Paving Interlayer Overview

Various types of Paving Interlayers

Paving Interlayers come is several shapes and sizes and are used for a variety of reasons all relating to road improvements.  What began as simple “Phillips” Paving Fabric as seen in the TV commercials in the late 1960s has evolved into a complex multi-faceted system involving several different products, using several different types of Binder, and used for different and specific reasons.

Interlayers come on tightly wound rolls which are mounted onto a Laydown Unit and dispensed smoothly over Hot-Applied Binder.  Rolls come in widths from 6 feet to 12.5 feet and weigh anywhere from 150 to 650 pounds each.

Terra Firma Environmental personnel have been installing Paving Interlayers since the mid 1980s.  For over a decade we saw 4 ounce to 6 ounce (primarily Non-Woven Geotextile) used throughout Florida for strengthening the existing pavement, waterproofing and retarding alligator cracking transference through new overlay.

Since then we have been installing paving fabrics and paving grids throughout Florida. We have two tractor-mounted Laydown Units, and support personnel and equipment as needed.  All are fully equipped to professionally install both Paving Fabrics and Composite Paving Grids. 

We have become an Authorized Installer for TenCate, Propex, Polyguard, and Huesker paving interlayer manufacturers.  All make excellent Paving Interlayers for various applications.

Polyguard manufactures Stress Absorbing Membranes (a.k.a. SAM Layers) also known as Waterproofing Membranes. These are a great Waterproofing Membrane option for bridge decks and are sometimes used over compromised subbase sections. 

In the last decade we have installed many different types of hybrid products with various Grids and Waterproofing Membranes. The Grids do not have the elongation of the Non-Woven Geotextiles.  In certain areas the use of the Grids will pay off tremendously as they serve to retard against cracking, and to strengthen the underlying asphalt road. There is a test area we were blessed to be a part of in 2011 in Glades County, Florida. The land has a lot of organics and low-lying areas; the road we were working on had some issues with settling. We installed MPV500 primarily, and some FG100 as well. At the test area we installed was FGC100, which had both waterproofing and a heavy grid. We installed using a heavy overlap and that section of the road is holding up far superior to the rest.

We have installed over 1,600,000 Square Yards of various Paving Interlayer products.