Cambridge vs. Unilock vs. Techo-Bloc vs. Belgard on Long Island

Four manufacturers cover nearly every paver patio installed on Long Island: Cambridge, Unilock, Techo-Bloc and Belgard. All four make a good product. Anyone who tells you one of them is categorically bad is telling you which one they get their best pricing on.

Here is how they actually differ, and where each one fits.

Cambridge

Made in New Jersey. The most requested line on Long Island by name, largely because it has been installed here for so long that homeowners have already seen it. ArmorTec applies a denser, pigment-concentrated layer at the paver surface, so wear resistance and color retention are strong.

Best fit: homeowners who want a traditional stone look, and anyone matching what already exists in the neighborhood. Widest availability of the four in our area.

Unilock

The premium end. Unilock's EnduraColor process concentrates color and fine aggregate at the surface, and their Ultima concrete formulation produces a denser, lower-absorption unit than standard paver concrete. In a freeze-thaw climate, lower absorption is a genuine engineering advantage, not marketing.

Best fit: north-shore properties and higher-end builds where the budget supports it and the homeowner wants the tightest surface. Expect to pay more per square foot than Cambridge for a comparable line.

Techo-Bloc

Canadian, and it shows in the design language — the most contemporary catalog of the four, with large-format units, crisp edges and unusual colorways. Built for real winters, which is the relevant test here.

Best fit: modern architecture, large-format installations and homeowners who want a patio that does not look like the four other patios on the block. Availability on Long Island is good but less deep than Cambridge, so lead times run longer on specific colors.

Belgard

Owned by Oldcastle, the largest building-products group in the market, which gives Belgard the broadest distribution and the widest price range — from genuinely builder-grade up to premium collections. That range is the thing to watch. "Belgard" on a proposal tells you almost nothing until you know the specific line.

Best fit: budget-conscious projects where the entry-level collections make the numbers work, and large jobs where distribution scale keeps a big order consistent.

What actually decides how your patio ages

None of the above. In fifteen years of looking at failed paver installations on Long Island, the failure is essentially never the paver. It is the base.

• Base depth — 6 to 8 inches compacted for a patio, 10 to 12 for a driveway
• Compaction in 3 to 4 inch lifts, because one deep layer rolled once settles later
• Drainage worked out before the surface is designed, not after
• Edge restraint on every open edge, or the field migrates outward
• Polymeric jointing sand installed dry and activated properly

A builder-grade Belgard on a correctly built base will outlast a Unilock patio on four inches of unconsolidated sand every single time. Spend on the base first. Then choose the paver you actually like looking at.

A note on mixing brands

Wall block, coping and step units are designed to match the field paver within a single manufacturer's color family. Mixing a Cambridge field with a Techo-Bloc wall gives you two colors that are close but not the same, and the eye catches it immediately in daylight. Pick one manufacturer for any project where hardscape elements sit next to each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which paver brand is best for Long Island?
All four major brands — Cambridge, Unilock, Techo-Bloc and Belgard — perform well here. Unilock's Ultima formulation has the lowest water absorption, which is a real advantage in freeze-thaw, and it costs the most. Cambridge has the widest local availability. But the base under the pavers determines how the patio ages far more than the brand does.

Can I mix paver brands in one project?
For the field paving alone, technically yes. For anything adjacent — wall block, coping, step treads — no. Those are engineered to match the field paver inside one manufacturer's color family, and cross-brand combinations land close but visibly off in daylight.

Is a cheaper paver a bad idea?
Not necessarily. Material is a fraction of the installed price, and a builder-grade paver on a properly built base outlasts a premium paver on a bad one. If the budget is tight, cut the paver grade before you cut the base depth — never the other way around.

Related Reading

• Cambridge Pavers on Long Island — lines, cost and what the warranty covers
• Paver Patio Cost on Long Island — the numbers behind an installed price
• How a Paver Patio Is Built — the base work that decides everything
• Pavers vs. Poured Concrete — freeze-thaw, repairability and resale
• Why Paver Patios Settle — and how they get lifted and reset