Wood pavers are generally loved by landscape architects and chosen for driveways, walkways, porches, and backyard landscaping. The reason for wood pavers' popularity lies in their natural beauty. Wood pavers made of Black Locust Lumber have a natural durability of 50+ years. No toxic oils or chemicals are necessary to maintain their longevity. This makes ProFlow Permeable Pavers™ a sustainable and 100% organic product.
In the past few years as wood pavers have grown in popularity, there has been an interest in different colors available for wood pavers. By reading our blog you will learn what is the natural Black Locust color of wood pavers and how the unique black pavers are created in order to stay sustainable.
Natural Black Locust color of pavers
Natural Black Locust color
Black Locust pavers, also known as ProFlow Permeable Pavers™ have a light brown color. When freshly cut, the Black Locust color is more of a golden tone. The wood pavers blocks are tight-grained and have beautiful detail.
ProFlow Permeable Pavers™ made of Black Locust have a light brown color.
As the wood pavers surface is exposed to the natural environment (sun, rain, and snow), it develops a silvery grey patina over time. At this point, the surface still does not require any chemical treatments. The change in color does not affect its durability. ProFlow Permeable Pavers™ are generally loved for their natural beauty and low maintenance needs.
As the Black Locust wood pavers surface is exposed to the natural environment, it develops a silvery grey color.
Turning Black Locust black: Shou Sugi Ban finish
When developing a different color for ProFlow Permeable Pavers™ we wanted to make sure we kept the pavers 100% organic. We intended to fully avoid using stains or other chemicals in order to maintain the wood’s low-maintenance needs and keep it fully sustainable.
Black Locust pavers colored black at Chateau Hanare in West Hollywood, CA
This is how we came upon an ancient Japanese technique of charring wood for resistance to insects, the aesthetic quality of the blackened look, and longevity. The unique technique is called Shou Sugi Ban.
Permeable Pavers made of Black Locust colored black by Shou Sugi Ban technique
The Shou Sugi Ban finish results in beautiful black pavers which are produced in an environmentally friendly way. The Shou Sugi Ban process involves charring the wood, cooling it, cleaning it, and finishing it with natural oil to achieve black pavers finish. A fun fact is, that this ancient charring technique paradoxically makes the pavers fire-resistant. No chemicals or stains are therefore necessary.
To sum up…
Whichever Black Locust pavers color you choose, staying with the classic Black Locust color or the exciting, black Shou Sugi Ban finish you will be picking a sustainable wood paving solution. By avoiding chemicals, stains and surface treatments you will keep your maintenance costs at a minimum and at the same time take good care of the environment.
