Porous Pave, Inc. has changed the standard size range of the recycled rubber chips in its surfacing material from 1/4″-3/8″ inch to 1/8″-1/4″. The smaller, fine-cut rubber chips provide a more refined, smoother paved surface. Made in the U.S., Porous Pave is a porous, flexible pour-in-place permeable paving product. The XL formulation consists of 50% rubber chips and 50% stone aggregate with a moisture-cured, liquid binder. The XLS formulation is made with 100% rubber chips.
“We saw the need for a smoother finish based on comments and suggestions from landscape architects, hardscape contractors, homeowners, and facility managers,” says Dave Ouwinga, president, Porous Pave, Inc. “We have worked with rubber-aggregate permeable surfacing for more than a decade. When our testing verified that smaller, 1/8-1/4 inch rubber chips would not compromise our high standards for porosity and permeability, we adopted the fine-cut chip as our new standard.”
To make the product, discarded tires are shredded and processed into rubber chips. With 27% porosity, Porous Pave made with the fine-cut chips retains 93% of the porosity and permeability of the product made with the traditional larger size.
Porous Pave XL, the formulation with the 50-50 rubber chip and aggregate mix, is a heavy-duty material poured in place at thicknesses of 1″ to 2″ over a compacted aggregate base of 2″, 4″, or 6″, depending on the application and required compressive strength. It retains stormwater on site by allowing rain and run off to drain directly through its pervious surface, filter down into the aggregate base, and then seep into the soil below. XL is used for loading docks, parking lots and driveways, building entrances and courtyards, patios, footpaths and walkways, golf cart paths, and tree surrounds that require a strong, durable, slip-resistant and permeable surface.
With 100% recycled rubber chip content, Porous Pave XLS permeable surfaces are more impact absorbing. XLS is a good option for pool surrounds as well as school and public park playgrounds. Its light weight makes it ideal for rooftop applications, such as patios and pavement borders on green roofs.
The company, located in Grant, MI, continues to supply the larger chips for extensions of existing installations as well as for new projects, with a minimum size of 5,000 square feet, where a slightly coarser, higher traction finish with 29% porosity is preferred.
