 |
 |
BUYER
BEWARE – THERE’S ONLY ONE ARMORTEC™ - How
To Respond
To Questions About Competitors’ Hard-Faced Pavers
By Tony Farina,
Cambridge Customer Service Representative / Special Projects Manager
In order to present a consistent and informed response to questions that
compare ArmorTec to competitors’ versions of hard facing, here are
some pertinent differences that set Cambridge apart. When you inform your
customers of these value-added ArmorTec advantages, competition doesn’t
exist.
ArmorTec manufactured Cambridge Pavingstones are made to certain specifications
to afford the user a certain appearance, wear surface, and longevity.
Proprietary, technologically advanced manufacturing techniques and inherent
properties allow ArmorTec pavers to achieve this goal.
For Example:
1. Performance. ArmorTec
manufactured Cambridge Pavingstones will not wear and polish to expose
the coarse and gritty aggregates that make up the base mix (the bottom
two inches of the paver) that are necessary to give the paver its strength.
ArmorTec is superior in this regard due to the tightness of the facing
that makes up its wear surface and also allows for the saturation of color
and increased cement content.
2. Appearance. Cambridge Pavingstones
with ArmorTec do not exhibit the coarseness and dryness that may be evident
in other pavers, which are manufactured with a lesser number of necessary
aggregates. Hard facing does not automatically equate to better quality
if the unit still has too many large aggregates, although this may make
it easier for the manufacturer to produce.
3. Aggregates. Cambridge uses up to seven different gradations
of select aggregates to achieve its smooth and consistent ArmorTec appearance.
No other producer has yet been able to achieve this result because not
every one of these necessary aggregates is available in all geographic
areas. For example, Cambridge uses granite aggregate, one of the most
durable wearing surfaces in nature, to ensure the longevity of the recognizable
ArmorTec finish.
4. Cement. Proper hydration of the cement is an often-overlooked
aspect when making hard-faced pavers. All of the above mentioned components
may be present but they need to be joined together with the proper moisture
levels to activate the cement. Cambridge aggregates are carefully selected
and blended to allow for maximum moisture content. This results in the
most vivid color and cement dispersion available in any concrete paver
today.
5. Selection. Cambridge offers ArmorTec
manufactured pavingstones across the board in all shapes and sizes with
the exception of tumbled. No other manufacturer offers such a wide assortment
of hard-faced pavers.
6. Experience. Cambridge
has over a decade of experience making Cambridge Pavingstones with ArmorTec
and has earned a field-proven reputation nationwide as the leader in this
field.
| Just
because a product is called a hard-faced paver,
it is not necessarily a better quality unit.Cambridge Pavingstones
with ArmorTec… premium quality without the premium price. |
| Keeping
|
| In Touch |
| 
A Message To Our Readers
By Charles H. Gamarekian
Chairman/CEO Cambridge Pavers Inc.
As The Competition Continues To Beat The
Same Old Drum — Their Tired Tune Insults
Our Collective Intelligences
Listen to some of the untruths they continue to
sing to us:
1. “That ArmorTec surface on Cambridge Pavingstones
can eventually lift
right off the paver.”
The Truth Is:
Manufacturers who don’t offer a hard faced paver would like
customers to believe that the facing can dislodge from the bottom
of the paver. ArmorTec, an advanced hard facing technology, is manufactured
into the paver during the production process and not added afterwards.
2. “Cambridge cheapens the quality of their
product by not running color all the way through the paver.”
The Truth Is:
Actually, we cheapen the price, not the quality. At Cambridge, we
opt to limit the 100% saturation (full, rich color) to the top 3/8
of an inch of every hard face paver for good reasons:
- No pigment is needed in the lower area of a paver to assure
full life and
full strength.
- When the paver is installed, you can’t see the sidewalls.
And it would take better than two lifetimes to wear down the super
strong ArmorTec hard facing enough to reveal the remaining 2”
below.
- The cost savings in omitting unnecessary pigment are passed
along to our customers who are able to buy a “premium hard
face paver without paying a premium price”.
Why don’t our competitors produce hard faced pavers this
way? It’s likely that they do not have the know-how, technological
resources and/or the capability.
| |
| Cambridge
Pavingstones with ArmorTec: 4 x 8 Holland in Ruby/ Onyx from
The KingsCourt Collection (left) and 3 x 6 in Sahara/Chestnut
from The RoundTable Collection (right). |
3. “Our pavers may cost a little more because
we don’t cut back on pigment the way Cambridge does.”
The Truth Is:
The only reason Cambridge puts some color in the lower half is to
appease the uninformed customer who may assume that, without color
running all the way through it, the paver is of a lower quality.
Pigmentation is actually optimized in the top portion of our pavers
to give them that now famous “ArmorTec appearance,”
which keeps Cambridge Pavingstones looking like new forever.
4. “We have the same expertise in hard facing
as Cambridge.”
The Truth Is:
Our advanced ArmorTec manufactured pavers actually cost more to
produce than pavers with and without hard facing (even with the
full color running all the way through). Our high-quality ArmorTec
process requires more expensive state-of-the-art equipment, higher
level labor, more extensive training, and increased production time.
Are other paver manufacturers really on par with Cambridge? Have
you also read the cover story in this issue? Study the facts. Talk
to your Cambridge Sales Specialist.
With ArmorTec manufactured Cambridge Pavingstones, it’s always
“Premium Quality” through and through. And never a compromise.
(top) |
| Contractor's Corner |
| For The Professional Installer |
Cambridge
DesignScape Visualizer™
Imaging Software Has Many New Features
& Enhancements — Upgrade Now!
When first introduced in November 2005, Cambridge DesignScape
Visualizer “Before & After” Imaging and Project
Calculation Software received rave reviews from professional pavingstone
contractors. They saw how easy it was to take a digital photo
of an area to be paved and in minutes, show customers how their
driveway, patio or walkway will look with any Cambridge Pavingstone
shape or color.
Taking into consideration the feedback and suggestions we received,
our software team
went to work and already, numerous performance enhancements have
been added.
Check out these exciting new features:
-
New “Turf Button” allows users
to add a lush green lawn to make the landscape complete.
-
New “Model Button” allows users
to add things like shrubs, a mailbox, signs and a picnic table.
-
New expanded selection of borders.
-
Customer/project information window now includes
notes and contact info.
-
Save Steps… you can now access and change
patterns and paver colors from
the same dropdown menu.
-
Better Controls… Enjoy more precise scaling
of before and after images, improved vanishing point control
for more accurate perspectives, plus brightness, color and contrast
adjustments on imported images.
-
Save Time… Placing control points (dots)
when defining areas of your design
is no longer necessary.
Remember, there’s only one Cambridge
DesignScape Visualizer™ and it’s Free… A $300
value.
If you already have the software or want a copy for the first time,
you can get a free fully-functional, upgraded version by seeing
on the “Contractor Info” page at www.cambridgepavers.com.
Scroll down to Cambridge DesignScape Visualizer and click to download
the latest version for Windows or Mac users. Visit the page often
as upgrades are made regularly. So that you won’t miss a single
one, the date of the most-recent upgrade will be displayed on the
page. For training, ask your Authorized Cambridge Distributor, Cambridge
Sales Specialist or call Cambridge Customer Service at 201.933.5000.
|
| Attention
Contractors: We Need Your Photos!
A marketing opportunity for you! Do you have photos of your outstanding
projects that we can feature in upcoming Cambridge marketing material?
Submit photos (digital or prints) for consideration as soon as possible
to your Authorized Cambridge Distributor or a Cambridge
Sales Specialist. |
| Cambridge
Campus |
| Outreach & Education |
 |
Concrete
Toe failed system |
 |
Pave
Edge |
|
Curb
Stone / Edge Stone |
Why Concrete Toe Edging May
Not Be Your Best Choice
The role of edge restraints is to hold pavers tightly together in
an interlocking concrete pavement. However, all edge restraints
are not equal in performance. Although still popular with some installers,
poured-in-place concrete toe can crack and unravel due to ground
movement from freeze-thaw cycles. It can also be the culprit when
dips and valleys end up later on the pavement. Ultimately, when
the concrete toe fails, so too does the system (See actual photo
right). Concrete toe also makes it difficult for grass to root properly
and grow up against the edge of the pavers.
Negative Impact.
So I ask my fellow professionals – do you really save time
and money if the interlocking system fails? What credibility is
lost when the bad news travels? Did you create a cause for doubt
when customers compare an interlocking pavement to traditional methods
such as poured and stamped concrete or asphalt?
Doing It Right Is An Investment In
Your Future And The Future Of The Industry
Cambridge offers two manufactured edge restraint alternatives that
will outperform concrete toe especially when adverse conditions
exist.
PAVE EDGE. Made from
strong Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), a structural plastic, PAVE EDGE
is available in both a rigid product for straight areas and a flexible
product for smooth curves. It installs quickly, will not rust or
rot and, when properly installed, anchors into the compacted aggregate
base course. Pre-drilled holes allow spikes to be driven anywhere
along the length of the edging material. Unlike concrete toe and
curb, PAVE EDGE is “tied into” the pavement system.
Cambridge Curbstone And Edgestone.
First introduced by Cambridge this year, Cambridge Curbstone and
Edgestone offer affordable and durable concrete stone alternatives
to poured-in-place concrete as well as other methods of edge restraint
and can be used for most applications. Colors (Onyx/Natural, Sahara/Chestnut,
Ruby/Onyx and Toffee/Onyx) match Cambridge Wall Systems and are
similar to shades available in Cambridge Pavingstones.
For information and literature on PAVE EDGE and Cambridge Curbstone
and Edgestone visit your Authorized Cambridge Distributor or ask
your Cambridge Sales Specialist. For more details on edge restraints,
click
here (Refer to Tech Spec 3). Also, see Cambridge 2006 Product
Line Specifications.
(top)
|
HELPFUL
TIPS - When Installing Concrete Toe
Poured-In-Place Concrete Curbs or Combination Curb and Gutters are
required by municipalities to make suitable restraints for pavers.
Exposed concrete edges should have a 1/8-in. (3 mm) radius edge to
reduce the probability of chipping. As with precast, the side of the
curbs should extend well below the sand bedding course. The minimum
cross section dimensions of the curb are 8 in. x 8 in. (200 mm x 200
mm) and apply to residential driveways and low volume streets. Larger
sized curbs will be necessary in higher traffic areas or for support
over weak soil. Concrete edges may necessitate a layer of compacted
aggregate base
as a foundation. |
| Staying
Out |
| IN FRONT |
 Product
knowledge like this can give you
a winning competitive edge.
Invite Customers To Visit The New Photo
Gallery On The Cambridge Web Site
By Charlie Tesauro, Cambridge Sales Specialist
To our ever-evolving Web site, we have added a Photo Gallery.
The gallery, which consists of project photos obtained from our
professional contractor-customers and the Cambridge Photo Archive,
can be accessed from various areas of the site.
For your convenience, the photos are separated into four categories:
• Patios & Pools
• Driveways & Commercial/Municipal
• Steps & Walkways
• Wall Systems
Initially, the selection consists of approximately 100 examples
that demonstrate the versatility and many creative DesignScaping
ideas incorporating Cambridge products. Some photos intentionally
show uncompleted projects to give consumers a glimpse of how installation
is achieved. By clicking on any image, it can be enlarged for
better viewing and clearer printouts.
The Gallery works hand-in-hand with our Cambridge DesignScaping
Ideas Book and new Color Guide to make showing and selling Cambridge
products easier than ever.
The Photo Gallery will be updated regularly. Contributions from
contractors and Authorized Cambridge Distributors are welcome.
Photos should be submitted in digital format to any Cambridge
Sales Specialist.
(top)
|
| Project
Portfolio |
| Photos From The Field |
 Cambridge
Custom Colors Pass
With High Marks At James Madison University
Project Details:
Cambridge Pavingstones —
12 x 12, 6 x 9 and 6 x 6
from The KingsCourt Collection; Circle Design Kits
from The RoundTable Collection.
When the multi-phased redevelopment at the James Madison University
Campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia was in its planning stages, an
objective was to create a warmer community-like atmosphere. In
connecting areas of the campus, pavements on walkways, pavilions
and courtyards had to offer uniformity as well as complement the
historic architecture.
Cambridge custom color capability provided a perfect solution.
The Cambridge ColorLab developed three shades that matched colors
found in materials on the buildings, which are now referred to
as Madison Blend, Bluestone Blend and Madison Red.
Since Phase 1 was started in 2003, 72,000 sq. ft. of ArmorTec
manufactured Cambridge Pavingstones have been installed by various
contractors.
(top)
|
|
|
|
|
