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The rustic impression of antique pave stones delivers a fresh and true beauty. And the popularity of tumbled paving stones shows no signs of slowing down. Landscape contractors love the installation efficiencies, while property owners see them as a durable investment, architectural enhancement and low-maintenance.
Concrete pave stones are made from a ?EUR??,,????'??no slump?EUR??,,????'??? concrete mix. Made under extreme pressure and high frequency vibrations, pave stones have a compressive strength greater than 8,000 psi, a water absorption maximum of 5 percent and will meet or exceed ASTM C-936. This means that a quality paving product has been produced which can be used in a variety of commercial and residential applications. The actual antiqued look is created in an after-market process in which the pavers are placed in a machine that tumbles the pavers. Although some products more naturally lend themselves to the tumbling process, the majority of most paver shapes can be tumbled.
Concrete pave stones go through a curing process before they are ever palletized and delivered to an installation site. The concrete hardens in the curing process and before the pavers are placed into the tumbler, a larger rotating, cylinder machine. As the tumbler rotates, the paving stones smash against one another and the inside of the walls, essentially beating them up. They chip, scratch and develop an aged look that has become a quite popular architectural finish. There are several tumbling process variables that determine the final product look.
The look of a tumbled concrete paver or wall can be altered by the operator depending on how full the tumbler is kept during the antiquing process. A pave stone will exhibit a different look if it is in a ?EUR??,,????'??full?EUR??,,????'?? tube and therefore falling on another pave stone vs. falling on the steel deck of the tube.
The operator can change the angle of the tube and by increasing the angle the stone will be pushed through the tube faster giving a less tumbled appearance. Conversely the operator can decrease the angle and keep the pave stone in the tube longer and give a more tumbled appearance.
The speed of rotation of the tube can also give different appearances to the tumbled product. The faster the rotation the more of a tumbled look you can achieve. The stones will actually ?EUR??,,????'??ride?EUR??,,????'?? up the sides of the tube and fall further and break or round the edges than if the tube were being rotated at a slower speed.
The trend of tumbled paving stones started in the east and quickly spread west growing in popularity. The old world look complements most residential development styles and is highly sought after for downtown restoration projects seeking to maintain the integrity of a community?EUR??,,????'???s historic past. The tumbled pave stone delivers a pleasing visual appeal, but with the low-maintenance, ease of installation and performance that segmental pavers provide.
Tumbled products can be more profitable for the installation contractor. Inherent in the tumbling process, the edges and surfaces of the paver becomes distressed, which gives the product an antiqued appearance. This appearance results in less call-backs because of previous factors for rejection (i.e. chipping, minor spalling, and scratches) are already inherent in the desired appearance of the product.
Like any segmental paver installation job, the true key to profitability is proper job estimating and installation efficiencies. Important factors to remember in job cost estimating include: removals (concrete, asphalt, brick, etc.) and dumping charges; base prep; paving stones (allow for border, field, additional 10 percent for curves requiring cuts, delivery; edge restraints (aluminum, plastic and spikes or concrete toe); equipment costs (saw and blades, tillers, compactor, tractor or forklift); installation (men x hours x rate of pay). One of the most effective ways to increase installation efficiencies is to become ICPI Certified; certification courses provide the knowledge, which increases profitability.
When installing tumbled products, leave approximately 3mm of space between adjacent pavers in order to leave room for jointing sand during the last steps of installation.
A guillotine is a mechanical blade that literally cuts stones in half. With practice, a guillotine produces exceptional cuts.
However, the pavers are often left with rough edges and making small sliver cuts can be challenging. Because the guillotine leaves an uneven cut, this method works well with tumbled products.
An important step in the installation process is the sand joint. Joints should be filled within 2mm of the surface of the stone. As the joints settle over time, more sand will be needed to fill in the space.
Manufacturers continue to introduce new pave stone shapes, colors and textures. There are new paving stones in multi-shape combinations that have recently been introduced. The random pattern of tumbled pavers allows for an infinite number of impression possibilities.
Tumbled pavers provide nostalgic appeal for both residential and commercial environments.
Their textured surface expresses an aged and weathered appearance suitable for most trafficked pavements. Application options include: driveways, patios, entrance areas, sidewalks, terraces, garden pathways, pool decks, pedestrian malls, roof gardens and plazas.
While most segmental walls are not tumbled, manufacturers continue to develop SRW shapes, textures and color blends to more closely replicate natural stone and which complement tumbled pave stones. Combined with the antiqued pavers, landscapes have less of a concrete jungle feel.
30,000 ?EUR??,,????'??? Square feet, size of Milford, Michigan?EUR??,,????'???s main street that received tumbled pavers as a result of a road improvement project.
70 ?EUR??,,????'??? Millimeters, the thickness of the Unilock Brussels Block and Il Campo pavers used on the above project.
Source: City of Milford, Michigan
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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