Rubber Surfacing Questions Answered

Rubber surfacing over an existing pool deck, patio, walkway, driveway or garage floor commonly runs about $8 to $16 per square foot in the Nanaimo area, and playgrounds about $15 to $30 or more because they are poured so much thicker. Depth, colour, binder and the condition of the slab move the figure inside those ranges, and small jobs carry a minimum. The written quote after the free visit is the price.

Rarely. The pour needs about ten degrees and rising, a dry base and no rain through the cure, and a Nanaimo December offers none of those for long. We pour from roughly March into November and book each job around a dry forecast. A mild, dry week in February is possible but not something to plan on.

The colour comes from EPDM granules, which are made in dozens of solid shades and can be blended, so a pool deck can be sand or pale grey, a playground can be blue, orange and teal, and a garage can be charcoal with a fleck. Black SBR is the cheapest option and is what most gyms and garages choose. We bring the samples to the visit.

Rubber surfacing on pool decks, patios, walkways, steps and driveways is about three-eighths to half an inch thick, and garages and gyms go three-eighths to three-quarters. That is enough to bridge hairline cracks, cushion a fall and drain the rain, without raising the surface so much that doors and thresholds are a problem.

Rubber surfacing can be walked on the morning after the pour and driven on, trained on or ridden over after about forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Cool, damp weather on the coast slows the cure, so a fall pour may need the long end of that range.

Rubber surfacing goes over concrete, asphalt, interlocking pavers, stamped concrete, a sound wood deck, a compacted stone base and old poured rubber. The surface underneath must be clean, dry, sound and free of sealer, paint and oil. Loose pavers are reset first, and rotten deck boards are replaced before the pour.

Rubber surfacing bridges hairline and static cracks because the material flexes, so those disappear under it. A crack that is still moving, one that is wider than it was two winters ago, is cut out and repaired before the rubber is poured, or it will telegraph through. We check at the visit and price the repair on the quote.

Rubber surfacing is cleaned with a hose, a stiff broom and mild detergent when it needs it. No solvents or harsh chemicals. A plastic-edged shovel is fine for the rare snow, and salt or de-icer does not eat it the way it eats concrete. A fresh topcoat of binder every several years keeps the surface tight.

A playground pour runs from about an inch and a half to four inches or more, and the fall height of the equipment sets the thickness. A toddler climber needs far less cushion than a tall school unit. The depth we propose is written on the quote so a strata or a school can see exactly what is being poured.

Rubber surfacing for most Nanaimo homes takes one or two days on site once the dry window arrives. The visit happens within a few days of the call, the written quote follows shortly after, and the pour is booked into the next stretch of dry weather in the season. Playgrounds and large commercial jobs take longer and are scheduled with the property.