Paver Brands - New Install in NJ

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JC1256

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Jun 4, 2020
45
Jersey Shore
Hi everyone! Loving this site and wealth of knowledge. I live in NJ near the jersey shore with very sandy soil. Our pool is just about completed and we have been thinking of stamped concrete vs pavers for months now and I think we have decided to go with pavers.

My question to everyone is if you have pavers which brand did you go with and are you happy with them? We are getting a salt water pool so not sure if that matters much.

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
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We decided on Belgard concrete pavers, still in the build process but I will provide good feedback once it’s complete as there isn’t a ton of information on here so we had to just make a call and go with it!
 
I had pavers in my old vinyl pool 1996-2013. It was a big problem with settling and grew mold and weeds in the cracks but pavers looked very pretty with an Italian palatial mosaic design. Pool and deck both demolished in 2013 during hurricaine sandy and the entire build was then changed to gunite with upper 6 inches having glass sparkle tiles with Kool deck which is a colored stamped and textured concrete that is pitched throughout and very solid. No problems now for seven years. The Kool deck is also very pretty and much more durable that pavers and no settling or weeds or mold in the paver cracks.
 
Really depends on the style your after. NJ is big on cambridge, techoblok, EPhenry. They have been pushing Nicolok hard in our area the past year and I like the new product lines amd quality. They are all good choices it matters more on the installation amd most important is base prep. After that is sealing them. Anybody having pavers especially around a pool that aren't sealed is like never changing your oil in your car. After so much work and money a few hundred on sealer makes them look and last double the lifespan if not more
 
Do those Unilock pavers above get warm to the touch? They look great but I am nervous about the concrete sitting in the sun all day getting very warm. I feel like this decision is almost harder than all of the pool decisions. We also just signed a contract in NJ and now I'm trying to piece together all of the extra components.
 
steveox said:
Do those Unilock pavers above get warm to the touch? They look great but I am nervous about the concrete sitting in the sun all day getting very warm. I feel like this decision is almost harder than all of the pool decisions. We also just signed a contract in NJ and now I'm trying to piece together all of the extra components.
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I imagine in late July and August here in the Chicago area, they are going to be hot on bare feet, but most of the time they will be ok. We had a paver patio already and it was never blazing hot that you couldn't walk on it, but I am in the Chicagoland area, not Texas or AZ so they are a great choice around here. Flip flops to the pool area, and then once you have water around, its no big deal. I especially chose a lighter color for around the pool, but I don't think they are a bad choice for my area around the pool.
 

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Thanks for the reply! I am in NJ and am struggling to decide on the decking material. One day I am leaning stamped concrete and the next I'm leaning pavers. I'll continue flip-flopping until the final day to make a decision I'm sure!
 
We have Techobloc out front of our house (walkway to sidewalk) and EPHenry for our rear patio. Neither get too hot in direct sunlight and we are down in South NJ.

We just did the pool deck in light gray stamped concrete, so the verdict is still out. Our pool deck will get 10 solid hours of direct sunlight in the summer per day so we shall see what happens.
 
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I've been going back and forth on this question also. We made our decision to go with paver (Belgard) this week. Ultimately we like the look of paver better and figure they would be easier to replace in the future if the need ever came up due to settling or something unexpected.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. My installer really like unilock and around me this particular installer seems to be one of the best around. I really also like Cambridge but keep hearing some not so good reviews after a few years. My wife likes the color of the onyx natural with the darker coal border. It seems online many people don't post the good reviews such as the bad which makes the decision a little harder.
 
gingrbredman said:
We went with Unilock pavers and also have a saltwater pool. Have Unilock pavers on my existing patio and have been happy with them over the last 8 years.

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This looks great! My paver installer is highly recommending Unilock and this would be the color scheme we are looking for except the darker border around the pool. I think yours looks amazing!
 
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Candurin said:
We have Techobloc out front of our house (walkway to sidewalk) and EPHenry for our rear patio. Neither get too hot in direct sunlight and we are down in South NJ.

We just did the pool deck in light gray stamped concrete, so the verdict is still out. Our pool deck will get 10 solid hours of direct sunlight in the summer per day so we shall see what happens.
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I am in a similar situation. My backyard will easily get that much sun as yours. Tough to decide! :)
 
jimmythegreek said:
Really depends on the style your after. NJ is big on cambridge, techoblok, EPhenry. They have been pushing Nicolok hard in our area the past year and I like the new product lines amd quality. They are all good choices it matters more on the installation amd most important is base prep. After that is sealing them. Anybody having pavers especially around a pool that aren't sealed is like never changing your oil in your car. After so much work and money a few hundred on sealer makes them look and last double the lifespan if not more
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Thanks for the reply! My installer is really pushing Unilock because of how durable and strong they are but also likes Cambridge. My wife likes the Cambridge color scheme better. Our installer by us seems to be one of the best around and heavily promotes a strong base. I always hear mixed reviews online about sealing. It is definitely worth it?
 
JC1256 said:
Thanks for the reply! My installer is really pushing Unilock because of how durable and strong they are but also likes Cambridge. My wife likes the Cambridge color scheme better. Our installer by us seems to be one of the best around and heavily promotes a strong base. I always hear mixed reviews online about sealing. It is definitely worth it?
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If you have an authorized Unilock installer, Unilock will include a lifetime warranty on the blocks. It isn't the most valuable of a warranty in the end, labor for replacement isn't included. etc. etc. etc., but Unilock seems to want to stand by their blocks and offer up some kind of warranty. Also, if an authorized contractor installs them, at a minimum, they need to offer a 2 year guarantee on major settling or failures with installation.

Plus, I like the new " Enduracolor" in some of their line of blocks. My existing patio is a Unilock patio (10 yrs old), but did not have that and there is aggregate comiong through and the color is not as uniform anymore. The new Enduracolor is supposed to have the color much deeper in the blocks.

Don't want to sound like a Unilock sales guy here, but there are some good points to going with that brand. I did and like it, not to say other choices are bad. Unilock is not a available nationwide either, but if you have that option, its worth looing at.

For sealing, everyone I have talked to about pavers around the pool have recommended a commercial type sealer, not just something you pick up at the big box stores. Will make the patio last so much longer, and look so much better longer. After all, the pavers are really concrete, and it would probably be recommended to seal that around a pool.
 

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