Month: June 2020

Porcelain pavers are unique paving slabs made from the highest-grade porcelain. As an alternative to concrete and natural stone products, they have been successfully installed in some of the most climatically challenging environments around the world, including here in Canada. Most of the porcelain pavers you will find for outdoor hardscape applications are through bodied Porcelain. They are made by using sand, clay, and other natural material in their composition and heated at high temperature during the manufacturing process, yielding a tougher variety of porcelain, which is very strong.

One key advantage that porcelain pavers have over other stone pavers or slabs is they are thinner but much stronger. The typical porcelain paver for outdoor applications is 20 mm thick and can span a distance up to 24” between supports. The fact that they are thinner means they are much lighter, usually weighing in around only 9 lbs per square foot. This means working with them will be easier, and when using them for a rooftop deck there will be less load on the structure. This may not be as big of an issue for a commercial application that is designed to support greater loads, but for the typical home application, where a homeowner is looking to add a rooftop patio, the savings in weight can be key.

Don’t let the fact that porcelain pavers are thin fool you into thinking they are not strong. I certainly do not want to get into a lot of technical data and numbers. But for an easy comparison, a poured concrete slab will have a strength rating of between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds per square inch. An interlock brick paver will usually be slightly higher than 8,000 pounds per square inch, while porcelain pavers run over 40,000 pounds per square inch! I have actually seen a Chev Tahoe parked on and supported by 4 porcelain pavers supported by pedestals in each corner.

One of the biggest misconceptions about porcelain pavers is they are slippery – especially when wet. First, it is important to know that porcelain pavers as described are extremely hard and let in little to no water, which means any water that lands on the paver stays on top – unlike stone or concrete pavers where some of the water would be absorbed. This is great for keeping the porcelain pavers clean and stain free, but does it make the porcelain paver slippery?

A skid-resistance scale is used to determine the degree of slippage on a porcelain paver surface. When assessing different paver surfaces, wet and dry conditions along with the speed of the subject are considered.

1. Slip Resistant: Coefficient of friction is 0.60 or greater (wet). Meets or exceeds general safety and health regulations, ADA and OSHA requirements.
2. Conditionally Slip Resistant: Coefficient of friction is 0.50 to 0.59 (wet). Meets or exceed general safety and health regulations and OSHA requirements.
3. Questionable: Coefficient of friction less than 0.50

One important thing to note is that the more textured a tile is, the less slippery it is. Most of the outdoor porcelain paver manufactures recognize the importance that their products are not slippery, so they are manufactured with a higher coefficient of friction.

Another question we see often is, do porcelain pavers get hot? The short answer to that is it depends. Like all materials, porcelain pavers will absorb the heat of the sun, so depending on how long the paver is exposed to the sun and how dark the colour is will determine how much the it will heat up. One thing that is for certain, porcelain pavers or any stone paver for that matter, will not heat up as much as composite decking boards.

Porcelain pavers are available in a multiple of colours, textures, styles and sizes making them the perfect choice for any stone deck or patio project.

With summer coming, and the heat of the dog days of summer around the corner, nothing beats having a pool at this time of the year. Some of you may be considering having a pool installed, and those who already have one may be considering revitalizing the patio decking around the pool. So, what is the best decking around a pool and what are some factors to consider?

First, we must take into account the style of pool you have or want to have – is it an above ground or inground pool? As you are aware, an above ground pool sits on the ground on a prepared base and can be 4 to 6 feet above grade. Framing to support the best decking around a pool would be created by a wood or steel framing structure. In the past the only decking options for an above ground pool were either wood or composite – but are these really the best decking around a pool? Wood is problematic and requires regular maintenance, and it is easily susceptible to staining due to either the chlorine or salt in the pool. Over time wood will crack, split and splinter which is not fun on your feet or bums sitting around the pool. Composite decking requires less maintenance than wood, but gets very hot, is also susceptible to staining and can be very slippery when wet.

Thanks to some very innovative products such as; SilcaGrate, Paverdeck and Paverdeck Plank the best decking around a pool is now stone pavers, interlock stone, or porcelain tile. Design possibilities are endless, and you can turn your above ground pool deck into a beautiful maintenance-free stone deck. These innovative stone decking products are also the best decking around a pool that is semi in-ground.

When it comes to inground pools, it has been typically thought that the best decking around a pool was either poured concrete or interlock stone. The concrete is typically either brushed or stamped with colour added. There is an old saying – “there are two types of concrete in Canada, cracked and gonna crack”. Thanks to our harsh winters and multiple freeze-thaw cycles, concrete is very susceptible to cracking unless there are multiple expansion cuts put into it, which frankly can ruin a stamped concrete pattern making it unsightly. This hardly stands up as the best decking around a pool!

If your concrete cracks, develops significant chips, stains or if repairs need to be made to any pool lines buried under the concrete pad and you have to cut through the slab – fixing to it will be next to impossible. Not to say the concrete won’t be able to be patched, but you will never be able to match the colour, brush or stamped pattern of the original concrete pore.

The best decking around a pool really is interlock stone, bricks, pavers or porcelain tiles. If an area becomes stained or damaged, you can easily replace those stones. If repairs need to be done, stones can be lifted up, the area dug out, and items fixed. Once completed the stones can be replaced and everything looks as it was originally. In certain cases, you will have a concrete sub slab installed directly around the pool supporting the stone. This is not a problem because it can be cut out to access the problem area and patched with new concrete. Since it will be covered with stone afterwards there is no issues about trying to match the existing concrete.

For inground pool decks, in order to use the best decking around a pool, there are some innovative products such as Silca SoilGrid and Gator Base which help stabilize the base preventing shifting and settling of any of the pavers or porcelain tiles. These products can easily be removed and then reinstalled if any repairs are needed.

With the many options and styles of stones or porcelain pavers available you will be sure to find the perfect fit for the best decking around a pool.