Materials We Use

Interlocking Manufacturers that we use and recommend:

Below is some popular, quality concrete product manufacturers that we like to use. If you would like to find out more about them, please click on their logo.

Polymeric Sand:

This is the product we use for joints when we do a walkway, patio, driveway or any type of work that involves interlocking pavers. Perma PRO is the leading manufacturer of this type of product and provides top quality finish for a fair price. The basic advantage of using polymeric sand for joints is that it does not settle and weeds don’t grow in the joints if used properly.

Polymeric sand needs to fill the WHOLE JOINT for it to work properly.

Metal Brick Stop:

Here is what we use to secure interlock paving areas in place, such as interlock walkway, patio, etc. It is one of the best products to use for this type of application and also relatively easy to work with.

Mulches & Fillers:

Mulch is usually used in flowerbeds where you don’t plan to plant anymore plants than what is already there. This avoids weed growth and gives it a clean look. Mulch is made from various types of wood, which has different properties and comes in a few different colors. The most common mulches that also we use are pine bark mulch, cedar bark mulch, red mulch, black mulch, brown mulch and wood chips.

Also some aggregates we use as fillers for flowerbeds or “dead areas”. Most common stone fillers are pea gravel, pebble/river/round stones and regular 3/4 clear stone. They are usually used in window wells, dark paths in between houses where grass doesn’t grow, in flowerbeds just like mulch and also in wet areas to make these areas usable.

Here is some images of most of these materials:

 

Large Stones:

The most popular are Buckhorn Dark Armour Stone, Orillia Armour Stone, Warton Armour Stone, Mossy Limestone Boulder, Manatoulin Cap Rock Boulder, Flamboro Armour Stone and Jumbo River Rocks.

Here is how they look:

 

Armour Stone Walls:

Orillia Armour Stone is the most common stone that is used for building armour stone walls. These stones usually are 12″ to 14″ high and you can make nice and even one row walls for flowerbeds and/or multiple row walls for retaining walls, etc.

Random Flagstone:

We use random flagstone for decorative walking paths. The most common and which we use is light & dark gray which is at least 1 inch thick (which is heavy enough not to move).

Natural Stone:

The following are “Guillotined Wiarton” & “Guillotined Buckhorn” natural stone steps. They come in 5″ to 8″ rise, 4 to 8 foot wide, rock faced on all 3 sides. These are the toughest steps you can possibly have, but they also come with a high price tag. They are simply installed “dry”, no mortar necessary.

There is also sandstone, from India. The installation method is the same as the steps above. Sandstone comes in many colors, for more info go to Banas Stones. These come in 6″ rise, 4 – 8 foot wide, rock faced finished. It is a little less expensive than the ones above.

Here is a picture of sandstone material that is used for paving. It comes in hand chiseled or saw cut finish.

Alternative to Natural Stone:

Stone Link is becoming more popular as a much less expensive alternative (about half the price) to natural stone and also a green and/or eco friendly solution because it is made in part from recycled concrete and also because it decreases the use of natural stone.

Here are their steps, this one is “Owen Sound – Pebbletop Step”:

This one is “Weathered Edge – Limestone Step”:

Finally here is their paving solution. These come in about 5 different sizes which allow for nice random installations. The three pieces featured on the picture are probably their best/nicest combination of color and texture.There is two “Credit Valley – Sandstone Flagstone” pieces, of which colors are Terra Brown and Charcoal Gray and there is “Tuscan – Limestone Flagstone” piece of which color is Sand Buff.

Interlocking manufacturers also provide concrete steps units which are the imitation and an alternative to natural stone just like the products above. Probably the most popular is Esplanade Step from Permacon. Below are some pictures to give you a better idea:

Here is their beige color steps:

Here is their gray color steps:

Railings:

If railings are required, we like to use the “Rail Blazers – Aluminum Railing System”, unless of course you would like to use something else. We provide a choice of two colors, black and white and there is a choice of six styles for each color. For more information, please go to their web site Rail Blazers

Advantages of Aluminum Railing:

• Enhanced strength
• Adds beauty & elegance to your home
• Low maintenance

Here is some images which should give you a pretty good idea as to what they look like: