Spot Light On Clay Pavers - Why we use them for our Projects
Clay pavers are the 'brick' like pavers we use in our designs when we are looking to produce a beautiful feature area or pathway with a more traditional look and feel. Clay pavers offer great choice of colour and texture and are made purely from Clay, Sand and Water, the majority of which is extracted from local sources which minimises harmful emissions from transporting.
Depending on where they are made, the clay can be either sourced on site, or taken as a waste material from other mining operations reducing demand on stone quarries for paving materials. The Pavers are extremely hard-wearing, frost-resistant, stain-resistant, easy to clean with household detergent, and fade-proof. Laid with the correct installation method for a driveway, they are also SUDS-compliant.
They differ from house bricks as they are solid in construction and designed to be laid level on flat surface. Household bricks are not designed to be laid on the ground and will suffer from weathering, causing them to fail. With Clay Pavers, manufacturing methods, longevity and recyclability make them a truly sustainable paving.
Clay Pavers are also suitable for reuse, because the loose method of installation makes them easy to reclaim, with little waste. They can be crushed into aggregate for as they contain no dyes or toxins and so they carry no danger of contaminating the surrounding soil.
In cheaper mass produced Concrete Block Pavers, sand and cement are used with synthetic products such as coloured pigments, but these are not needed for Clay Pavers. Manganese oxide and iron oxide are used to achieve certain hues, with glazes and slurries also used in order to achieve certain shades. The firing temperature of over 1000 degrees centigrade fuses the colour throughout the paver, so the clay pavers will not fade.
All in all Clay Pavers are a great product and offer a long lasting sustainable and environmentally sound option for our garden projects.
I hope I have demystified Clay Pavers for you. Look out for more of our 'Spot Light On' articles covering alternative paving materials
