Outdoor Rubber Flooring Scott Huthmacher 03/20/05 Rubber-Cal Inc. Products discussed in this article: EPDM, Premium Rubber Mulch, Pet Care, Sports Flooring, Playground Tiles When talking about the great outdoors, very few people immediately think of rubber products. The advent of recycled tire products, however, opens up new venues for outdoor flooring. Because car tires contain a significant quantity of EPDM (an ozone and UV stable elastomer), they are well suited to outdoor use. Further, when the tires are recycled for use as flooring products, EPDM is often added either as color speckles throughout the mat, or as a finish coating over the upper surface of the mat. This makes recycled rubber products ideal for outdoor matting applications. With the "how" of outdoor matting solved, let us turn to the "why's": Outdoor flooring can be used for patios, pool-side applications, playgrounds, dog kennels, barbecue applications, sealing pesky roof leaks, and miscellaneous outdoor sports uses. For patios, rubber flooring offers a waterproof, wear-resistant alternative to conventional flooring choices. In these applications, the matting would not have to be permanently adhered in most cases, making the flooring easily replaceable in case of any damage. Since these areas usually do not require heavy duty floor protection, rolled products are most appropriate for outdoor mats in this application. Around pool-side areas, outdoor flooring is used primarily for traction/anti-slip functionality. This can be done with either large scale flooring, or single spot outdoor mats. The benefits of rubber mats for this application would be the high coefficient of friction (which is basically anti-slip) and the cushioning effect in case of any falls. Since most playgrounds with any sort of serious equipment are outdoors, rubber mats for this type of installation must provide excellent weathering characteristics, as well as sufficient fall protection for the height of the equipment. For this sort of application, the available choices of outdoor flooring are either rubber tiles or rubber mulch. Rubber mulch is a loose-fill product, basically quite similar to wood mulch, which is reconstituted from recycled car tires. Therefore, this product is softer than wood mulch (due to the impact absorbing characteristics of rubber) as well as longer lasting. As with any recycled tire product, rubber mulch shows excellent weathering characteristics due to its high EPDM content. Because of its life span and appearance, rubber mulch is also becoming more prevalent as a landscaping surface. Outdoor dog kennels often utilize rubber flooring when a resilient, easy-to-clean outdoor matting product is necessary. Since many kennels (both residential and commercial) are placed over a bare concrete slab, rubber outdoor flooring provides an extra layer of cushioning and insulation. Obviously, cleaning is always a factor in pet care applications. Rubber flooring is completely waterproof, and can be cleaned with most common household cleaning products. Barbecue areas are another perfect place to use rubber outdoor mats. These mats could be used either to protect your barbecue area floor (i.e. a hardwood deck) from damage from barbecue equipment, or to provide anti-fatigue comfort to the cook. For temporary relief from roof leaks, a moderate sized piece of rubber flooring could be used to cover the area around the leaking spot. Since rubber is waterproof, it will defend that particular area from any leakage until you have the opportunity to fix the roof. For outdoor flooring applications, such as a variety of outdoor sports, which involve heavy traffic with spikes or cleats, rubber flooring protects both the sub-floors and the cleats themselves from damage. Both hard and soft spikes can be damaged against concrete, and particularly sharp spikes may actually chip the floors themselves. Rubber flooring helps defend against this sort of damage, as well as providing a more attractive and comfortable floor than other alternatives. For outdoor flooring and matting applications, rubber products provide alternatives to conventional flooring choices. So when you have a pesky outdoor matting issue, consider rubber products for these and many other innovative functions. Scott Huthmacher Email: info@rubbercal.com |
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Outdoor Rubber Flooring Scott Huthmacher 03/20/05 Rubber-Cal Inc. Products discussed in this article: EPDM, Premium Rubber Mulch, Pet Care, Sports Flooring, Playground Tiles When talking about the great outdoors, very few people immediately think of rubber products. The advent of recycled tire products, however, opens up new venues for outdoor flooring. Because car tires contain a significant quantity of EPDM (an ozone and UV stable elastomer), they are well suited to outdoor use. Further, when the tires are recycled for use as flooring products, EPDM is often added either as color speckles throughout the mat, or as a finish coating over the upper surface of the mat. This makes recycled rubber products ideal for outdoor matting applications. With the "how" of outdoor matting solved, let us turn to the "why's": Outdoor flooring can be used for patios, pool-side applications, playgrounds, dog kennels, barbecue applications, sealing pesky roof leaks, and miscellaneous outdoor sports uses. For patios, rubber flooring offers a waterproof, wear-resistant alternative to conventional flooring choices. In these applications, the matting would not have to be permanently adhered in most cases, making the flooring easily replaceable in case of any damage. Since these areas usually do not require heavy duty floor protection, rolled products are most appropriate for outdoor mats in this application. Around pool-side areas, outdoor flooring is used primarily for traction/anti-slip functionality. This can be done with either large scale flooring, or single spot outdoor mats. The benefits of rubber mats for this application would be the high coefficient of friction (which is basically anti-slip) and the cushioning effect in case of any falls. Since most playgrounds with any sort of serious equipment are outdoors, rubber mats for this type of installation must provide excellent weathering characteristics, as well as sufficient fall protection for the height of the equipment. For this sort of application, the available choices of outdoor flooring are either rubber tiles or rubber mulch. Rubber mulch is a loose-fill product, basically quite similar to wood mulch, which is reconstituted from recycled car tires. Therefore, this product is softer than wood mulch (due to the impact absorbing characteristics of rubber) as well as longer lasting. As with any recycled tire product, rubber mulch shows excellent weathering characteristics due to its high EPDM content. Because of its life span and appearance, rubber mulch is also becoming more prevalent as a landscaping surface. Outdoor dog kennels often utilize rubber flooring when a resilient, easy-to-clean outdoor matting product is necessary. Since many kennels (both residential and commercial) are placed over a bare concrete slab, rubber outdoor flooring provides an extra layer of cushioning and insulation. Obviously, cleaning is always a factor in pet care applications. Rubber flooring is completely waterproof, and can be cleaned with most common household cleaning products. Barbecue areas are another perfect place to use rubber outdoor mats. These mats could be used either to protect your barbecue area floor (i.e. a hardwood deck) from damage from barbecue equipment, or to provide anti-fatigue comfort to the cook. For temporary relief from roof leaks, a moderate sized piece of rubber flooring could be used to cover the area around the leaking spot. Since rubber is waterproof, it will defend that particular area from any leakage until you have the opportunity to fix the roof. For outdoor flooring applications, such as a variety of outdoor sports, which involve heavy traffic with spikes or cleats, rubber flooring protects both the sub-floors and the cleats themselves from damage. Both hard and soft spikes can be damaged against concrete, and particularly sharp spikes may actually chip the floors themselves. Rubber flooring helps defend against this sort of damage, as well as providing a more attractive and comfortable floor than other alternatives. For outdoor flooring and matting applications, rubber products provide alternatives to conventional flooring choices. So when you have a pesky outdoor matting issue, consider rubber products for these and many other innovative functions. Scott Huthmacher Email: info@rubbercal.com |
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