Black Diamond Landscape Stone - Private Residence, WI

How to Pick Your Landscape Stone Aggregate Color

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To many, landscaping is a work of art. When crafted properly, it can add curb appeal and leave passersby with a  positive first impression. You might spend all of your time primping, pruning, planting and planning your landscaping during every warm summer moment, or you might simply throw some perennials in a flowerbed and call it quits. Whatever type of green thumb you are, Kafka Granite can help you make your garden and landscaping look even better through the perfectly complementary pathway or garden base.

With nearly 60 colors of landscape supply to choose from, picking the right color could be a tough decision. With so many colors available, you’re able to make your landscaping a one-of-a-kind design that won’t look like the typical yard using big box-store stone. Go bold or go neutral, the choice is up to you, but whichever way you go you can rest assured that Kafka’s decomposed granite and landscape supply will be the finishing touch you’ve needed to reach aesthetic perfection in your yard. With Kafka Granite’s easy to use aggregates you don’t need to be a design master to create a garden worth a second look.

How to Pick the Color of Your Landscaping Stone

Choosing what color you want your landscaping stone to be isn’t much different than coordinating your outfit. By using standard design concepts and tools, you can make the right choice to complement the rest of your landscaping and home.

Using the Color Wheel for Your Landscaping

You may recognize the color-selection tool to the right: the standard color wheel. Although simple, learning how to use the color wheel can help you create a landscaping masterpiece just likes the pros. The color wheel is built around the three primary colors: yellow, blue and red. While the complexities of the color wheel can run deep, playing it simple can often make the biggest statement when it comes to your landscaping. When picking colors to feature in your garden, limiting the variety to three colors is best. You’ll get a clean, cohesive look if you stick to a few colors instead of all of the colors.

Complementary Colors

A foolproof way to pick a great landscaping stone color is to consider complementary colors. Complementary colors are any two colors opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, if your garden has a lot of purple in it, consider choosing a landscaping stone with more yellow in it. Kafka’s Caramel Quartzite would complement gardens roaming with lots of violets or purple phlox.

Triadic Colors

Similar to the idea of complementary colors, triadic colors are any three colors that are spaced equally apart on the color wheel. Instead of primarily sticking to just two colors, following the triadic theme lets you pick three colors that will undoubtedly go together when using the color wheel to help you decide. In this case, picking a decomposed granite to fill your garden or use as a pathway material that is yellow or tan in color will go well with a garden stuffed with flowers that are light blue and maroon.

Analogous Colors

If you’d rather your landscaping stick to one area of the color wheel, choosing analogous colors is a safe bet. Analogous colors are any three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Sticking to shades of red or blue, for instance will lead to visual harmony. However, there is one caveat: Try to avoid picking analogous colors where one is a “cool” color (blues, purples) and one is a “warm” color (reds and yellows).

3 Insights to Consider when Picking a Landscaping Stone

Garden Palette

Consider the colors you already have in your garden. As mentioned in the examples above, the colors of the flowers and plants in your garden could help you choose the perfect complementary, triadic or analogous color for your landscaping stone. Kafka’s decomposed granite color variety spans browns and tans to violets and greens. If your garden is full of red roses, a pathway made from Wintergreen granite may be exactly what your garden needs.

Home Design

How you design your landscaping may rely heavily on the design of your home. Perhaps you want your landscaping aesthetic to match the era your home was built, or maybe you want your landscaping stone in the garden to complement the color of your home to build a more cohesive look. Taking into consideration the color of your home can help guide your decision when it comes to choosing landscaping material.

Stand Out or Stay Neutral

When it comes to selecting the color of decomposed granite for your garden or pathway, remember staying neutral is always a reliable option. Even if your garden is full of vibrant complementary colors, choosing a neutral color that is more subtle may be the perfect backdrop for beautiful flowers. Also, if your home and garden already add lots of color to your landscaping and curb appeal, maybe it’s best not to add another color to the mix through your landscaping stone.

In the End, It’s up to You!

Ultimately, landscape design is completely up to you. While Kafka Granite is always here to offer helpful tips for selecting which color aggregate may be best for your garden or pathways, the choice is yours! Complementary, triadic, and analogous colors are good options to consider if you want to play it safe with color selection and make sure your end result is aesthetically pleasing. In the end, though, your landscape’s color palette can be as neutral or eclectic as you like. Kafka’s decomposed granite color variety is here to help you express yourself and create the best garden yet.

Sunset Pink Permeable Paver Grit- Buckingham Fountain - Chicago, IL

A Kafka Granite Guide To Permeable Paver Grit

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Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference—such is the case with permeable paver grit. Standard permeable paver grit comes in ¼” x ⅛”, and the question is how does something so small make such a big difference in landscaping and construction? Permeable paver grit has numerous benefits for the environment, your budget and your project. View our selection today!

What Is Permeable Paver Grit Made of?

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of permeable paver grit. The permeable paver grit at Kafka Granite is comprised of over 40 different types of crushed granite and quartzite available in a palette of colors to match your project – the most popular being Starlight Black, Caramel, and Colonial Red.

Our granite and quartzite aggregates are extremely hard materials that easily withstand the rigors of even the most extreme freeze/thaw cycles. Unlike softer aggregates, such as limestone, our granite and quartzite will not break down and clog your runoff system over time, ensuring maximum drainage for many years to come.

The Role of Permeable Aggregates

Permeable paver grit is made to seamlessly fit between permeable interlocking concrete pavement, also known as PICP. Our aggregate fills the spaces between paver blocks or bricks, which not only adds to your design’s appeal, but it also creates an optimal drainage solution for your project. If you want to avoid harmful stormwater runoff, optimal permeability is key.

Permeable paver grit is an eco-friendly way to optimize the drainage of any project. Permeable paver grit helps reduce stormwater runoff as well as replenishes groundwater reserves. Stormwater can collect and carry harmful pollutants when it settles on the ground, but the permeability of this material helps stormwater seep through the surface of the ground, allowing it to be naturally filtered. This means less stormwater runoff reaches and contaminates our lakes and streams.

How Stormwater Runoff Affects Us All

In the past, contractors and landscapers might have used marbles or limestone as a paver grit but we now know that this can prove to be detrimental to both your project and the environment. By using softer materials like limestone, you run the risk of getting clogged joints over time as your materials break down. Clogged joints cause your expensive commercial permeable pavers to not perform the way they were intended.

In a natural setting that has been left undeveloped, trees and vegetation break the momentum of rain, which in turn helps with erosion and helps filter the stormwater before it reaches larger bodies of water. After the stormwater has been filtered by vegetation, it is drained into streams that then transport the now filtered runoff to large bodies of water. But what happens after land has been developed? Runoff collected from developed areas commonly contains pollutants from cars, fertilizers and other chemicals.

Here Are the Most Common Pollutants that Stormwater Can Pick up:

  • Oil, grease and coolant from automobiles
  • Fertilizers
  • Pesticides
  • Bacteria from pet waste and septic systems
  • Soil from uncompleted construction sites
  • Soap from cars or equipment washing

Biggest Concerns from Unmanaged Stormwater Runoff:

  • Pollutants from stormwater contaminate our waterways and kill off fish and wildlife. This in turn has the power to close local businesses that depend on a source of locally caught fish.
  • When too much water is accumulated and rushes to streams and other drainage systems due to a lack of permeability, it can lead to flooding.
  • When water is kept from reaching the ground naturally, a water shortage can accumulate, which affects the entire community and ecosystem.

Permeable Paver Grit Paired with Decorative Precast Pavers

Kafka Granite does not directly produce precast pavers, but we take pride in providing speciality aggregate and permeable paver grit used in these designs. Our aggregates are sourced from throughout North America. The raw materials are then transported to our crushing facility in Central Wisconsin to ensure the highest level of quality control possible. We then sell our aggregate to the leading paver manufacturers in the country, all of which produce permeable pavers.

Kafka Granite offers nearly 60 different colors of natural stone and recycled materials in any size. Our aggregates can be found in pavers coast to coast. Kafka Granite’s crushed granite, marble, quartz and recycled materials can be used in decorative precast pavers and a broad assortment of amenities such as precast concrete water fountains, trash bins, snuffers, planters, tables, benches, columns, chairs and more.

Find Your Grit at Kafka Granite

True grit doesn’t come from within, it comes from Kafka Granite! To make the most out of your permeable paver project, be careful not to overlook the important function of the permeable paver grit or joint infill.  Contact Kafka Granite to make your next project a success.  

6 Examples of Great Architectural Precast Concrete Applications

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Architectural precast concrete was a catalyst to innovative construction techniques that influenced processes as well as architectural design. With the ability to be formed, poured and set off-site, construction of even the largest buildings and structures could be streamlined and expedited thanks to the marvel of precast concrete. This precast innovation was first introduced in the early 1900s and has made modern architecture what we know it as today. With such a longstanding history and proof of durability and stability, there are some truly prime samples of architectural precast greatness.

Kafka Granite has been in tune with architectural precast for decades. Through this time, it has been able to innovate and aid in advancement of a greatly useful product. By providing nearly 60 colors of quality crushed sand and aggregate to create a decorative finish in exposed aggregate precast concrete structures, designers have been able to explore different aesthetics and precast concrete manufacturers have been able to depend on a reliable product thanks to Kafka Granite.

The Importance of Architectural Precast

Construction is a time-consuming and expensive venture. Especially large structures could take years of construction simply to complete the exterior. In today’s on-demand society, waiting years to complete a construction project—especially for much-needed structures such as high-rise housing or parking ramps—just isn’t an option anymore. Contractors need to work as efficiently as possible while still allowing designers to source materials that fit their vision.

Before architectural precast concrete came to the market, construction often required skilled workers to be on-site in order to tediously build forms and pour the concrete. Not only was this a costly necessity, but it also meant other work couldn’t be completed simultaneously while the concrete was setting. Precast concrete enables architectural panels to be made in large numbers off-site while other construction tasks can be completed on-site. This means buildings can go up quicker and cheaper while maintaining architectural integrity and aesthetic.

A boom of popularity in the 1930s saw an impressive number of iconic buildings being made with precast concrete. Here are six stunning examples of buildings made with the help of precast concrete panels.

Sydney Opera House

The complex design of the Sydney Opera House was possible, in part, to precast concrete. The distinctive peaked and curved roof is made up of a series of precast concrete panels that are covered in glossy white- and matte-cream tiles, which took Swedish manufacturers a year to complete on their own. Although this structure took 10 years longer than expected to complete, there’s no denying that the 2,194 precast concrete sections didn’t add to the project’s delay.

 

Pan American Building

Completed in 1963, the PanAm headquarters served as a symbol of progressive mobility in the U.S. At more than 800-feet tall, the structure was behemoth marker dividing the sightline of Park Avenue. Inspired by Bauhaus design, it was similar to other iconic buildings nearing completion round the globe at the same time. It also sits atop Grand Central Station, making it a convenient building to many New Yorkers.

 

Diego Portales University

Exposed concrete slab walls add to the natural feel of these hulking structures so to complement its natural surroundings. The seemingly sporadic placement of windows and balconies are actually expertly positioned to work with the view and travel of air for maximum cross-ventilation. The Diego Portales University is an incredible sight to see that flawlessly incorporates the modern wonders of what concrete can do.

Walters Art Museum of Baltimore

The Walters Art Museum of Baltimore, Maryland opened in 1934 and has been satiating the thirsts of art-lovers everywhere since. Free admission is granted year-round, which means you can come by to see some of the finest curated art collections in the country or the impressive statement made by the architectural precast concrete façade anytime you please. The highlighted slabs, in this instance, mimic large canvasses in a way of their own, giving you a taste of what’s inside.

Jubilee Church

The architectural precast panels used to create this church are doing double duty. Not only are they the cornerstone of this structure’s design, but they also clean the air. These precast concrete fins contain titanium dioxide. Not only does this inclusion keep the church looking pristinely white, it also absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun that breaks down pollutants that come in contact with the church’s surface. The UV light decomposes organic materials naturally. Additionally, large white surfaces help diminish the detrimental effects of urban heat islands by reflecting the sun’s heat. How is that for some seriously hardworking concrete?

The Pierre

As a stunning example of how precast concrete embraces nature, The Pierre is a private residence that was built atop a natural stone deposit on the owner’s property in Washington State. Parts of the stone were cut away to make way for the home, but nothing went to waste! The cut-away stone was crushed and used in making the cement (talk about incorporation, eh?). While some might see concrete slabs as provoking an industrial feel, this home tucked into the San Juan Islands is here to prove naysayers wrong.

The Timelessness of Architectural Precast

From Brutalist to Bauhaus to totally natural, precast concrete can be formed to any aesthetic your construction project needs. If you thought the use of concrete slabs was restricted to prefabricated homes, bland parking ramps or industrial-inspired architecture, think again.
The varieties for which you can apply precast concrete are endless, and with an impressive variety of naturally colored stone, it is easier than ever before to truly customize the exposed finish of your precast concrete wall panels. When seeking a construction solution that is completely customizable and will save time and expenses, learn more about precast concrete. To ask questions and discover how to make architectural precast possible for your next project, call or message Kafka Granite. Our experienced experts can help direct you to quality precast concrete manufacturers that can incorporate our aggregates into your design.

Sierra Granite - Dimensional Cut

Manufactured vs. Natural Stone Veneers

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At Kafka Granite, we’ve been proud to be a leader in all things aggregates in the Wisconsin area and beyond for years. Through hard work and dedication, we’ve continued to evolve our offerings to meet the wants and needs of our customers. Our latest evolution has come in the form of new natural thin stone veneer.

With a wide range of natural thin stone veneers, we’re excited to unveil this new exclusive selection of masonry product. With a beautiful range of granite, marble, and quartzite, each cut and color of stone offers dazzling hues and crystalline uniqueness.

But when thinking about including veneers in your next new build or renovation project, you’ll be faced with the challenge of deciding between natural and manufactured stone veneers. What is the difference between the two products and how can you decide which one is right for your project?

Natural Stone Veneers

Building stone has been in use for hundreds of years. If you’re a traveler, you’ve most likely seen this building material in the Roman Coliseum and many other historical structures throughout the world. While artificial veneers are a relatively new innovation, real stone veneers have a long and prestigious history.

Natural building stones are made by slicing off slabs of desirable rock such as granite, limestone, or marble, and then modifying that cut into the desired shape and weight for different applications. A typical building stone can range in depth anywhere from 3-5 inches and yield 35-40 sq ft per ton.

In recent history, thin stone veneer has been developed to give them same high-quality finish as building stone, but to cut down on labor and transportation costs, and take natural stone to new applications that were previously cost-prohibitive with building stone due to the necessary footings and support.  In comparison, natural thin stone veneer typically ranges from ¾”-1 ½” in depth and weights 10-15 lbs per sq. ft.

If you’re comparing the cost of building stone against thin stone veneers, the building stone variation typically comes out the winner when it comes to lower costs in regard to materials, but with a heavier weight, the thin stone veneers are less expensive to ship and install.

The average building stone can easily last upwards of 50 years, or longer depending on conditions and upkeep. There are many historic buildings that still maintain their original stone veneer siding. Granite, marble, and quartzite wears naturally with natural stone color throughout.

Manufactured Stone Veneers

Manufactured stone, or faux stone, is a artificial alternative to natural stone veneers. While manufactured stone can be modified to look close to natural stone, the differences between the two go much deeper than their surface appearance.

Man-made stone is created with a mixture of cement, aggregates, and pigments. These ingredients combined result in a stone-looking material that is generally more economical than natural stone veneers. Provided that these materials are mass produced rather than handcrafted, many big box stores carry manufactured stone veneers, making ordering convenient for some. But you may just find that the artificial stone used for your project is also the same faux stone being used in other builds all across your town.

Building stone starts at a thickness depth of around 2” while the thin variety only goes up to 2”. The final stones end up weighing in at under 15 pounds. Being under 15 pounds, the material qualifies as an adhered veneer. The cement used to create these lookalikes is what helps to keep the artificial stone veneers light. You can choose to dry stack your manufactured thin stone veneers or use a traditional mortar and stone configuration.

While tempting due to availability and potential cost savings, manufactued stone veneers can end up costing in the long run. Being colored with artificial pigments, the color is no through-and-through, resulting in a less natural weathering.  Additionally, being manufactured primarily of concrete, artificial veneers require continual maintenance and care over the span of their life.

Learn More About Veneers with Kafka Granite

Whether you’re ready to place your order for natural stone veneers today or are still conflicted as to which type of veneer is right for your next project, give us a call today. Our experts would be more than happy to discuss the benefits of natural stone.

Kafka Granite Organic-Lock Stabilized Pathway Mix Installation

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Organic-Lock has long been viewed as the strongest organic binder on the market today. At Kafka Granite, we’ve been partnering with Organic-Lock for years to create our stabilized aggregate pathway materials. Thanks to our partnership with Organic-Lock we’re able to offer durable pathway materials that can hold up to anything from busy parks to torrential rains.

Organic-Lock is designed to stabilized aggregate surfaces, making it the perfect binding agent to be added to our unique blends. Through this combination, we’ve been able to offer products that can result in natural-looking, permeable surfaces that can hold up to extreme conditions. Today we’re walking through how to properly install our pre-blended Organic-Lock aggregates on your job site.

What is Organic-Lock?

Organic-Lock is a powdered binder made from renewable resources. It is specifically designed to be blended with crushed aggregate to create natural looking pathways and surfaces. But how does it work?

First, the binder locks the aggregate in place to minimize erosion and worksite maintenance; saving you time and money in the long run. When it rains or your pathways become saturated by moisture of any kind, the liquid permeates the aggregate where it then comes into contact with the Organic-Lock binder. When this happens, the moisture and Organic-Lock binder together turn into a gel that coats each piece of the aggregate. The gel then expands in size and works like glue to hold the pathway together. This process greatly reduces erosion and keeps your finished pathway in one piece longer. This video contains some great illustrations to further highlight how this unique mixture works.

Preinstallation

Your pre-blended aggregate and Organic-Lock mixture will be supplied by Kafka Granite. When prepping your installation surface, you’ll need to focus on moisture content and optimal site preparation. Your delivered mixture will always have room to improve, so we recommend using the snowball or step test to find the ideal mixture of water and aggregate for your batch of material. Ideally, you want your mixture to have an 8-10% moisture content. Here’s how to use those two methods to get your aggregate to this magical moisture level.

The Snowball Test:

When first assessing your material, scoop up a handful in one hand. Try to compact the material into a snowball shape. If it crumbles and can’t hold its form then you need to continue adding moisture. If you can compact it into a ball but it has a noticeable wet sheen then your moisture content is too high.

Too Dry

Too Wet

Just Right!

The Step Test:

In place of the snowball test, you can use the step test to determine your mixture’s readiness. Once again, form a rough ball, then place the ball on the ground and step on it. If your mixture has too much moisture it will have a wet sheen to it, if it’s too dry it won’t be able to hold its shape. An ideal mixture should show a perfect impression of your boot’s tread while holding its shape without any wet sheen visible.

If your mixture is showing a wet sheen the best thing you can do is add additional dry material until you can complete a successful snowball or step test. Once you have reached the ideal moisture content for your mixture, replicate your exact measurements for the rest of your material.

Left: Too Wet | Right: Just Right

 

Installation

The most important aspects of a successful installation of our stabilized mixture are subgrade and base construction, surface watershed management, spreading, compaction, and installation completion. This video will walk you through successfully executing each of these five steps to ensure an astounding finished product.  

The installation process for our stabilized mixture is simple. Our products come with individualized product installation specifications, so there will be no guesswork when it comes to the amount of subgrade you need, how compacted your base should be, or what type of base you should use depending on your region’s DOT recommended crushed granular road base.

This portion of our video guide will also help you to assess potential issues for your pathway system; such as sprinkler heads, uneven terrain, a dense canopy cover, and more. We’ll equip you with all of the installation guidelines and best practices, such as maximum slope, that you’ll need to ensure that your pathway is installed correctly the first time. Saving you time and money by eliminating costly do-overs. If you have any further questions about our stabilized Organic-Lock products give us a call today.

Thin Stone Veneer

The Difference Between Thin Stone Veneers and Building Stone

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Veneers present endless application potential. From interior fireplaces to exterior facades, natural stone veneers can be used to add depth and drama to any space. Kafka Granite is excited to share our new natural building stone products with our loyal customers. Architects, designers, and contractors can now fulfill all of their natural stone veneer needs with Kafka.

Building Stone

Building stone has been in use for centuries. If you’ve ever been to Rome, you’ve most likely seen the veneers in use in the Roman Coliseum. And since that time, humanity has searched for more and more ways to incorporate the breathtaking stones found naturally in nature into their final designs.

Building stone typically ranges in depth from 3-5 inches. With this range of thickness, building stone require foundation footing. This special footing is needed to address the special thickness, weight, and size challenges that come along with building stone. But with the use of proper footing or flooring strength, building stone can be used in almost any setting.

Building stone tends to average between 35-40 square feet per ton, but the final weight of your building stone may vary depending on the type of rock used to create the veneer.

When comparing the price of installing building stone against thin veneers, the former typically win out in terms of product cost, but may surge ahead when it comes to installation costs. When it comes to installation, the sizeable weight and size of building stone needs to be accounted for. Being heavier than its thin counterpart, building stone can be viewed as more difficult to work with as they require more time and effort to install. But a seasoned professional will be able to handle this application with ease. With more weight per sq. ft. of coverage, this also dramatically affects shipping costs compared to thin stone veneer.

Thin Stone Veneers

Thin stone veneers are an attractive option for many, as they reduce freight and installation costs without sacrificing the quality and beauty of the natural stone. A typical thin stone veneer weighs somewhere between 10-15 pounds per SqFt, eliminating the use of the foundation footings necessary when using building stone. This allows the product to be more easily installed in a variety of interior applications, remodels, and tall heights where building stone may be cumbersome.

Thin Veneer Corner

Thin Veneer Corner

While thin veneers have not been around as long as building stones, this resource is still full of potential. A thin veneer is a great alternative for those looking for a natural stone solution that is both easy to work with and pleasing to the eye. Thin stone veneers are made from the same high-quality material that building stones are, they are simply cut into ¾”-1 ½” depths.

As mentioned previously, thin stone veneers are significantly lighter than building stone meaning that the material can be applied to nearly any surface and doesn’t require quite the same level of planning and consideration that building stones do. This modification makes thin veneers a popular choice of both internal and external structures as additional modification do not need to be made to support the weight of these light stones.

And due to their lightweight nature, thin stone veneers are very easy to install. Being easier to handle and transport, every step from cutting to setting tends to be a bit less labor intensive. Additionally, with their lessened weight, a thin stone veneer project can typically be completed faster than a building stone one, leading to savings when it comes to labor.

Thin stone veneers are very similar in weight to artificial stone, meaning that you can get the benefits of cheaper products, such as ease of application and shipping while enjoying the benefits of higher end stone, like a more visually pleasing finished product.

You may be worried that due to their weight and depth, thin stone veneer is weaker than building stone, but both stones are incredibly strong. While building stones are intrinsically stronger, both thin veneers and building stone has the capacity to last a lifetime.

Find the Veneers you Need with Kafka Granite

At Kafka Granite, we’re beyond thrilled to share our newest natural thin stone veneer with our loyal customers. Whether you’re looking for show-stopping mica-enriched quartzite or traditional granite colors, find your next veneers at Kafka Granite.

Custom Blend Stabilized Pathway - Kenyon College - Gambier, OH

Revitalizing the Historic Middle Path Pathways at Kenyon College

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When the charming and historic Middle Path running through Kenyon College’s campus became pitted, messy, and dangerous, Kafka Granite stepped up to the plate and provided the perfect stabilized DG pathway solution to give this aging pathway new life. Having helped many high-traffic areas resurface their existing pathway systems, we knew that we were up to the challenge.

Using Decomposed Granite for Kenyon College

Some might think that the name “decomposed granite” implies a lesser significance than that of the stronger sounding marble, granite, or stone, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference, as was the case with Kenyon College.

When it came time for Kenyon College of Gambier, Ohio to tackle the mounting problems being posed by its historic Middle Path, Kafka Granite was called to come up with a custom solution that would preserve the historical significance of the path while making it safe for future generations. Through a forensic approach, thorough testing and deep collaboration between Kafka Granite and the college’s design and landscaping team, the historic charm and aesthetic of Kenyon’s Middle Path was preserved by the use of a one-of-a-kind stabilized pathway system.

Using a Stabilized Pathway System to Save the Middle Path

The famed Middle Path is a 3,600-foot-long, 8-foot-wide walkway was originally crafted from local river stone. The landscape of Kenyon’s campus is delicately structured around the well-traveled path, rendering it a staple to the scenery. The smooth, round characteristic of the river stone, however, was creating deep wells, soft patches, and excessive displacement that made for puddles, mud, ice and unsafe travel in inclement weather. Calling Ohio home, the College was frequently plaqued by many differnet types of weather conditions, so they needed a durable aggregate that would hold up to anything the state could dish out.

Kenyon sought a solution that would maintain the aesthetic and experiential dimension of the sound of the stone’s crunch underfoot while providing more stability and compaction for less aggregate displacement while being permeable enough to avoid puddles. Replacing the path with concrete or asphalt would offer more stability, but these materials wouldn’t preserve the charm and overall aesthetic of the much-loved pathway, and would lead to oversaturation in the rainy months.

We were able to create a stabilized pathway solution that was the perfect ratio of organic stabilizing binder and crushed stone. Additionally, we were able to produce the perfect aggregate that was both the perfect color and gradation to give the school’s pathway material optimum compaction and performance. A variety of product mock-ups were rigorously tested on-site at Kenyon using a variety stabilizing binders, specifications, and installation techniques before settling on the combination of a custom Kafka Granite color combination and Organic-Lock stabilizing binder.

Custom Blend Stabilized Pathway - Kenyon College - Gambier, OH

The Installation Phase

We were present at the construction site, which allowed our experts to oversee proper installation as well as answer any questions to grounds crew ran into. Through a close relationship in which multiple experiments and tests were run, our two teams combined were able to identify the best binder for the school’s historical pathway system.

The final organic binder utilized in the stabilized DG was Organic-Lock by Envirobond, which made for the perfect solution to Kenyon’s problem of a deteriorating pathway. With Kafka’s pathway mix blended with Organic-Lock, Kenyon College’s stabilized pathways will experience less erosion than their predecessor, which was the original problem that prompted Kenyon College to reach out to Kafka Granite. Furthermore, the new DG stabilized pathway system will yield less mud and dust while remaining permeable for optimal drainage. The new pathway blends in seamlessly with the natural beauty of the Kenyon College campus and has the added benefit of being ADA accessible, meaning that everyone will be able to enjoy its beauty.

Furthermore, stabilized DG offered a thin loose top layer of aggregate, which replicated the feel of the original path. By being able to conduct thorough testing, provide a solution that was aesthetically ideal, and oversee the entirety of the installation process, our team was able to aid in preserving the historic charm and sophistication of Kenyon College’s iconic Middle Path.

Find Your Perfect Pathway Material at Kafka Granite

At Kafka Granite, we offer more 60 unique colors of aggregate and a full portfolio of innovative products, such as our all new natural stone veneers. From recycled materials to stabilized aggregates, we have the pathway mixes your project needs to meet its goals, be it preserving the past or meeting the demands of the present. If you would like to learn more about the Kenyon College project you can read the full story in the November 2016 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine.