The safe, attractive way to resurface driveways
Traditional building materials are quickly being replaced by innovative products that have all of the strengths of their predecessors but with new and amazing advantages, as Prairie Rubber Paving demonstrates. Through its synthetic rubber surfaces, Prairie Rubber Paving proves that you can have a surface that is beautiful yet durable, sturdy but flexible, and, above all, safe.
The overlay is composed of synthetic rubber that is specially formulated and manufactured for the purpose. “We use the highest quality synthetic rubber on the market,” said Corey Redstone, the co-founder and President of Prairie Rubber Paving. “It’s authentic EPDM rubber, and it’s been produced and used in Europe since the 1970’s already.”
Providing maximum traction and minimum impact, the rubber serves as a reliable and attractive surface. “It’s an anti-slip product,” Redstone said. “It’s the safest product on the market as far as something that you can walk on.” Once cured, it does not emit gases or other substances, and, because the pigment is distributed throughout the rubber, it will not discolour. In brand new walkways and playgrounds, an under-layer of rubber recycled from tires can provide additional bounce.
For greater resilience and longevity, Prairie Rubber Paving mixes polyurethane binders into its rubber. “They’re extremely flexible, and, depending on what colour you use, any project that we do is made to be UV resistant,” said Redstone.
That flexibility also allows rubber paving to function on cracked or even slightly shifting foundations. Many conventional materials succumb to the prairie climate’s cycles of freezing and thawing, but those surfaces can be revitalized by an overlay of rubber paving, which will completely cover the damage and fill in cracks and crevices.
Consequently, a rubber overlay can be applied to decks, steps, and driveways as readily as it can to gym floors, pools, splash pads, and playgrounds, and those surfaces can be shoveled, washed, or vacuumed normally. The porous structure allows water to drain away, but, in indoor applications, the surface can be sealed into a nonporous state for easier cleaning.
Redstone himself has been working with rubber for nine years, training and acquiring on-site experience with another company. “As that company grew a lot and I moved to Winnipeg, I decided that I wanted to change a few things to improve the product,” he said. “Prairie Rubber Paving has been in existence for five years now. We started in Winnipeg, then we branched out to Regina, Saskatoon, and now, this year, we’ve branched out to Edmonton and Calgary to give full service to the prairie provinces.” In Edmonton, Ilia Efromov directly manages operations.
In order to distinguish his company from the opportunists who often gravitate to successful technologies, Redstone has patented his own Rubber FX system, which regulates the application of the product, the training required for foremen, inspections, warranties, and other details of the Prairie Rubber Paving service. “With that system, we have a distinct process that we use with every single customer,” said Redstone. “If you get a Rubber FX system, and a city or commercial project clarifies it, then it has to be under these strict guidelines.”
The system has allowed the company to expand without compromising on quality. “Any of the guys that we have working for us are trained installers — this product is the only product they work with,” Redstone said. “If you hire Prairie Rubber Paving, you’re getting an installer that has tons of experience rather than a guy that had just bought a franchise and then popped up out of nowhere.” Prairie Rubber Paving stands by its work through a three-year, comprehensive warranty. “You have an issue with the product, you have an issue with the installation, that kind of thing — we look after it,” said Redstone. “We also give a five-year warranty against cracking. Anytime you have a project and you spend your hard-earned money on it, you want to make sure that you’ve got guys that are going to look after it.”
Ilia Efromov, Edmonton Sales Manager 780-937-6910 Email: efromov@prairierubberpaving.ca