HORSE STABLE USING AZEK PAVERS When choosing a new floor for their horse stable these horse owners understood that the most common horse stable surfaces such as concrete, dirt, clay or aggregate (loose fill) floors - are hard on animals standing for extended periods of time. Large amounts of bedding are required to offer the cushioning support needed. Azek landscape paver s were easily installed in this stable over the existing ground with minimum preparation. Azek paver s are made from recycled car tyres which make them resilient to what ever is thrown on them. Their durable properties allow maximum support and traction, while their soft under hoof properties help reduce fatigue reducing the amount of stress on your horse s legs, back and muscles. Azek pavers are heavy duty shock absorbing interlocking rubber pavers, available in three modern anti -slip colours: Waterwheel, Boardwalk and Redwood. Azek Pavers are ideal for Horse Walker flooring, parade rings, saddling areas, wash bays, breezeways, driveways, pathways, paddock gate entrances, around feed bins & water troughs and dairy farm usage. AZEK LANDSCAPE PAVERS COLOUR: Boardwalk/Waterwheel QTY: 8 pavers per grid PAVER SIZE: 102 x 203mm GRID SIZE: 406 x 406mm HEIGHT: 60mm including grid WEIGHT: 7.3kg (pavers & grid)
BREAKING IT DOWN - THE PROCESS After choosing the area you want to install the Azek pavers on you need to determine the type of Azek paver required to ensure the right paver is used in the right application. There is a different type of paver in the range to suit all applications and in this case as the existing area was just dirt so the Azek Landscape paver was the right choice. Azek landscape paver s do allow some water to run through which makes them great for either cleaning the stable or washing the horses. A permeable paver is available for the more extreme permeable situations such as permanent wash bays, these have a larger side by side gap and allow more water to travel through the paver s and into the sub-base drainage. Subgrade: The subgrade is the existing soil or surface that the installation will be built upon. Subgrades that are primarily clay or silt are the weakest subgrades and typically require additional base material. Geotextile: Geotextile material can be used to help prevent poor subgrade conditions from mixing with the base material. Heavy foot or vehicular traffic conditions are also good conditions for using geotextiles. The geotextile will be placed between the subgrade and the base material. Base (Non-Permeable Applications): Base material should be a dense graded aggregate. Aggregate graded to 19 mm +/- is a commonly used base material, often referred to as class 5 or road base. Please refer to local requirements and specifications. Do not use stone dust or screedings. Excavation: To install the necessary base material, the existing ground material must be taken out. To calculate how deep to excavate, add up these layers: Excavation Depth = Base Material Thickness + Sand Bed Thickness + 60 mm (Pavers) - 6 mm Once the excavation depth is known: Excavate site to the appropriate depth. Try not to disturb the subgrade beneath the required depth. The subtraction of 6 mm leaves room for compaction that occurs during the final tamping. Level and compact the subgrade to a 95% proctor density CHOSING THE AMOUNT OF PAVERS NEEDED BY COLOUR Square Metre of Project (length x width = square metre) Grids Needed (1 colour project) Grids Needed (2 colour project) Grids Needed (3 colour project) 1 Square Metre 6 6 (3 of each colour) 6 (2 of each colour) 5 Square Metres 29 30 (15 of each colour) 30 (10 of each colour) 10 Square Metres 57 58 (29 of each colour) 58 (19 of each colour) 50 Square Metres 281 6 (3 of each colour) 6 (94 of each colour)
Install and Level Sand Bed: Add a 19 mm to 25 mm layer of bedding sand over the top of the road base. Lay down two parallel pieces of conduit (19 mm or 25 mm diameter). Place bedding sand between the two pieces of conduit and pull a screed board or straight edge down the conduit to level the sand out. Add sand to areas that are uneven and re-level. Pull the conduit out and fill in the area, leveling with a trowel or float. Do not compact the bedding sand. Calculate Square-Metres: Measure the dimensions of the area to be resurfaced and calculate the total square meters. Be sure to add extra to the measured square meters to allow for scrap and to have a few extras on hand in case of future damage. Calculate Amount of AZEK Paver Product Required: A full grid of AZEK Pavers includes a 406x406mm grid filled with pavers (4 to 16 pavers depending on their size). Each grid covers 0.17 m2. To calculate how many grids are needed, divide the total square meters of the project by 0.17. Installing AZEK Pavers: Installation grids must be orientated to allow the pattern of pavers to interlock grids in both directions. Choose your starting point based on the project dimensions and desired look, keeping in mind any cutting that may need to happen. Begin by laying a handful of AZEK s patented installation grids in the arrangement that matches your pattern to ensure pavers overlap grids in both directions. Bring over grids full of pavers, dump them next to where they will be placed into the grid, and place the empty grids into place. If mixing colors, bring over the ratio of colours being used and dump them in front of the person laying pavers. For example, for a pattern using 40% Boardwalk, 40% Redwood and 20% Waterwheel. The carrier would bring over 2 grids of Boardwalk, 2 grids of Redwood and 1 grid of Waterwheel. Begin laying pavers in the desired pattern; ensuring pavers are overlapping grids in both directions. When the edge is reached, grids can be cut to fit using a jigsaw or mitre saw with a low tooth count wood ripping blade. STARTING POINT CHOOSING YOUR PATTERN AZEK Pavers can be installed in a multitude of different patterns and combinations. Designs can include small and large repeating patterns. At least one paver must connect two grids in each direction. The pattern used in this project is displayed to the right.
Continue laying pavers until all full pavers (i.e. not cut or trimmed) are installed. If the perimeter grid is less than 102 mm, cut 102 mm or 203 mm off of the interior adjacent grid to increase the size of the perimeter grid. Cutting Individual Grids And Pavers Pavers can be cut to any shape using a jigsaw or mitre saw, and a low tooth count wood ripping blade. If using a mitre saw, it works best to place the paver on a grid while cutting it. This allows the person cutting the product to both have more support holding the paver and keeps their fingers farther away from the blade. Short, quick motions with a mitre saw also work better. Slow, continuous cuts may cause binding and warping of the blade. For pavers cut to dimensions smaller than half a paver, adhere the paver to the grid using a recommended adhesive. Use the recommended cutting equipment In this stable the door way which went up against a strip drain needed the pavers to be adhered to the grid as a extra precaution to them coming out in excessive traffic. Use a Recommended Adhesive: An alternative way to edge the pavers is to adhere the pavers to the grid 31 cm around the perimeter. Do not adhere the grid to the substructure. Using a recommended adhesive (visit www.azekpavers. com.au for more information) place a 6 mm bead across the top ribs of the grid. Place the paver in the grid and press down firmly. Let pavers sit undisturbed for duration of adhesive cure time. A 350 ml tube of adhesive will cover approximately 1 m2. Back fill up to the edge of the pavers with dirt, sod, or other landscaping material.
Tamp (Compact) Pavers: Prior to sanding the pavers, use a vibratory plate compactor or a hand tamper to work the pavers into the sand bed. This will typically cause the pavers to sink approximately 6 mm into the bedding sand and will reduce small undulations. A vibratory plate compactor will take one to two passes in both directions. A hand tamper will require several strikes in each location. Move around as you strike the pavers and make several passes. The high undulated areas can be further tamped to even the surface. Sweep in Joint Sand and Tamp Pavers: The same sand used for the sand bed can be used for the joint fill. This is a clean, sharp and well-graded coarse sand. Do not use overly fine sands; coarse sand will perform better. Start by spreading the sand across the pavers with a shovel. Allow the sand to dry completely; this will make it easier to get into the joints. Use a broom to spread the sand across the joints, sweeping in all directions. Continue to spread and sweep the sand while tamping the pavers. This can be done with a hand tamper or plate compactor. When the joints appear to be filled to the desired level, sweep the installation clean of any remaining sand or dust. The pavers will return to their original colour once the pavers have been cleaned. Additional joint sand applications may be necessary after an initial setting period. HANDY TIP STARTING POINT Before laying AZEK Pavers, choose a starting point and work your out from the corner. Leave a half paver gap in the corner and this will help ensure all pavers cover 2 grids.
Ever wonder why when you see the hero shots of highend barns, race tracks and equestrian facilites the world over you are sure to see aisles and walkways paved with rubber. Rubber tiles and interlocking pavers are not only for the most exclusive farms. Azek pavers are now available in Australia and you can have them, either self install or through one of our preferred installers. Azek pavers are perfect for your equine facility. Perhaps the most obvious is the safety and comfort that they provide for both horses and humans. The non-slip surface helps protect against accidents, and the cushioning of the rubber is easier on the joints than traditional cement flooring. Acoustics are another advantage. Stables, breezeways and race tracks are much quieter when the hard surfaces are paved in Azek pavers compared with other flooring materials, especially cement. They also look attractive, and help to control the dust in the barn. When complete the horse owners were amazed at how well the Azek pavers performed. After months of use there were no pavers kicked out or any negative feedback. The horses that used this stable were relaxed whilst standing on the pavers and clean up was a breeze. THE AZEK DIFFERENCE Made from up to 95% recycled content - scrap rubber tyres and plastic containers. Easier and softer to walk on. Unaffected by freeze/thaw, salt and most other spills or chemicals. Guaranteed not to crack Better colour retention than traditional pavers. Resistant to staining, scratching and impact. Sealing is not required. No efforesence or chalky appearance.
A complete installation video of this project can be found at Find out more about AZEK Pavers