FAQs – Rubber Pavers for Horse Barns

October 05, 2022

Apart from our horse stalls, we receive many curious questions regarding our flooring options such as horse stall mattresses and Rubber Pavers. At American Stalls, we carry the best interlocking Rubber Pavers.

Are you looking for a beautiful non-slip surface in and around your barn? Interlocking rubber pavers are an excellent choice to improve the safety of your horses' footing.

These interlocking rubber pavers can be installed inside or outside and lay side-by-side with an interlocking fit. They are made to lay on most hard surfaces and aesthetically improve the look and functionality of surfaces such as dirt, concrete, asphalt, etc. Pavers can withstand ice, water, and extreme temperatures.

Additionally, pavers can be easily cleaned and are great for walkways, equine walk areas, barn aisles, stables, wash areas, entrances, garden paths, driveways and more! Below are answers to a handful of frequently asked questions regarding our Rubber Pavers. We hope that this is helpful as you consider interlocking rubber pavers for your new barn or barn renovation.

Question 1 – Why should I consider these rubber pavers? What are the benefits?

Answer: We recommend our rubber pavers to all clients for their barn projects. Below is a list of benefits to consider:

1. Fantastic comfort for tired feet and hooves.
2. Excellent shock absorption and protection.
3. Outstanding long-term durability.
4. Slip resistant even when wet.
5. Easy to install and maintain.
6. Environmentally friendly since our pavers are made from nearly 100% recycled tire rubber.
7. Controls bacteria and dust.

Question 2 – I see that you offer the Rubber Pavers in two thicknesses - a thinner 7/8" paver and a 1-3/4" thicker option. What’s the difference?

Answer: Our 7/8” thick pavers are best suited for application on concrete bases. These pavers require a glue adhesive to adhere the paver to your concrete.

In contrast, our 1-3/4” thick rubber pavers can be applied to both natural substrates or also concrete. Glue adhesive is not used for our 1-3/4” thick rubber pavers. For this reason, 1-3/4” rubber pavers require a concrete curb (perimeter) to safely hold them in place.

Question 3 – What colors do these rubber pavers come in?

Answer: We offer our rubber pavers in black, terra cotta, grey, and forrest green. Please note that our 7/8" thickness only comes in black, terra cotta, and forrest green. 

Question 4 – How do you suggest cleaning these? We’ve found they are quite difficult to keep clean in our barn without vacuuming the aisle every day. Everything sticks to them and in between the cracks.

Answer: Our rubber pavers require only periodic cleaning with a water hose and sufficient water pressure to wash away dirt caught in seams and scoring. For additional cleaning, we always recommend using a commercial grader vacuum like an Elgee vacuum that is built specifically for barns.

This helps ensure that hay, manure, and other small particles are properly removed from the surface and any crevices. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help. Thank you!

Question 5 – How do you recommend to go about drainage?

Answer: If you have a concrete base, we recommend to add trench drains or french drains along your aisle. This will allow for ample drainage through your aisle. If you plan on installing a drain in your concrete aisle, you can simply leave it exposed (no rubber paver over it). You can also put a paver on top of the drain for aesthetics, but we recommend to drill holes into the paver to allow for easy drainage.

If you have a natural substrate (i.e. crushed stone, road base, compacted sand), drainage then occurs naturally from the surface of the rubber paver down to the natural base.

Question – How long will these rubber pavers last me?

Answer: Our rubber pavers use only the highest quality recycled rubber with the best binding agents. We have clients who have had these rubber pavers for 20 years and they are still performing well! Below is a barn renovation recently done for Arroyo Del Mar, home of Steffen Peters, which features rubber pavers that are over 20 years old!

Question 6 – How do these ship?

Our Rubber Pavers are delivered in either an LTL box truck or they are delivered on a 53’ long semi-truck. The truck and shipping method will depend on customer’s purchased amount of rubber pavers. If you have a smaller square footage, it will likely ship on a box truck in the form of LTL Freight. If you are purchasing a larger square footage, then it will likely arrive on a 53' long semi-truck. Please note that in either case, the truck must have plenty of room to access the driveway and to turn around.

Question 7 – How does installation work?

Answer: Our rubber pavers are built in a dog-bone shape. This allows them to interlock with adjacent pavers when installed. Firstly, a firm base is critical for proper installation. Excavate approximately 12” of soil below the required finish level of the paver floor. Replace the excavated soil with about 9” of a compacted crush stone base in order to provide drainage for permeable applications. Dampened leveling sand may also be added before laying the rubber paver bricks. This will allow moisture to penetrate surface joints and drain through the crushed stone base.

Solid sub-bases such as concrete will require a perforated drain to prevent moisture build-up. Once the sub-floor has been prepped you will use either string lines or chalk lines to ensure straight lines in the preferred direction of installation.

Note: Below is an example of a barn renovation featuring concrete aisles with our green interlocking rubber pavers.

We recommend to start in the middle of the floor and work your way towards the outside edge – doing so in progressive rows. The end pavers will need to be cut to fit properly along your concrete curb or frame work. Trimming the pavers can be done with a chop saw or similar electric saw. As you progress forward with your rows, you will want to periodically stop and check to ensure you are staying square with your guide string or chalk lines. This is also a good time to tighten the floor. This is done by placing a 2x4 along the edge of the pavers and “knocking back” the rows. This should be done every 3 to 5 rows. Have more installation questions? Contact our team and we can send in-depth Installation Instructions.

Most American Stalls projects use our rubber pavers as they offer tremendous grip and traction. This helps minimize concrete's slipping hazards. Our pavers also provide significant comfort as they are either 7/8" thick or 1-3/4" thick. Although this might seem minuscule on paper, our clients repeatedly give us feedback that they are exceptionally comfortable compared to concrete or rubber mats. [Read more why we recommend rubber pavers in most horse barns].

Do you have any additional questions? Please reach out to our design team at (855) 957-8255 or email us at sales@americanstalls.com. Our team of expert consultants would love to sit down, understand your questions, and provide our 17+ years of experience.

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