Brick Driveway Ideas

For a welcoming, attractive driveway, consider the timeless beauty of bricks. Bricks add color and visual interest, and because of the variety of natural, earth-tone shades available, they fit in well with any landscape, plantings or home exterior. You can also achieve the look of brick with concrete and asphalt stamps and overlays.

Load-Bearing Patterns

A variety of brick-laying patterns look attractive in a driveway, but the herringbone pattern is the most recommended. Certain tile arrangements are more suitable for load-bearing, which means they're less likely to shift under the weight of cars and trucks. Herringbone patterns can handle these heavier loads, while also creating a visually attractive surface.

Recycled Brick

Give your driveway a unique range of earth-tone colors by using brick pavers taken from an old street, possibly one that's been torn up in your area. Search for these salvaged brick pavers at architectural salvage yards, or online. Bricks and brick pavers in past centuries were made by hand, which gave them each a distinctive look. Paving your driveway with these bricks will give your driveway an attractive, slightly multi-colored, old-world look.

Color Choices

Brick pavers are made of clay and come in a variety of colors. Try to choose colors that work well with the style of your home. Clay colors are determined in part by the quarry location, and the final color of bricks are also affected by the firing temperature and additives. The surface of brick colors may also be altered with coats of sand, sealers and slurries. The main color choices for brick include bright-brick red, moss green, brown and a creamy color known as "buff." However, many brick-paver colors can be derived from these basic shades, from very dark brown to pale pink.

Concrete Overlays

Consider a concrete overlay to create the look of a brick driveway. Concrete overlays are applied over an existing concrete driveway. (The existing concrete can have slight cracks, but they can't be too deep, since big cracks can affect the overall structure of the concrete base.) Concrete overlays can be blended with strengthening polymers, which make them extremely durable. The concrete is tinted in the brick color of your choice, then poured. Next, rubber mats with brick patterns on them are applied. When the concrete dries, it looks like a brick surface.

Designs

Create a mix of natural clay and concrete pavers for a subtle checkerboard driveway. Choose light-colored, square concrete pavers and lay them at an angle. Lay down a line of smaller, darker-colored bricks next to them. Repeat this pattern to create a checkerboard look. Or, create a mosaic in the center of your brick driveway, made of your house number or a geometric shape. Place a cobblestone border on each side of your dark brick driveway for a softening look. See Resources for more ideas.

References

• Brick Laying Patterns
• Brick Driveways

Resources

• Driveway Ideas
• Brick Patterns