We were preparing for guests. That always helps make a dent in the to do list. The front patio was concrete that was jacked out when the house slab was removed. It had also heaved and settled so that it was badly cracked. After we cleared away the leftovers from deconstruction we spread gravel in the area.
There were two deals that determined what I would eventually do with that patio area. One was a craigslist offer for 1200 rubber octagon tiles for a very reasonable cost. I offered $200 and they were mine.
The other helpful acquisition was from a Repurposed Materials auction. I purchased 4 barrels of ground recycled rubber for $40. Unfortunately the rubber was so heavy that the barrels upended when we drug them off the truck.
My strong son helped me move and spread the ground rubber and had there been enough it would have been the perfect underlayment. But we were a bit short and some of the gravel was still uncovered.
We laid the large driveway membrane which is a large plastic mesh tarp that allows water to pass through.
Then I dry laid the tile. The instructions called for gluing it down with a special caulk. I have the caulk but I didn’t want to glue it in case it had to be relaid.
Although they seemed heavy I’m sure they were much lighter than any other type of tile. They were relatively easy to push close together. It only took me a couple of days to complete the main area. Because the guests were arriving soon I did not try to finish by cutting the edges to size. I’m not even sure how to cut the tiles.
So we placed the patio furniture on the rubber tiles and got ready for our guests. Some of the tiles are uneven due to gravel sticking up through the membrane but it is not so uneven to cause tripping.
Some of the patio furniture had not survived the winter so it went on the burn pile in back. What was left made a pleasant sitting area under the pergola and the big ash tree. And we enjoyed our guests. It’s a nice spot for a summer barbecue. There is a lot of space there and we can host a pretty big group.
I noticed one benefit for my toddler grandson. He fell on the tile and got right back up completely uninjured. I like the new patio.