Pavers: Differentiating Between Permeable, Pervious and Porous

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Build Your Business Brick by Brick

Hello, my name is Gary. When I went into business, I didn't have a great deal of money. The lack of funds meant that I had to buy commercial premises which had seen better days. The roof was leaking, the plumbing was causing problems in the bathrooms and the interior walls were in need of repair. Thankfully, my brother loaned me some money so I could call in some contractors to work on the building before I opened it to my customers. The workmen were great, they carried out a quick but professional repair and I was able to open for business. My business is doing really well and I couldn't be happier with the building. I decided to start this blog to offer advice to others who are considering hiring construction contractors.

Pavers: Differentiating Between Permeable, Pervious and Porous

11 January 2017
 Categories: , Blog

When it comes to pavers, permeable, pervious and porous are terms that are wrongly used interchangeably. The reality of the matter is that these are three distinctly different types of pavers that will have their own innate characteristics. Your choice of pavers will then depend on the physical qualities that you would be looking for as well as the aesthetics that they will provide your exterior flooring with. It is therefore prudent to put in some consideration on which type of paver would be best suited to your applications. Below is an outline that should help you differentiate between permeable, pervious and porous pavers.

Permeable pavers

These types of pavers are made up a singular layer of either clay or concrete. The individual pavers are then separated from each other through the use of joints that have been filled with an aggregate material. With this type of paver, rainwater and any other moisture that comes into contact with it is directed to pass around them unlike their pervious and porous counterparts. These types of pavers are ideal for walkways, driveways and any other area that you would like to ensure there is adequate movement of water away from the flooring materials. The water is then soaked up through the joints as the aggregate material will provide sufficient infiltration.

Pervious pavers

These types of pavers comprise materials that allow the percolation of rainwater to occur through their surface instead of it being routed in a different direction. As such, the installation of pervious pavers would negate the need for storm drains to be installed in close proximity as they are designed to soak up the water on their own. When the water is sucked through the pavers, it is filtered, which helps in eliminating a host of urban pollutants that would penetrate the soil underneath. Pervious pavers are designed to allow the ground below to stay aerated, which functions to let tree roots and other plants thrive despite the pavers being installed.

Porous pavers

These types of pavers are characterised by having a grid system made of concrete that has been filled with materials such as gravel, dirt or sand. The main benefit of porous pavers is providing you with ground reinforcement while still allowing the growth of grass in the paving system. The type of grid system that you choose would then depend on the amount of vertical load that the pavers will be exposed to. For instance, porous pavers used on a driveway would have to be much stronger than those used on walkways.