There are two main types of pavers available on the market. Here we will outline the importance of understanding the difference between dry-cast and wet-cast pavers. The difference in these two pavers by manufacturing, the look of the pavers, the strength, and the price. What does dry-cast and wet cast mean? Well the difference in these two pavers is the manufacturing process that is involved. Dry-cast pavers are manufactured with very little water and using complex machinery. The pave is compressed into a mold at high pressure and then cured on a rack. Within the dry-cast paver technology there is two different manufacturing processes called thru-mix and face-mix.
Thru-mix is the traditional blend of aggregates, pigment and concrete pressed together. As these pavers age then begin to lose their colour and the aggregate starts to be seen a the surface wears away. Face-mix has a dense layer that is concentrated on the surface of the paver that increases the wear resistance, stain resistance, has more texture variability, and bolder colours. Wet cast pavers are poured into a mold and then vibrated to release the air bubbles, then removed from the mold once cured. Traditional dry-cast pavers used to be fairly basic in terms of appearance with more muted colour tones and textures but in recent years there has been a significant development in using face-mix technologies. The advantage of dry-cast pavers is the increased strength and now with new face-mix technologies you are not limited on textures and colours. The increased strength of dry-cast pavers makes them the optimal choice for driveways and commercial projects.
Wet-cast pavers are known for their traditional bold reds, creamy beiges, deep blues and blacks. Wet-cast pavers also have the ability to impersonate a variety of finishes such as wood, water and natural stone. These smooth textures and bold colours due come at a cost of durability and wear resistance due to the manufacturing process. They are designed for residential projects such as walkways and patios.
In the past it was very simple to generalize on costs between wet-cast and dry-cast pavers, with wet-cast pavers always being the more expensive product. This is no longer the case with the introduction of face-mix pavers to the dry-cast line up. It is easier to categorize them now as three options so you can understand the relative costing. These three categories being thru-mix, face-mix and wet cast. With these new categories it’s easier to define with thru-mix as the most cost-effective solution, wet-cast pavers are traditionally more expensive usually 40-100% more cost per square foot than thru-mix pavers and Face-mix being 10-30% more per square foot than wet-cast.
