Are you tired of your cracked and damaged concrete or asphalt driveway? With the arrival of summer, it’s the perfect time to look into paving or repaving your landscaping. Whether it be your driveway, sidewalk, patio, stairs, deck, or any other outdoor surface, take this opportunity to get that project done. Now, your first thought may be to use concrete as the paving material, but there’s another option out there: rubber paving.
Rubber paving is relatively new in the market compared to other paving options. This concrete substitute is growing in popularity across North America over the last 25 years. It is made of rubber, usually recycled tire crumbs, that is combined with adhesive and other ingredients to create a durable, attractive paving surface.
Coming with many benefits, including durability, cost, easy installation and maintenance, customization, and safety, rubber paving is a great paving material fit for any home or commercial building.
The benefits of rubber paving
Rubber paving comes with numerous benefits. It’s a super durable material to use since it’s made to withstand all weather conditions and wear that it faces. It comes in numerous colour options, making it easy to match with your home’s exterior and style. With that comes an increase in curb appeal, replacing the looks of outdated or damaged concrete paving. The rubber paving cost is lower than that of concrete materials since installation and materials are cheaper. It’s also easy to maintain and repair. Contractors have tested and proved these benefits of rubber paving, so you know you’re getting a quality paving job.
Rubber paving is very durable.
Stands up to the weather
Canada is known for its unpredictable weather conditions. When paving your driveway, sidewalks, patios, or any other outdoor surface, you want a material that’s long-lasting, and rubber paving is the way to go. Rubber paving is flexible. The material is made to expand and contract easily with the change of the weather, that way it won’t crack or show other damages. The rubber pavement won’t break down easily, either.
Shovels won’t leave scraping marks on the material. Despite the fact that snow and ice can build up on the rubber pavement, it still provides better traction than normal concrete. Ice is less likely to build upon the surface, but it’s not impossible. Still, you don’t have to worry about salting the icy pavement in the winter, because the salts don’t affect rubber materials. The ice will dissipate, leaving your surfaces intact. Concrete, on the other hand, will start to crack over time from the salt components with freezing and thawing. Rubber is an expandable material that is meant to move with the change of the weather, but concrete was made to keep in place. You want something more breathable to hold its form through the change of the seasons, and rubber will do that for you.
Stands up to typical wear and tear
Weather aside, there are many other factors that typically cause damage to your concrete surfaces. Concrete, over time, can wear down from vehicles and other use. Rubber pavement is made strong, so it won’t dent or buckle. Instead, it bends under pressure while maintaining its strength, no matter how much force is applied.
Durability is something to look for in a paving product. This isn’t something you want to have to replace or repair often. Instead, you want something to withstand the test of time, no matter the weather or external conditions your paving might endure. Rubber paving has this advantage, and it doesn’t stop there.
Rubber paving is soft and safe.
Rubber paving is softer than other paving options. It is slip-resistant, but if a fall does occur, you’ll have a softer landing compared to concrete. This makes it a great choice for playground bases as well. It has some grip to it too, so there’s less slippage with children running and playing. It has impact resistance, almost making the ground have a slight bounce to it. There will be no worrying (or less worrying) about injuries and scrapes with your children then if there was sand or concrete pavement.
Rubber paving is incredibly customizable.
A great thing about a material like this is how easy it is to customize it to fit your needs. You want a paving material that can be easily matched to the style of your home’s exterior and maintain your home’s curb appeal. Luckily, rubber paving gives you that option with its diverse scheme of colours. No matter the colour, black, grey, blue, white, red, beige, whichever color, you won’t have a problem finding the one you want with the rubber material. You also have the ability to pattern the material.
For instance, if you wanted a rubber pavement that looked more like gravel, you could mix different colors within the material for a more realistic appearance. Another idea is to do one base colour, and then outline it with a darker, contrasting colour. That way, the pavement will look framed and modern.
After going through all the trouble of choosing a colour, you want it to last. The colour won’t fade away in the rubber because it’s fade-resistant, and the UV rays from the sun won’t damage the colour either. With rubber pavement, you won’t have to worry about colours and matching your pavement to your home: rubber paving has you covered.
Rubber paving improves your home’s curb appeal.
You want your home to have great curb appeal. Concrete is known for cracking and breaking over time, which harms your home’s curb appeal. It also can allow for grass, weeds, and fungus to grow and damage the concrete further. Rubber paving prevents this from happening since its material has such a stronghold. Not only that but if you’re looking to sell your home, rubber paving will help you do that. It looks good to buyers that the driveway or other outdoor spaces will be properly paved. It also will appeal to families looking for a home that’s safe for children. The safety properties of rubber paving and the grip that comes with it will sway a family more so into purchasing your home.
Rubber paving is a cost-effective material.
Staying on budget is an important part of any home renovation. Rubber paving is an affordable option for any home or commercial building. Installing a product like this is much easier because it moulds to the space it’s put into. You won’t have to worry about the hassle of ripping out and disposing of the old concrete either. Rubber paving can be installed right on top, concealing the old pavement as though it were never there. This saves you money on the cost of installation and labour. That, and it can likely be done in a day or two! With rubber paving, a big project suddenly became and quick, easy, and cheap one.
Rubber paving is easy to maintain and repair.
Rubber paving is very easy to clean. All it takes is a garden hose or a good power washing to take care of any dust, dirt, or debris. But that’s just the surface level. Damage to rubber pavement is highly unlikely since the durability of the pavement is so strong. Still, if it were to happen, the repairs are no sweat. Rubber paving won’t have to be ripped out and completely replaced. Instead, the damaged area is removed and replaced. The gap is filled completely, so there won’t be any marks or weeds growing through the pavement.
While rubber pavement is difficult to damage, there are a few things to watch out for. For example, while most chemical mixtures that may be spilled on the rubber pavement surface won’t do any damage, some will. This could be things like brake fluid and brake cleaner. If your vehicle is known for or found out to be leaking brake fluid, it might be a good idea to park your car somewhere else until the problem is fixed, otherwise, you may need to cut out and repair some of the rubber pavement.
Rubber paving is environmentally friendly.
Rubber paving is made out of discarded rubber materials. Most commonly, it’s manufactured from old tires. Installing this kind of paving into your landscaping actually provides you the opportunity to help the environment, keeping the wasted rubber out of a landfill. Helping the planet may not be on your mind when installing new pavement outside your home, but using recycled materials in rubber paving can contribute to saving the environment. You may not think it’s much, but the reality is, you’d be contributing to the lessening of waste in landfills.
Rubber paving is approved by the professionals.
Rubber paving materials have gone through many tests in order to ensure that it is a prime choice for pavement. Through different tests, it is ensured that rubber paving will resist fungal and bacteria growth. Rain, sun, snow, and every other weather condition are guaranteed to cause no harm to the surfaces. It’s ensured that the strong grip is anti-skid and anti-slip to keep you and your family safe.
How rubber paving is installed:
With all of the advantages of rubber paving, it’s a great choice for any home or commercial building. As previously mentioned, the installation process of rubber paving is a relatively simple one.
Here are the steps of the installation process:
Mix the materials – In this first stage, all the materials are combined. The rubber is mixed in with other components, and the colour is included too.
Add glue – Next, within the mixture from the first step, you want to include a special adhesive. This agent will hold the material together, and give the paving its flexibility. The glue that’s added will also give the mixture its water resistance to ensure it’s long-lasting and weather resistant.
Priming the surface – Before laying down the rubber mixture, you want to prime the surface you’ll be applying the mixture to. Since the rubber paving can be poured on top of an already paved surface, you’ll want to make sure that the rubber will hold to the old pavement.
Pour and level the mixture – Once the above steps are completed, it’s time to pour the mixture into the desired space. After pouring and spreading out the mixture, you’ll want to level it. It’s important to get this part done immediately after pouring it. Level and pack it down as thinly or as thickly as you wish. It’s easy to mould and get it to that perfect height on your sidewalk, path, driveway, stairs, or playground base. It can be easily flattened down to the perfect level with shovels or rollers.
Watch it dry – After your mixture has been mixed and poured, it’s time to let the surface dry. There may be an odour that comes with mixing and pouring. Don’t worry about the smell: it will fade away over time as the material sets. The dry time for rubber paving is short. In 24 hours you can walk on it and in 3 days you can drive and park your vehicles on it.
The installation process can be done by or with the help of contractors. The rubber paving installation costs aren’t as expensive as the cost of other concrete materials since it’s an easier material to maneuver and work with. A contractor will have no issues getting the job done fast.
Why repair or replace driveways, walkways, and patios:
There are many signs that a new driveway or walkway is needed. The main teller is if you’re finding that there are lots of cracks in the concrete. These cracks can lead to further water damage or sunken concrete, leading to further problems. Not only that, but it lowers the property value of your home and diminishes curb appeal. Getting new paving will revamp the look of your home, and keep you and your family out of harm’s way.
Rubber paving is a great choice to repave your outdoor spaces with. Whether it be a sidewalk, driveway, staircase, deck, playground, or any other area, you can count on rubber pavement to be strong and reliable material. It’s extremely durable, long-lasting, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, customizable, and safe for anyone and everyone. If you want a quality paving material, consider using rubber paving!
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