Porous Pave: Pouring in place expands design versatility

Updated Feb 6, 2017

When Porous Pave is selected for a jobsite, it’s generally for the practical reason of its permeable nature, but it doesn’t limit installers on creativity either.

Less than two years after married couple James Roth and Julie Redfern had Porous Pave installed at their home, the pair became exclusive distributors of the product in Ontario, Canada.

A retired tool and die maker, Roth is now president of Porous Pave Ontario and channels imagination into his designs of the permeable surface.

“Because it pours in place like cement, it can be installed as a continuous flow and implement designs seamlessly,” Roth said. “You get a smooth finish far superior to what can be achieved with concrete or brick pavers, which require cutting and fitting, resulting in a surface that looks like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Porous Pave XL is a highly porous and flexible paving product that is composed of chips from recycled tires, aggregate and a liquid urethane-based binder.

Below are a few of the projects Porous Pave Ontario has installed.

Photo: Porous Pave OntarioPhoto: Porous Pave Ontario

A client who wanted more visual interest on their porch had a 3/4-inch topcoat of all-rubber XLS formulation installed on top of pressure-treated wood.

Roth created a custom mix of the standard red, tan and cypress colors for the areas around the red star and tan rays of light.

“The manufacturing process infuses the recycled rubber chips with dyes, and UV inhibitors can be added,” Roth said. “The ability to create custom blends with different color chips gives you design versatility.

Photo: Porous Pave OntarioPhoto: Porous Pave Ontario

This 1,440-square foot driveway had one inch of Porous Pave XL installed on top of a base of Durisol insulated concrete blocks.

Forms made of wood and covered in vegetable oil to prevent the material from sticking and hardening were used to outline the black diamonds and border. The diamonds were poured first and finished with trowels before the tan areas were installed.

“The finished surface looks great,” Roth said. “Frost does not penetrate the block base, and the Porous Pave does not heave or crack in the winter.”

Photo: Porous Pave OntarioPhoto: Porous Pave Ontario

This recent pool project used the XLS formulation to cover the existing concrete with a more comfortable and skid-resistant layer. The curved border was installed without forms. Instead, a piece of 2×4 was used to measure the set distance from the edge of the pool and then the material was finished by hand.

For more about Porous Pave, visit the company’s website here.

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