| Clay Paver Basics
Clay paving brick differs from the brick used
on house walls in that paving brick are solid, without holes.
In addition, paving brick are fired to a different standard
than face brick to insure long-term durability: ASTM C902
(pedestrian & light traffic) or ASTM C1272 (heavy vehicular).
All Pine Hall Brick pavers exceed the most stringent
ASTM standards.
Sizes:
• BONDED or LTW
(length = twice width) 4"x 8" – Sand Joint
Applications
• MODULAR (7 5/8"x 3 5/8") – Mortar
Joint Applications (concrete base)
Sand Joint Applications (sand
setting bed or bituminous setting bed):
TYPES:
Extruded: shale or clay is mixed
with water and forced into a vacuum under high pressure. Then,
a column of “green” shale extrudes out the head
of a brick machine similar to tooth paste coming out of its
tube. The column is cut by wires to make individual pavers.
The pavers are dried and fired to temperatures in excess of
2000 degrees. 90% of clay pavers are made from this method.
All Pine Hall Brick pavers are extruded.
Molded: clay is mixed with water
and forced into a mold made of wood. Sand is typically used
to line the mold so that the green paver can be extracted.
Different colored sands provide for different colors. The
pavers are dried and fired as with extruded pavers. Molded
pavers are popular because they manufactured in a way similar
to the brick making process used centuries ago and therefore,
look antique.
Dry Pressed: nearly dry clay is pressed into a steel mold under high pressure. Vacuums may be used to extract air making the paver more dense. With less moisture, dry pressed pavers will shrink less thus giving these products good dimensional stability. The firing process is similar to that of extruded and molded pavers. The mixing process is generally done in batches that allows for easier mixing of different clays to produce color varieties.
STYLES:
Beveled paver with spacer nibs:
beveled edge pavers in conjunction with spacer nibs offer
more consistent joints and very little edge chippage. The
beveled edges serve to highlight the chosen pattern offering
a clean, crisp appearance. This product is intended for sand
joint applications.
Tumbled paver (after firing):These pavers achieve an "old world" look through the edge rounding and chips that occur when fired pavers are rolled together in a drum. The process leaves a weathered finish like a paver that was reclaimed after decades of service. Although this type of paver is premium priced due to the costs of processing, the authentic look is remarkable and the price is typically less than actual reclaimed clay pavers.
Simulated antique paver: through
texturing and color applications, these pavers provide an
aged appearance but offer the strength of an extruded paver.
The antiquing process can be applied either before or after
firing. These pavers offer low edge chippage as the edges
are often relieved in the texturing process. This product
is intended for sand joint applications although can be placed
with mortar joints.
Square edge paver: the most
common clay paver and generally, the most economic. As the
name implies, the edges are square and slightly patina over
time. This paver is the workhorse of the industry, very durable
and gets used in both sand and mortar joint applications.
Installers need to employ the click and drop method in order
to produce proper spacing (1/8”) in sand joint applications.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS:
1) Not as strong as concrete:
Pine Hall Brick pavers average over 13,000 psi which far
exceeds the compressive strength of poured concrete and
concrete pavers.
2) Have to be laid on concrete
with mortar joints: Clay pavers can be laid on
the same flexible base system (crushed stone & sand)
recommended by concrete pavers. A level pavement, free from
rutting or differential settlement, is a factor of proper
base
3) Clay pavers chip:
Beveled edge or relieved edge pavers like English Edge®
and the Old Series are designed to eliminate chippage. Yes,
square edge pavers are subject to edge chippage particularly
if the pavers are laid too tight. All pavers should have
a 1/8” joint of sand to create interlock.
4) Won’t interlock:
Most pavers, regardless of material composition, will interlock
given a properly designed flexible base system. Interlock
is not dependant on shape.
5) Can’t get straight
lines: The alignment of joints in a paver pattern
is commonly referred to as “the lines”. Dimensional
consistency is the main factor in aligning these joints.
By advancing clay paver technology, Pine Hall Brick offers
dimensional tolerances that rival concrete pavers. Our internal
standard is plus or minus 1/16” and we meet this standard
on a day in and day out basis. Note: the PX standard calls
for plus or minus 1/8” over the 8” dimension.
6) Not durable in northern
climates: We sell our pavers as far north as Maine,
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. We have never had a durability
complaint about our pavers in any climate, anywhere. We
subject our pavers to regular freeze thaw testing and go
past ASTM C67 levels to 150 cycles without failure. Recently,
we tested our pavers to the Canadian freeze thaw test in
saline solution (CSA-A231.2) and the results are very impressive.
With an allowable weight loss of 500 grams over 50 cycles,
our pavers averaged only 7.2 grams of weight loss!
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