Porous Pave 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 inch.

The smaller, fine-cut rubber chips provide a more refined, smoother paved surface, the company said.

“We saw the need for a smoother finish based on comments and suggestions from landscape architects, hardscape contractors, homeowners and facility managers,” said Dave Ouwinga, president, Porous Pave. “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.”

Discarded tires, saved from landfills and recycled, are shredded and processed into rubber chips for Porous Pave. With 27 percent porosity, Porous Pave retains 93 percent 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 poured in place at thicknesses of 1 to 2 inches over a compacted aggregate base of 2, 4 or 6 inches, depending on the application and required compressive strength. The XL formulation is used for loading docks, parking lots and driveways, building entrances and courtyards, patios, footpaths and walkways, golf cart paths and tree surrounds.

The XLS formulation is made with 100 percent rubber chips.

Porous Pave and its distributors will supply the bigger chips for extensions of existing installations as well as for new projects, with a minimum size of 5,000 square-feet where a coarser, higher traction finish with 29 percent porosity is preferred.

Photo: Porous Pave