Geotextiles & Geogrids

Versatile Geofabrics for Outdoor Projects

Geofabrics, or geosynthetics, are petrochemical-based polymers that don’t add pollutants to soil or wear away when exposed to water and other elements. These features make such fabrics ideal for managing and containing rocks and dirt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the uses for geotextile fabric?

A: Geofabrics serve four primary purposes: reinforcement, drainage, filtration and stabilization. You can use geotextiles for a number of projects. For example, you can use geotextile fabric for driveway bolstering — avoiding the need to continually replace gravel.

Try geotextiles in your garden to prevent weed growth while still allowing water to reach plant roots. You can also use geotextiles to reinforce landscaped areas around your home to help with drainage issues.

Q: What’s the difference between landscape fabric and geotextile fabric?

A: The main difference between geotextile fabric and landscape fabric is that geotextile fabric is thicker, more durable and a better choice for heavy-duty tasks, such as construction. Landscape fabric is thinner, lighter and ideal for landscaping and gardening.

Q: Does geotextile fabric let water through?

A: Yes, geotextile fabric lets water pass through while preventing larger particles of sand and stone from going through the fabric. The amount of water that gets through varies, depending on whether you have woven or nonwoven fabric.

Woven geofabrics are clothlike, with visible threads woven in horizontal and vertical directions. These fabrics are ideal for projects relating to drainage, water filtration and reinforcement. Nonwoven geotextile fabric looks more like felt.

Like woven geofabrics, nonwoven geotextiles work well for drainage and stabilization, but nonwoven options don’t work for reinforcement. Woven geofabrics have a lower flow-through rate than nonwoven fabrics.