Build easy-to-install paths quickly and simply:
 

GETTING STARTED:
REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIPMENT

always wear safety googles and protective gloves

As in all assembly, remember to use the correct personal protective equipment.  Always wear safety glasses, and protect your hands by wearing all-purpose utility gloves. This will drastically reduce the risk of eye and hand injury when using these building materials.  

 

Other equipment that will be needed for path installation projects:
- drill
- measuring tape
- saw (for cut-to-fit customization, if needed)
 

GROUND PREPARATION 

always ensure ground surface is level before installing SmartPath™
To prepare the ground, first remove ground material until a flat surface is achieved. 
The SmartPath™ bases can be assembled on virtually any type of surface including sod, pea gravel, dirt, crushed rock, sand or concrete.

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USING TREATED BOARDS

treated boards may swell and shrink
Not all wood is created equal.  The SmartPath™ base is engineered to hold five pieces of 2x4" lumber.   Freshly treated lumber may swell and shrink, as it dries out.  Freshly treated lumber will be snug, and may require tapping with a rubber mallet to fit into the channels.

SURFACE TRACTION

SmartPath bases improve traction on the ground, not on the lumber surface
The SmartPath™ base grips surfaces to minimize ground slippage. 
In order to create surface traction on the top of the lumber boards, you will need to apply a painted grip layer.   

 

BUILDING PANELS:
 

BUILD PANELS

build one starter panel with 3 bases, the rest of the panels need 2 bases
Build panels using the recycled rubber bases as guides to hold 2x4" lumber.  Each base holds five boards.  Attach boards to rubber base with 2" screws.  You can use a variety of 2” fasteners for your walkway:  deck or wood screws, lag bolts with washers, or even Simpson strong-ties.  All of these will work. 

Place the wood upside down (traction-control side down).  Insert screws through the rubber, into each of the five boards, along the center of the base.  You will need 5 screws per rubber base (1 screw per board, each base holds five boards).  

The first panel will need 3 bases, placed 26-32" apart, this will be the starter panel. 

Each extender panel will need 2 bases, per panel.  Lay the last rubber base of the panel so that only half of the channel width is covered by a board.  By splitting the difference, you will create space for the next 5 boards.  This is how panels will connect.
 

CONNECTING PANELS & EXTENDING THE PATH:

CONNECT STARTER PANEL TO EXTENDER PANELS

To extend the path, lay the ends of the next five boards over half of the rubber base, half filling the channel.   Apply rubber bases along on the length of the boards, until you get to the end, laying the last rubber base of the panel as in step above.  Repeat to extend the path. Turn the connected path over so that the rubber base is now on the ground. 

 

Continue to build 8’ extender panels to satisfy the total linear feet needed for the path.

Turn the first 3-base panel over (traction-surface side up).  This is the starter panel.  To extend the path, flip over the next 2-base extender panel) and connect by placing the five 2x4’s into the half-filled channels of the first starter.  Screw the five pieces of lumber through the wood, into the rubber base, from the top.  Repeat adding extender panels until the entire path is fastened.
 

 

RE-USING THE SMARTPATH SYSTEM:

 

DISASSEMBLY
 

To remove the SmartPath system and move it to a new jobsite so that it can be reused, simply disassemble the path in the reverse order that it was assembled.

 

Start by removing the connecting fasteners (that is, all of the screws that were added to the top of the path.)
 

All of the fasteners added onto the bottom, will remain in place.

You will end up with one starter panels (3-bases still attached), and extender panels (2-bases still attached), for storage and or transportation to your new site.