveway edging

If you need more convincing as to why you should go for driveway edging now, look at these driveway edging benefits.

Edging protects your driveway from cracking and chipping.
Protects your lawn and inhibits other drivers from backing into your lawn.
Lessens driveway maintenance costs.
Prevents soil erosion in harsher climatic conditions.
Offers easier parking and boosts curb appeal.
Increases your home’s value.

Driveway edging ideas

So, how do you edge your driveway? Here are some of the most common driveway edging designs out there and some of the ideas that you can do for your own driveway.

They can be from simple, mid-tier or upscale but you can always have your own take on each idea. Without much ado, here is a roundup of driveway edging ideas you can choose from.

Cheap driveway edging ideas

You can do so much with scrap materials and even with just grass or border plants and flowers. Here are some cheap driveway edging ideas that you can do for just a few bucks and with low maintenance cost down the stretch.

Blocks and crushed concrete

If you have leftover concrete blocks, you can make a raised driveway edging. Fill the raised bed with crushed concrete, a bit of turf to add life to it and an additional trench of crushed concrete to create a seamless look.

Live edges

Another cheap edging choice would be flowers. Choose flowering plants that are mostly in bloom year-round and are adaptive to many climates. The density that it gives to the edges provide a beautiful contrast to your concrete or blocked driveway and the lawn nearby.

Asphalt driveway edging ideas

Asphalt is one of the most durable and go-to materials when it comes to driveways. It is usually edged with concrete pavers or just with lush green turfs for a more rustic vibe. There is nothing more beautiful than a neat looking asphalt driveway.

Paver asphalt edging

Paver edging is always the best complement for asphalt, blacktop, and tarmac driveways.

In this idea, the sloped driveway is flat edged with stone pavers. At its base would be a spread of more stone pavers to provide extra traction and grip during slippery conditions.

Infusing a street drain in the stone pavers at the base is also a good idea to make it more useful and ergonomic.

Grass outline

The cottage vibe never disappoints and if you want a well-shaped, twisty, layered look, you can turn your asphalt driveway into a garden maze.

All you need is some serious space allocation, landscaping skills, and of course, your contoured asphalt driveway.

Gravel driveway edging ideas

As have been mentioned, gravel driveways are the most inexpensive driveways out there.

With just grass, wood chips, and brick, you can elevate the look of your gravel driveway without shedding a lot of money for contracting jobs.

Bricks

For a budget gravel driveway edging, bricks are always a good solution to add border and contrast. You can make this by yourself.

You just have to dig a slightly deep trench, layers of brick cement and pile the bricks on top of each other depending on how raised you want your edging to be.

Wood edging

Another cost-efficient gravel driveway edging idea would be the use of wood. If you have scrap wood, smoothen them up and use them to outline your gravel driveway.

It is in between a semi-raised edging and a flat one. Along with lined trees and lush grass turf, this is a beautiful and a very simple idea for a rustic, long driveway.

Tarmac driveway edging ideas

This material is often confused with asphalt and blacktop. Tarmac driveways are common in English designed homes with the cottage vibe and compact driveways that lead to the main door. Here are two tarmac driveway edging ideas that you can infuse in your home.

Small cobblestone edging

For compact driveways that lead up to the front door, flat edging with small cobblestones is perfect in keeping the space from continuous flow.

It is also very cost-efficient too as it could be used as a neat border for the grass and the denser bushes along the driveway. A line of LED strips to help you when you park at night is also recommended.

Pebbles and flagstone

Flagstone is another good complement for tarmac driveways. This is usually seen in the suburbs with medium sized to small front yards and lawns.

The flagstones are arranged in a horizontal block and in between this block and the small lawn would be a spread of pebbles.

Stone driveway edging ideas

This is another cost-efficient material that proves how versatile inexpensive materials could be.

You can play with different sizes of stones depending on the design of the driveway that you want to achieve. Here are neat designs using stone driveway edging for you.

Gray gravel stone edging

If you have a flagstone or concrete driveway and grassy lawn, one of the best complements would be a gray gravel edging. Not only does it look neat, it also gives you that ‘keep off the grass’ vibe which helps in maintaining the lawn grass.

All it needs is a shallow trench and the fill it up with medium sized gray gravel stones.

Pebble moat style

To infuse two different materials to create a seamless transition between the deck and driveway, you can use the pebble moat style. This creates an impression of a layered driveway, looking sleek, rustic and contemporary all at the same time.

FAQs on Driveway Edging Ideas

Now that you have a working idea of what edged driveways look like, you also need to get ahold of some important FAQs that will further guide you in your driveway edging projects.

What should I use to edge my driveway?

The materials used in driveway edging can vary. But notably, the same materials used in landscape edging and in lawns are also the most common materials used in driveway edging. These materials are the following:

Brick pavers
Concrete
Pebbles, gravel, and stones
River wood or logs
Cobblestone, flagstone, bluestone pavers
Blocks and cement

What is the best way to edge a gravel driveway?

Gravel is the most cost-effective driveway material to use and versatile to use edging on. But the best way to edge a gravel driveway is by using stone or wood chips.

The most cost-efficient edging for a gravel driveway would be the use of wood chips or logs. To provide a hardscape vibe, you can use stones for edging.

How do I fix the edges of my driveway?

If you are confronting crumbling driveway edges and other issues on the driveway that need fixing, here are some tips on what you can do.

Fill in the cracks and holes in your driveway.
Install a border along the driveway.
Create a new edging for your driveway.
Seal your driveway.
Have your driveway resurfaced.

What is the cheapest driveway gravel?

It is pea gravel. Per sq.ft. of a pea gravel driveway costs $0.40. It is way lower compared to the standard gravel driveway cost of $1.25-2 per sq.ft. Aside from being the most cost-efficient material for the driveway, it is also the lowest maintenance of all driveway materials.

What is the easiest method to install driveway edging?

The no-dig method will always be the easiest method for installing driveway edging. You just need stakes to make the trenches. Unlike other methods that need mortar and cutting stones, or using grinders and anglers, this is a no sweat method.

Conclusion

Driveway edging as we have covered here is more than just for aesthetic purposes. Aside from improving the visual appeal of your home, it is also functional in cost cutting for curb maintenance, inhibits soil erosion and generally protects your driveway from chipping and in the long run.

With all things considered, driveway edging is always worth the shot. And the good part? There are a lot of edging materials to choose from.