Cambridge Pavingstones: The ArmorTec Advantage

By Mark Williams | Exterior Remodeling Expert

One of the most devastating complaints I hear from homeowners who hired the wrong hardscaping contractor is that their brand new concrete pavers looked beautiful on day one, but after five years of harsh winters and UV exposure, the color faded away completely, exposing the ugly, gray gravel aggregate underneath.

Cambridge Pavingstones revolutionized the industry by introducing ArmorTec®, a manufacturing process specifically engineered to prevent this exact issue. If a client on the East Coast asks me for a paver driveway that will actually look identical in 10 years, Cambridge is almost always the product I specify.

What is ArmorTec?

Standard, cheaper pavers are a homogeneous mix of sand, gravel, cement, and color pigment. Over time, as heavy cars drive over them and acid rain attacks them, the thin cement paste on the surface wears away, permanently exposing the uncolored gravel stones inside.

Cambridge solved this by using a "Face Mix" process:

1. The Base: The bottom 90% of the paver is a standard, incredibly strong concrete mix containing large aggregate for structural strength.
2. The Face: The top 10% (the ArmorTec face) is a hyper-dense layer of ultra-fine sand, premium cement, and intense color pigment.

• No Exposed Aggregate: Because there are no large stones in the top layer, it will never wear away to expose ugly gravel. It will always look like solid, richly colored stone.
• Fade Resistance: The color pigments are locked into this dense top layer, making Cambridge pavers highly resistant to UV fading.
• Stain Resistance: The incredibly tight, smooth surface of the ArmorTec face makes it significantly harder for oil drops, hot tire marks, and dirt to penetrate the stone compared to porous, builder-grade pavers.

Pros and Cons from the Field

My Experience (Pros)

• Long-Lasting Color: The ArmorTec technology is arguably the best in the business for preventing color fade and aggregate exposure. I've inspected driveways I installed 8 years ago, and they look brand new.
• Smooth Surface: The RoundTable collection is excellent for walking barefoot around pools, pushing strollers, or easily shoveling snow without snagging.
• Stain Resistance: Noticeably better natural resistance to oil stains and tire marks than traditional, porous concrete pavers.
• Transferable Warranty: Comes with a fully transferable lifetime warranty, which is a great selling feature for your home.

My Experience (Cons)

• Regional Availability: Cambridge is manufactured in the Northeast. While they dominate markets from New England down through the Mid-Atlantic, shipping them to the Midwest or West Coast is often prohibitively expensive.
• Slippery When Wet: Because the ArmorTec face is so incredibly smooth and dense, it can be slightly more slippery when wet compared to highly textured or tumbled pavers (especially around pool decks).

Estimated Cost Breakdown

Cambridge is a premium product, but their pricing is generally very competitive with other high-end brands like Techo-Bloc and Unilock. Here is what you should expect to pay in 2026:

• Material Cost: Standard Cambridge pavers (like the highly popular RoundTable or Sherwood collections) typically cost $4.50 to $6.50 per square foot (uninstalled).
• Installed Cost: When factoring in deep excavation, a proper compacted gravel base (the most critical part of the job), bedding sand, the pavers, and polymeric joint sand, expect to pay between $18.00 and $25.00 per square foot fully installed by an authorized contractor.
• Total Project: For an average 600 sq ft driveway, a complete, professional Cambridge installation usually ranges from $10,800 to $15,000.

Popular Collections I Install

Cambridge offers several distinct aesthetics to match your home's architecture:

• Sherwood Collection: Features a slightly distressed, tumbled look (Ledgestone) that mimics natural bluestone, perfect for traditional or rustic homes.
• Smooth (RoundTable) Collection: The quintessential ArmorTec look. Perfectly smooth with slightly chamfered edges, ideal for transitional or modern properties.
• XL Smooth: Large format pavers (e.g., 24" x 24") that reduce joint lines and provide an ultra-modern, expansive aesthetic.

Maintenance & Care

Despite the ArmorTec protection, I remind all my clients that a paver driveway still requires basic maintenance:

1. Sealing: While not strictly required to prevent fading, sealing Cambridge pavers every 3-5 years with a penetrating sealer will make cleaning up oil spills significantly easier.
2. Joint Sand: Keep an eye on the polymeric sand between the joints. If it starts to crack or wash out from heavy rain, weeds can take root. Top off the sand as needed.
3. Snow Removal: The smooth ArmorTec finish makes shoveling easy, but you should still use a plastic-edged shovel to avoid scratching the surface. Never use rock salt (sodium chloride), as it will eat away at the concrete over time; use calcium chloride or magnesium chloride ice melts sparingly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are Cambridge pavers driveable? Yes. All standard Cambridge pavers (typically 2 3/8" or 60mm thick) are engineered to withstand heavy residential vehicular traffic, provided the gravel base underneath is properly excavated and compacted to ICPI standards by your contractor.

Do they need to be sealed immediately? No. I mandate that my clients wait at least 3-6 months (and sometimes a full year) before sealing a new paver driveway to allow the natural efflorescence (white mineral salts) to weather out of the concrete. Sealing too early will trap the white haze permanently under the sealer.

Is efflorescence a defect? No. Efflorescence is a perfectly natural chemical process in all concrete products where salts migrate to the surface, leaving a white chalky haze. It washes away naturally with rain over several months, or can be chemically cleaned off with a specialized efflorescence remover before sealing.