 All
are members of the Interlocking Concrete Pavement
Institute, a trade association representing
a majority of North American manufacturers.
After the dust settled, I selected the RoundTabIe
series of pavers from Cambridge. Why Cambridge?
First, the manufacturer, based in Lyndhurst,
N.J., has the size, shape and color of the
three stones I wanted to feature in my design.
Second, several masons and mason supply sales
personnel recommended using Cambridge because
its paving stones have a smoother finish.
For the deck border, I will use a 3-by-6
stone set in a soldiers' course (pavers
placed side to side). For the pool border.
I wanted to use a bullnose stone (a stone
with a rounded edge used in steps and pool
borders) Since my pool already has a border
of aluminum coping, I want the rounded edge
of the bullnose to fit into the coping.
 This
will allow a cleaner look on the pool border.
In Cambridge's color scheme, we chose Onyx/Natural
for the light gray and Black / Onyx for
the darker gray borders. One reason some
masons like the Cambridge stone is its smoother
finish. Cambridge calls it ArmorTek. It's
a 3/8-inch-dense top layer of cement that
contains fine sand granules and increased
color pigment.
According to Cambridge, this ultra-hard
surface prevents the stones' natural aggregate
- those small stones - from showing through
after several years of use. As for cost,
I paid just under $2 per square foot for
the Cambridge stones. I found Cambridge
to be slightly more expensive than the other
manufacturers, and the reason, according
to salesmen and masons, was the ArmorTech
finish.
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