subject: Cheap Paving Is Not Bad Paving [print this page] Not all expensive paving is good paving and there are cheap alternatives which are often better than their expensive counterparts. Be wary of cheap paving but be just as wary of expensive paving.
In any industry one will always get the exploiters, those that charge a fortune and make a statement like, perfection costs money but their product is really no better than any of their opposition. Usually, these companies brainwash their salesmen/women into believing that their product or service is so superior and that their opposition is so inferior that there is just no comparison. This is where the consumer needs to do a little homework.
Paving around a house or just doing a driveway can be very expensive at todays prices and we need to know more regarding the quality of the various products available and the methods of installation. Clay bricks are always better than 99% of any cement or concrete product as clay is a natural product and it expands and contracts during various temperature changes, while, cement only shrinks every time it gets wet. This shows that in the long term, clay will outlast any other product if installed correctly.
There are various types of clay paving bricks and one particular product is the broken clay paver. Clay paving bricks are put through a heating process and after this process inspectors discard any brick that is either not within parameters of colour or size that is currently being manufactured. These discarded bricks are normally broken in half and paving contractors purchase and install them in a circular pattern. There is nothing really wrong with the brick except it was outside of the specifications for the brick that was being manufactured at the time. These bricks are bought very cheap by the paving contractors, and likewise they can install these bricks at a very good price which is normally much cheaper than any whole brick, cement or clay. If this type of brick is installed correctly, the paved area should also outlast any cement or concrete paver.
Why not drive around your neighborhood and look at the various types of paving that has been used and ask your neighbors for their experience regarding who they used and the brick type that was used, it will save you a lot of money in the long run.
