Desperately Seeking Granite

Question: I’m looking for crushed granite for our driveway--real granite, not just ordinary pea gravel. Do you know of a source in Ventura County?

Answer: You can get the real thing at least at one place in Ventura County that I know of: Grimes Canyon Decorative Rock, 2500 Grimes Canyon Road, Fillmore. Grimes Canyon Road is also known as California 23, the winding, scenic road between Fillmore and Moorpark.

When I called, the company was out of crushed granite, but the woman who answered the phone assured me that it is ordinarily available at about $12 a ton.

IN THE MAIL: Erna Kastner of State of the Art Products, 12021 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 70-00, Los Angeles 90025, writes that my June 5 comments on foil barriers were right as far as they went--but they didn’t go far enough.

In that column, I used a letter from a reader inquiring about a radiant barrier that apparently is widely used in Florida and in mobile homes in other states. Kastner said Eagle Shield Radiant Barrier, available from State of the Art Products, consists of two plies of aluminum, bonded by Mylar glue.

It comes in perforated and non-perforated styles, in 49-inch widths and in minimum orders of 1,000 square feet. If you need more than 1,000 square feet, you can get it in increments of 500 feet, she said.

The cost is 69 cents a square foot for 1,000 square feet, declining in a graduated scale to 40 cents for 3,500 square feet or more, she said.

The barrier is rolled out on top of the ceiling joists, Kastner said. In this application, the perforated variety is used to prevent the formation of condensation that could cause rotting, mildewing and other problems.

If you have a mobile home that needs insulation, the non-perforated version of Eagle Shield is used right on top of the roof, using cold-method cement. This version is also used for side walls of conventional houses during new construction.

Kastner said the barrier, which keeps out the excess heat in summer and the cold in winter, saves 20% or more in energy costs and should pay for itself in three years.

Dale Baldwin will answer remodeling questions of general interest on this page. Send your questions to Home Improvement, Real Estate Department, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Baldwin cannot answer questions individually. Snapshots of successful do-it-yourself projects may be submitted but cannot be returned.