Natural split

The stone is split in half leaving a natural un-cut surface. This texture is more rough and uneven, but gives the stone a natural appearance.

Flamed

A high-heat flame is passed over the stone surface, causing it to flake and spall, leaving a rough textured appearance. This process also removes any visible cutting marks remaining from manufacturing.

Honed

The stone’s surface is polished with a rotary grinder using a variety of coarse and soft sanding pads. After sanding, the stone surface remains smooth with a matte sheen.

Sandblasted

Abrasive sand blasting is used to remove any imperfections or cutting marks that remain on the stone from manufacturing. This process leaves the stone with a subtle, smooth-textured surface that is not slippery.

Bush-hammered

The stone surface is shaped (manually or mechanically) with a hammer that has many pyramidal points. The impact of the hammer leaves the surface texture of the stone with a consistent bumpy/stippled texture.

Antiqued

An abrasive rotary brush is passed over the stone’s surface, which removes the softer material, leaving behind the harder, more dense material. This finish gives the stone surface an aged appearance similar to rough leather or an orange peel.

Paving the way to modern landscaping

Paving roads and walkways with stone has been practiced since well before the Roman Empire. Most roadways were paved with natural stone until the ’50s post World War II. After the war, as Europe rebuilt, architects and engineers started to realize the benefit of using manufactured concrete pavers in place of natural stone pavers.

Concrete pavers are more easily produced, dimensionally consistent, and quite durable. Since the majority of pavers are installed on a compacted aggregate sub-base, they can be more flexible and resilient to freeze-thaw cycles. Further, thanks to decreased maintenance costs and availability, by the ’70s concrete pavers became the building material of choice. Initially, however, the selection was limited to a few shapes, sizes, and colours.

In the mid-’90s, as the landscaping industry saw rapid growth, concrete paver manufacturers started to offer far more variation in material styles, shapes, sizes, and colours. As technology progressed, manufacturers were able to replicate the appearance of natural stone pavers. These manufactured pavers not only shared the appearance of Mother Nature’s creation, but also its texture and colour. With relatively simple installation methods and affordable price points, segmental concrete pavers are by far the most popular choice for use as a paving material.

Most manufacturers offer lifetime guarantees with transferable warranties on the structural integrity of their paving stones. Pavers are also resistant to salt erosion and other staining. Modern segmental concrete pavers can be categorized into three groups: ICPs, segmental concrete paving slabs, and permeable pavers.