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The Shovel is Your New Techo-Bloc Authorized Dealer

Techo-Bloc Catalog

We’re very excited to announce that we are adding Techo-Bloc to our hardscape lineup for spring 2021!

Manufactured in Eastern Canada, Techo-Bloc is always on the leading edge of product quality, design, and technology. Their pavers, slabs, walls, steps, edgers, and fire features will fit beautifully into your landscape projects.

With Covid-19 putting an incredible strain on the supply chain, we will be stocking a limited number of SKU’s for 2021, with more details to follow.

This stuff is a designer’s dream and we can’t wait to get it into your projects!

You can take a look at the full Techo-Bloc catalog here.

 

 

 

 

Belgard 2021 New Product Sneak Peek

Did you catch the Belgard 2021 New Product Sneak Peek today? We did!

Sean had a look at the Artforms Panel System during the R&D phase with Permacon earlier this year and is pretty excited about it.

The rest of the items we’re waiting on more details on, but it’s refreshing to see Western Canada included in the release dates of most of the new products and you can bet we’ll be first to market with them.

The Origins and Dimensions line will bring consistency to laying patterns using the rule of thirds, and will bring in a consistent 60mm depth.

Add in the geometric shapes and borders/accents (things we’ve been asking for for a few years now) and it’s a lineup that will emphasize the best aspects of what makes paving stone the most premium pavement on the market – colours, textures and patterns.

We’re excited to see more details and to roll these out to you in 2021!

Find more info at https://www.belgard.com/blog/2020/10/23/2021-new-product-sneak-peek/

Quick-E Dual Adjuster Demo

Demo of the Quick-E Dual Adjuster from Pave Tool – a great way to adjust paving stones from an upright position, whether you need to adjust the joint spacing or persuade them into place.

Lafitt Slate and Lafitt Grana by Belgard

If you’re paving a fairly substantial area, Lafitt pavers from Belgard are consistently our most popular choice. It gives you that big tile appearance, but the 50mm reduced slab thickness makes it easier to install and keeps the price point in check.

Available in a textured or smooth finish.


Lafitt Slate and Lafitt Grana by Belgard

Mega-Libre Pavers

Mega-Libre Flagstone Paver Overview

It’s almost patio season, so we want to help you build yours this spring!

One of our most popular pavers is Mega-Libre by Belgard. It gives a natural flagstone look with a predictable pattern and depth. Two stone sizes with two different false joint patterns and numerous laying pattern options give this product a superior look compared to any other similar product in the market.

Mega-Libre Pavers by Belgard
Oakville Stone Step Installation

Natural Stone Steps from Oakville Stone

If you’re building a set of stairs on a solid surface, it can feel like you’re wasting a lot of product in order to build them. Not with Oakville Stone’s natural stone step and filler option. You can get the look of the same stone from the side profile, but hollow or filled with crushed rock in the void.

You can check out the specs of our landscape steps here in our online store.

Why Choose Paving Stone?

Paving stone can be one of the strongest, beautiful and most flexible pavement systems around. Instead of settling for poured concrete that can crack and shale even within the first year, paving stone is designed to withstand our freeze-that climate and provide a stunning look for decades.

What makes paving stone the number one option? Let’s explore a few of the reasons:

Appearance

In addition to being strong, let’s be honest – it just looks good! The variety of finishes, colours, shapes and sizes combined with an infinite number of laying patterns provides the most aesthetic value in your landscape.

Many of the latest paver styles come in a standard 3-piece pattern that can be accented with things like soldier course borders, accent bands, area rugs, insets, and more. All of these options can be used to create visual intrigue, richness, contrast, and break up sightlines.

Winter Durability

Small, high density units resist cracking and pitting from freeze-thaw cycles and salts. Properly installed compacted base provides a solid foundation to minimize movement, but also allows pavers to flex and return to form if movement does occur. The texture of most paving stones also creates a less slippery surface during the snowy and icy season.

Strength

Proper base construction for pavers takes a little work but will ensure decades of longevity. Base preparation for pavers typically involves excavating 8-12” of native soil and compacting low fines base back up to ensure a stable structure. Typical base preparation for poured concrete is nowhere near this depth or compacted to the same rate. That’s why you constantly see the base failing under concrete, causing cracking and failure.

Pair that with the fact that dry-cast concrete pavers have substantially better compressive strength than poured in place concrete (broomed, stamped, or exposed), and you’ll be giving yourself the best chance for success.  That compressive strength is one reason you won’t see pavers shale on the surface like poured concrete tends to do.

Low Maintenance

Stained or broken pavers can easily be replaced without patches and last for decades. If you do experience movement, pavers are much easier to lift and re-level than poured concrete. You don’t need to saw or jackhammer it apart to re-level.

Integral Colour

One upgrade to standard concrete is to add colour and stamp out a pattern that tries to mimic the look of pavers. This colour is often just a surface face colouring, not integral throughout the concrete. So, when it starts to shale or gets chipped, the result is not pretty.

With most pavers, the colour is integrally mixed throughout the stone, meaning that if one does happen to chip, the colour will remain the same.

Warranty

The Belgard pavers we carry come with a Lifetime Transferrable Warranty when installed to ICPI specifications. That’s putting the manufacturer’s full weight behind the quality of their product. That’s something that just does not happen with poured concrete. (Find full warranty details at www.Belgard.com/warranty)

Whether you’re looking to install your own pavers or want someone to install it for you, bring us your plans so we can get started on the process. We’ll walk you through all your design options, product takeoff and requirements, pricing, and installation best practices.

Screed Bar Buyer’s Guide

Preparing your bedding sand for paving stones is much easier when you have the proper landscape tools. Screed tools from The Rusty Shovel make things easy – featuring brands like Ox Tools and Pave Tool Innovators – from your basic aluminum screed bar, Ox Screed Bar w/ Handle and Level, or the Stand Up Quick-E Screeder Package from Pave Tool.

Tool Spotlight: Ox Tools Wood Float

Winter is a great time to take a look at tools that can help you on your landscape crew be more effective and turn out a better finished product on the job site. We’ll be highlighting a bunch of tools over the winter you can find with us here at The Rusty Shovel. First up is the Ox Tools Wood Float.