Pros and cons of concrete pavers driveways

Introduction

The landscape design of the courtyard of a private house is an important element for every architect, designer and owner. In order to provide comfort not only at home, but also outside it, it is necessary to think over every step in the design of an open-air site.

One of the main materials used for this are concrete pavers for driveway. This multi-purpose building material helps to solve many issues related with design of the garden and courtyard area. However, there are several features that you should pay attention to when making a decision to choose it.

Advantages vs. disadvantages

The usage of a concrete slab piece requires special skills not only during its installation, but also in case if you plan to deal with plants there. So, before you start to decorate the roads and paths on your site, explore all the subtleties of this item.

Here some of the most common pros and cons of concrete pavers & driveways for usage in the courtyard and its driveway. The list was created based on such factors as Design, Installation and Staining, Maintenance, Repair and Cost.

It's worth to mention that the drawbacks related with installation and price while benefits – with all other categories.

Design

Usually concrete is presented in gray color, as it looks without staining. However, there is a wide variety of patterns and colors, can be implemented in landscape design. With so many different types of pavers, there are a huge number of opportunities related with unique decoration. Customers often opt for monochrome, but striking design ideas are possible with contrasting driveway pavers colors and mixing different styles and patterns.

Installation and Staining

The quality of installation mostly depends on the bonding base and the foundation pavers will be laid on.

There are 5 key steps for installation of concrete pavers for driveway:

• Area marking – this will help you to avoid a damage of pieces you don’t plan to cover.
• Soil excavation and drainage – it’s required to guarantee the strength and durability of the driveway.
• Laying of the base – gravel and rubble can be used in order to make sure the concrete doesn't touch the soil directly.
• Pavers placement – don’t forget to compact and set stones to each other for better adhesion.
• Staining (optional) – concrete staining is similar to such for other surfaces. All you need is special stain and fixative – it will provide long lasting sustainability of color and brightness.

Note: more practical way is to use colored pavers.

Problem: So difficult for DIY projects. For those who like handmade products, here is the bad news. Of course, you can try to make and install paving stones yourself, but it's not so easy. Without special skills and equipment, installing the concrete pavers for driveway is a very complex do-it-yourself project.

Maintenance

To answer the question about whether concrete pavers are good for driveways let’s look at two features.

• The pavers are ready to use as soon as the installers have finished the work. No need for “wet concrete” signs, as it’s in the case with conventional concrete mix.
• Concrete pavers are nearly maintenance-free because of its development technology. Special brooms and particular water hardness levels are not required. Wind and rain water are enough to clean it in the best way.

Repair

If a piece of your driveway becomes uneven over time, you can repair a small portion of the paving stone without having to restore the entire site. Changes and extensions can also be made indistinguishable from the original work way. The ability to recreate even the smallest details is the material's main competitive advantage.

Cost

The initial price of paving stones is slightly higher than some other counterparts. But they will retain an almost new look for much longer. When you consider the ease of repairing and modifying the paving stones, you may find that the long-term cost of a normal concrete or other materials is actually higher. So, in fact, price is a relative disadvantage that turns into an advantage when considered in the long-term perspective.

Conclusion

When designing your landscaping, there are lots of things to consider. The strength of the concrete driveway will ultimately have to do with the aesthetics and functionality you’re striving for. However there are some pros and cons of concrete driveways listed above which allow you to determine whether they’re right for you and your site.

When choosing the size and color of pavers, be guided by the size of the area intended for landscaping, and not by the price, because structural and physical characteristics and not cost determines the quality of finished work.