How to Choose Paving Stones

Most people are familiar with paving bricks, but there are other options worth checking out. Paving stones may provide just the right look for your home improvement project.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gravel
• Concrete
• Gravel
• Concrete
• Paving Stones
• Sand

1. Choose pavers - which are more durable than regular brick - for paths, driveways and patios. (Plan to lay them in sand, concrete or gravel; see step 3.)

2. Decide what shape and color you want. All of the materials come in reds, grays, and browns, as well as whites, mottles, and some in greens and blues.

3. Decide what kind of base you want. Sand is good but tends to erode in areas with a lot of rain. Gravel works well but can be tough on bare feet. Concrete keeps the weeds at bay and remains permanent, but may tend to crack over time and takes a lot more work to put in.

4. Look at the area you'll be paving. Do you prefer the traditional herringbone pattern of brick pavers or the stepping-stone look of round slabs? Do you like a honeycomb pattern or the random, incidental look of crazy paving?

5. Determine how many square feet of area you need to cover.

6. Consider precast paving slabs. These cast concrete units are available in a huge variety of colors, shapes, textures and sizes.

7. Reuse broken chunks of concrete or natural stone to create crazy paving. These work well for paths and patios. The irregular borders won't allow for an exact fit in a confined area, however.

Tips & Warnings

• Study what other people have done or pick up a book of patterns.
• Save money by buying a strap or cube of bricks. These are palletted lots of approximately 100 bricks and 500 bricks, respectively.

on 6/30/2006 In precast (wet-cast) concrete products, it depends on whether the pigments used are inorganic or organic. Inorganic pigments won't fade, so the appearance of the paving won't change unless it is subjected to such problems as salt attack or constant water-flows containing sedimentation, or if a cementitious layer is allowed to settle permanently onto the paving following grouting. Some of these problems are also applicable to clay brick and other types of paving. Another reason why the products may become dull is if the surface is not made from a durable concrete mix. In that case, the surface can wear away.

on 1/9/2008 I noticed older brick paving projects that have faded after 10 years or so. I have found that concrete pavers fade unless they are the natural color, which could be gray or white. With clay pavers or real brick, the color will stay the same forever, unless acid is applied during cleaning.