Concrete Pavers Guide

If you have a patio area that you’d like to redo – perhaps it’s just dirt, grass, or old concrete or asphalt – or if you want to install a fresh new patio, but don’t know where to start, never fear! Here is some basic advice for the homeowner on the different patio paving options available, from materials and costs to installation and contractors.

Materials

There are three major types of materials you can choose for your patio project:

Patio paving stones: These are what we here at Concrete Pavers Guide most recommend for the various reasons you can read about on this site. These reasons include value, durability, and beauty. Related to this option are patio paving slabs, or paving flags, which are large blocks of concrete that are laid next to each other on a patio. Patio slabs combine some of the virtues of patio pavers (easy to install) with the virtues of concrete (cheap). All of these paver options are great for projects of any types, including garden patio paving. With enough preparation and skills, it is possible to install these concrete patio blocks at home. However, it is probably best to hire a contractor in many cases, especially if your project has any tricky aspects to it.

Pavers can be made out of concrete, stone, or brick. Each has its benefits and drawbacks. Generally, we recommend concrete pavers, as these are the most popular options, balancing the ‘natural’ look of stone pavers without the expense and the inexpensiveness and color, style, and shape variety of brick pavers.

There is plenty of information about this material across the many articles on this site, so please browse for more information.

Concrete: You could simply make your patio a concrete slab. This is usually difficult to do on your own, and you’ll probably have to hire a contractor. Also, even if you get stamped or colored concrete, this final product won’t look as nice as a patio paving stone project. In addition, concrete is well known to crack over time as water underneath it freezes and thaws, putting pressure on the slab and making it fissure in places. These cracks will grow over time with further freezing/thawing cycles, making the whole project look unsightly.

Asphalt: Probably the least aesthetically pleasing choice, asphalt installations also suffer from many of the same problems (such as cracking) as concrete does. We do not recommend asphalt for patios. You will most likely have to hire a contractor to do this, as working with hot asphalt is difficult and dangerous.

A more in depth comparison of these and other materials can be found here. Information about driveway materials can also be found at this listed link.

Installation

Most installations start with a properly prepared base at the appropriate depth, grade, and pitch. For patio paving stones, this includes an aggregate base of the appropriate depth that has been compacted with a plate compactor. Building a paver patio can be quite an easy DIY paving project for most homeowners. See other areas of this website for more information on how to properly install pavers for patios. Since we do not recommend other options, more information on how to install concrete or asphalt will have to be found elsewhere. In general, though, asphalt is not a DIY patio project for most homeowners, while poured concrete can be difficult for those not used to working with the material. Thus, I suggest hiring a contractor to do this work, even though it will cost money and comes with the painful part of actually hiring someone trustworthy and responsible and fairly priced to do the work. More information and tips on hiring a pavers contractor can be found at the link, though this information applies to hiring any kind of contractor.

Costs

Patio paving price or patio paving cost depends on a large number of factors. Most basically, the type of materials you use, the condition of the old area, and the size of the patio will have the largest effect on your price. If you do the project yourself, you will save on labor costs, but you may not save on the aggravation. The factors that go into the cost of your patio paving will depend on many factors, so I’ve listed them out here in this discussion of pavers cost.