“Clay or concrete pavers? Clay or Concrete? Clay or…. (Passes out)”. Well, maybe the first question is, “what’s the difference?”. Everyone is familiar with clay pavers even if you’ve never intentionally paid attention to them. They are the red or yellow bricks we see on the side of buildings, inside century old palazzos, and on old grand majestic walkways. The main material or ingredient in clay brick pavers is clay and they can look more red or yellow. The variation in color is due to the mineral composition of the clay. For instance, clay that are rich with iron oxide turns reddish, while clay containing a lot of lime will have a white or yellow hue (1). Concrete pavers on the other hand pretty much consist of concrete, sand, and gravel. The concrete is pressed into the shape of a brick. Concrete pavers can come in just about any color because a dry-shake pigment can be added with the concrete to create the desired color. If no pigment is added, the concrete brick will be a colorless grey/white. It should be mentioned, for those that really cannot decide, cobblestones are also an option. Cobblestones are actual stones chiseled into the shape of bricks; however, this is another topic unto itself.

There are a few things to consider when picking concrete or clay pavers:

Cost
It’s commonly believed that clay pavers cost more than concrete pavers. This may not necessarily be true when factoring in your local market, masonry installation costs, and the overall pattern you want (which also dictates labor costs). It’s best to shop around. Overall, thin brick veneer pavers (used for driveways and high trafficked areas) will likely be the cheapest by a large margin. Thin brick pavers are thinner than traditional bricks and are manufactured in both clay and concrete.

Size
When considering desired patterns, brick size may or may not be important in a particular project. The standard clay sizes are 4”x 8” bricks and 8”x 8” rectangles. There’s not much variation in sizes as they are manufactured by kilns that are manufactured to produce primarily these sizes. Alternatively, concrete bricks can be manufactured in just about any size and there is a great amount of variation.

Longevity & Preservation
Both clay and concrete pavers will last many years. However, it’s well known that clay bricks last much longer than concrete in two areas. The first is overall strength. Because concrete bricks are not kiln fired and are dry cured instead, they do not have the overall strength that clay bricks commonly have. Clay bricks have a compressive strength of at least 2.5 times stronger than concrete bricks. This affects lifespan. The lifespan of concrete brick pavers is around 20 -25 years with proper care (regular washing and sealing). The average lifespan of clay pavers can last generations with proper care.

The second is colorfastness. Unlike concrete brick pavers, clay pavers do not fade in color. Concrete pavers fade in color over time because the dry-shake pigments that were added to the concrete pavers (that turn them into a desired color) slowly erode due to foot traffic and weather wear and tear. Concrete pavers can be re-stained after installation, but the brick itself will have lost its color. Both clay and concrete pavers will need to be regularly sealed to prevent moisture and stains from building up within the pavers.

When considering the best stone or brick products for your project, it’s wise to hire an experienced mason that regularly works with these products to add insight. You can find high quality Masons on HutSolver. Simply take a picture of your project, post it, and start getting feedback and meeting high quality PROs.

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(1) https://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-today/construction/the-many-types-of-bricks

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