To say Flecks® Systems is now ready for mass-market applications is a bit belated. With major clients such as Yogi Bear Jellystone Campgrounds, Orlando theme parks, Las Vegas resorts, and professional MLB and NFL sports arenas, Flecks® has already proven its durability as a performance surfacing system with some of the world’s most selective clients.
Upon first glance, Flecks® looks almost exactly like the EPDM poured-in-place rubber that currently dominates the safety surfacing market. However, the chemical makeup — and long-term performance — is much different. Flecks® is a light-stable thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and EPDM is a vulcanized rubber. Unlike EPDM, Flecks® TPR colors will remain vibrant after many years in direct sun exposure, and the surface will remain integral and supple even in harsh sunlight. Additionally, Flecks® is chlorine resistant (can be installed in splash pads and around high-traffic commercial pools), antimicrobial (resists mildew even in humid environments), remains cooler underfoot than alternative surfaces, and does not leach chemicals into the environment. Flame-retardant formulations are available, often demanded by indoor applications such as shopping malls or for general anti-vandalism purposes.
Bill McGrath Jr., inventor of Flecks® Systems, knows a thing or two about the thermoplastic surfacing market — there wasn’t a market before he made one. In 1998, he introduced Nu-Crete, the first light-stable thermoplastic rubber available for surfacing applications; later, the name was changed to Pebble-Flex. Seventeen years afterward, Flecks® Systems was launched as a new and improved formulation of granulated thermoplastic rubber, with superior chlorine resistance, enhanced antimicrobial performance, and a stronger chemical bond, along with a new granule shape.
Bill McGrath Jr. says:
“I wanted to create products that solve important, long-term problems in the safety surface industry. As an installer of rubber surfacing back in the early ‘80s, I was not seeing the performance I wanted to out of the available products on the market. I loved the concept but hated the product, I was tired of all the call backs and embarrassed by all the issues and short lifespan of the products I was installing. At the time, people thought a light-stable, rubberized product was impossible. After years of research and development, we were finally able to produce a long-term chemical resistant rubber for outdoor and indoor use, a product that is truly world-class, and has already begun changing the safety surfacing industry.”
With three years of real-world applications, in addition to accelerated clinical testing and seventeen years of performance knowledge with previous thermoplastic products, Flecks® has passed product performance standards for durability in harsh outdoor, high-traffic, and chlorinated environments.
Deck Flecks®
Deck Flecks® consists of Flecks® thermoplastic rubber granules mixed with Flecks® two-part aliphatic binder and troweled to a 3/8-inch thickness. This system is purpose-built for resorts, residential & commercial pool decks, and other seating/walking areas. As a non-slip and impact-absorbing surface, it reduces the risk of injury from slip and fall accidents compared to rigid systems like stone, coated concrete, and pavers. Custom design options make use of color blends, borders, and inlays to create luxurious looks at the standards of high-end properties. As a crack-resistant, flexible surface, Deck Flecks® solves one of the most ubiquitous cosmetic problems plaguing deck owners — concrete cracks.
Play Flecks®
For dry play applications such as playgrounds, the Flecks® wear layer is applied at ½-inch thick and installed over a patented EnviroFluff® cushioned layer. The thickness of the EnviroFluff® layer depends on the fall height standards required by any nonresidential project as outlined by ASTM F1292-13. Because of the UV-resistance and physical properties of Flecks® Systems, Play Flecks® applications come with a manufacturer’s warranty that will ensure the surface meets these ASTM fall-height standards for five years. Other surfaces only warranty ASTM standards immediately after installation.
Water Flecks®
Because Flecks® can be installed in chlorinated environments, it is one of the only impact-absorbing surface options available for splash pads and zero-entry pools and is usually installed as a ?-inch-thick wear layer. The EnviroFluff® cushion layer, when installed with Flecks® two-part aliphatic binder, can be used as a cushioned layer in chlorinated applications as well, making Flecks® Systems the only cushioned safety surface available for chlorinated applications.
EnviroFluff®
The EnviroFluff® patented cushion layer has been designed to be chemical resistant, nontoxic, and durable in harsh environmental conditions. It is a recycled product, a thermoplastic foam formulation that is much lighter than the SBR industry standard.
Flecks® Non-Porous
Flecks® Systems are generally porous but can be sealed for applications requiring a non-porous/impervious system either indoors (such as locker rooms) or outdoors (such as ballparks) and other high-traffic areas. States or cities that require a non-porous system for aquatic surfacing (such as New York) can benefit from the use of Water Flecks® Non-Porous (NP). All three Flecks® Systems can be designed to be non-porous (Deck Flecks® NP, Water Flecks® NP and Play Flecks® NP).
Flecks® Broadcast
Flecks® Broadcast is a thinner surface option installed as a broadcast system instead of a poured-in-place surface, using 0.5-1.5-millimeter granules which are broadcast into Flecks® Basecoat to create a non-porous, high wearing, slip-resistant surface.
