No More Dull Gravel Driveways: The Colorful Edging Solution From Amazon That Looks Good

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You may have spent a lot of time researching the best gravel to choose for your driveway. This naturally occurring material can be an affordable option to use, and it adequately supports the weight of vehicles. However, it doesn't have the premium appearance that can be found with other materials. Some people might not like the neutral colors found with gravel, finding them dull or boring.

If you'd like to spice up the look of your gravel driveway, Amazon has a fun product you could try. The Oubest Glow-in-the-Dark Pebbles can be scattered across your gravel driveway ($7 for 100 pieces). Several different colors are randomly included in the package, including green, blue, pink, and purple. The tiny rocks absorb sunlight throughout the day before producing a glow at night. With the right sun exposure, they're supposed to glow for several hours with the intensity of the glow steadily fading away. Amazon customer reviewers use them for a variety of purposes, including making the driveway look more interesting and creating a fun game for kids, who can search the gravel for the glowing stones.

The individual rocks are about ¾ to 1 ⅕ inches in diameter. The glow-in-the-dark pebbles consist of non-toxic, polystyrene resin and do not contain any radioactive elements.

Adding these colorful pebbles is one way to spruce up the area's look without having to deploy stylish gravel driveway edging ideas. Some people may use them to define the edge of the driveway, attempting to create an effect that almost looks like an airport runway at night. One Amazon customer reviewer plans to eventually cover all of the existing driveway's gravel with the pebbles' ghostly glow. "I will keep buying these until my mom's driveway is filled. She loves these. Everyone in her neighborhood comments on them," one Amazon customer reviewer said.

Another reviewer used the glowing pebbles to create a fun, night-time "treasure hunt" for children. They can search for and collect the glowing rocks. Because their colors are far different from the naturally neutral colors of gravel, some even note that children can play the searching game during daytime. 

Even though the "rocks" are made of of resin, several Amazon customer reviewers say they stand up to rough treatment in the driveway. "They are still holding up and not breaking even though they are outside," one reviewer said. The average lifespan of a gravel driveway is 10 to 15 years. Occasionally adding these resin pebbles probably won't extend that lifespan like adding a layer of fresh gravel would, but most Amazon customer reviewers are simply using these stones as a cool accent rather than a large-scale renovation material.

Even though many Amazon customer reviewers said the glowing pebbles are fun to use, about 12% of reviewers gave it a one-star rating. Many of the negative reviews mentioned that the rocks don't glow as bright or long as expected. "During my initial test, they produced a nice color. But about 30 minutes after dark, the rocks had no visible glow," one Amazon reviewer said. "I would give zero stars if Amazon allowed it." The manufacturer claims the stones could continue to glow nightly for 15 years, but some unhappy customers said the glow process stopped working after a day or two.

Other reviewers complained that the individual stones were not manufactured properly, leaving them with sharp and rough edges. Another noted that the resin easily developed scratches when treated roughly, which could happen when mixed with other rocks in a driveway.

Additionally, some reviewers were disappointed in the price compared to the quantity of the small glow-in-the-dark pebbles you receive. Amazon's cost of $7 for 100 stones is cheaper than some retailers offering similar products — you might pay as much as $17 or $18 per 100 stones from a different source. However, Walmart offers similar products for as low as $3 or $4 per 100 stones. While a few bucks won't make all that much difference if you're ordering a small quantity, it is worth shopping around if you're planning to make a larger outdoor statement with glowing pebbles.