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How Pavers Are Made

Besides the numerous shapes and sizes of pavers you must have already seen, you have probably also noticed some other differences, like colors and textures. That’s mainly because pavers can be made out of different materials. 

Concrete pavers, natural stone pavers, clay pavers, are just to name a few. But do you know which one is best suited for your needs? How each one is made? In this article, we would like to cover these topics and more. So, let’s get to it.

Concrete Pavers

concrete pavers installed in a patio
You probably can’t tell these are made of concrete.

Concrete pavers are probably the most common kind you’ll encounter. That’s because you can choose from a variety of colors and shapes, to suit your preferences. Concrete pavers are made out of two main ingredients, cement and aggregate, and they’re produced to imitate the look of clay or natural stone pavers.

The reasons why you’ll most commonly encounter concrete pavers in all sorts of applications are:

  • Large range of colors to choose from. Concrete pavers can have different colors, by the use of dyes on its composition.
  • Variety of applications, mainly because they can be available in many different shapes and colors.
  • Easy of repair. If one of them has been damaged, you can simply purchase and replace it by a new one.

Concrete pavers are a very popular flooring option for driveways and roadways. As they usually have a uniform shape, it makes it extra easy for installation.

Natural Stone Pavers

Marble pavers showing off how beautiful they can look.

Not only can they have different colors, but also different textures, varying from smooth to glossy to quite rough surfaces. Depending on the stones they’re made of, you can also have pavers with quite different densities, varying from softer to harder pavers. 

Applications of natural stone pavers can also vary quite a lot. But most often you’ll encounter them in pathways and garden borders and steps.

The Most Common Types Of Natural Stone Pavers

Below we’re going to list you a few common types of natural stone pavers, and main application or features:

  • Bluestone pavers – a variety of sandstone, often used in driveways;
  • Flagstone – a sedimentary rock used most often for patios;
  • Marble – beautiful looking stone, which makes great pavers especially for patios, driveways, walkways and even grass-yard lanes;
  • Travertine – the best option for pool pavers as they don’t get hot in the sun;
  • Cobblestone – commonly made of granite, they’re especially known for being durable and good looking at the same time.

Well, those are just a few we could remember. There is quite a large variety of stones that can be turned into pavers. One of the things they all have in common is that they have a very singular visual signature.

Clay Pavers

Brick Paver Pattern

One of the reasons why clay pavers are so popular is its durability and vibrant colors. From shades of red, brown and even pink, there’s bound to be a clay paver color you’ll like and that will fit your needs. The best part is that, as they’re made out of a natural material, the vibrant color won’t fade away, which means they will always look great. 

Clay pavers have been used for thousands of years now. Its proven durability, alongside all we have mentioned above, makes it one of the best choices when it comes down to pavers.

How Pavers Are Made

Now that you know the basic types of pavers, let’s understand how they’re made.

Concrete pavers

Let’s start with concrete pavers. The process consists of pouring a mixture of concrete and some type of coloring agent into a mold of some shape and allowing the mix to set. The reason why you’ll see concrete pavers used so often is you can shape it any way you want. As we’ve mentioned before, that not only makes the installation process easier but also allows for a great look.

Natural stone pavers

Whether they are made out of granite, bluestone, or any other kind of stone, the process is basically the same. Larger boulders of rocks are carved and cut into smaller pieces. That’s a very simplified way to describe the process, but that’s pretty much it.

Clay pavers

Similarly to concrete pavers, clay pavers are made by pouring the mixture into a mold. The difference is the material that is used in the mix. While concrete pavers are mainly made out of concrete, clay pavers are made out of clay. Also, clay pavers are baked!

Which Paver Material Should I Choose

No matter what material you choose, you can be absolutely sure that you’re making the right decision. For the range of options you have, there’s bound to be an option that will please you. Obviously, some pavers will be better for some specific applications. For instance, concrete pavers are best for driveways, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use natural stone pavers.

The thing about pavers is that you have to do your homework too. Do some research, see what your neighbor used, look up on internet… You’ll see that pavers can be used in many different ways.

Whether you need assistance choosing the appropriate pavers for the application you want, or you need help with the installation, you can count on us. 

Call Us At Anytime For A Free Estimate!

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