Ultracon: A Smooth Permeable Finish That Still Drains

Ultracon is the smooth-finish version of Permcon. Where the standard product leaves an open, stony face, Ultracon locks 2 to 5 mm stone into a permeable resin, so the surface sits finer and more even under tyres, shoes and bare feet. Rain still goes straight through it into the base below. No puddle sitting at the low corner of a driveway, no grate cut into the middle of a path. We pour it on driveways and car parks, garden paths, pool surrounds and paths through tree protection zones. Most people choose it for the look and the feel underfoot rather than the drainage; the stormwater work is the same either way.

The difference between the two comes down to the face. Standard Permcon leaves an open face with the stone showing, 7 mm across Victoria and 10 mm everywhere else, and it suits most driveways, car parks and paths. Ultracon's finer stone gives a tighter, smoother surface instead. Both sit on the same base of clean screenings, and both handle stormwater the same way. It's a choice about look and feel, and after a site visit we'll tell you straight which one suits your job.

At a new build in Pascoe Vale, the owners wanted a driveway that finished the house rather than competed with it, so we matched an Ultracon colour to the render. Read about the Pascoe Vale project. Around a pool, bare feet notice every stone underfoot, which is why Ultracon suits pool surrounds and paths as well as driveways. Through a tree protection zone, the finer surface still lets air and water reach the roots below. At Lilydale Airport, we poured it on airside paving, where standing water is a straightforward safety problem.