How to Choose the Right Paving Materials for Your MN Home – Part 3

(Editor’s Note:  This is the final installment in our three-part series on landscape paving materials.  Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already read our previous posts.)

Earlier we discussed paving basics as well as the various types of stone that can be used.  Now we get into the composites that can be used for paving materials for the MN home that you own. They can provide beauty in your yard, but they each have drawbacks as well as benefits. Check out all that they provide.

Composite Paving Materials

Widely used as paving materials, composite offers a lot of flexibility, beauty and affordable prices for those that wish to shy away from the various quarry stone options. Composite paving is often made from recycled materials (crushed rock, tire rubber, plastics, etc.).  The composite category also includes brick and precast concrete pavers.

They offer many textures, styles and colors, so the homeowner always has something to choose from. Paving can be expensive to work with, so choosing some materials and testing them out before permanently putting them down is the best way to go to find out which material is the best for your home.

Concrete Pavers

Molded (precast) concrete pavers were once never used very much because they did not mimic the materials they were supposed too. As technology advanced, so did the beauty of these pavers. They provide high quality, beauty and durability to any area they are placed. Stamped concrete pavers have a lot of textural effects that can help add visual interest to a yard or garden, and also come in many colors and styles that sometimes mimic brick or other paving materials. They come in many shapes and sizes and hold up for years.

Poured Concrete

One of the toughest, and most permanent of all paving choices, poured concrete can be reinforced to provide long lasting use. It is able to be placed in any area, and molded to any shape you can think of. You can add pigments, textures and looks to the concrete, while sealing it to make it look like another type of material such as granite or brick. The cost of poured concrete varies with the look, amount of space and time that it would take to lay it.

However, it is hard to correct any mistakes made with it.  And with Minnesota’s freeze-and-thaw cycles, poured concrete is susceptible to cracking and shifting, and there is much labor and cost involved in removing and replacing damaged areas.  We generally recommend using individual pavers instead.

Brick

Brick was once one of the most popular paving materials out there. Bricks come in many sizes – most of them fairly small, which means brick can fit well within many different areas. It is also available in almost any part of the world, making it more affordable and easier to get larger quantities of. The bricks can vary on their durability and strength, so it is important to look into this before purchasing any type of brick.
Speak with us here at Architectural Landscape Design to find out which paving material might be the best for your MN home. We can help you choose, design and implement the right hardscaping for that new look outside your home today.  Our goal is to make sure you love it.

We are a licensed MN landscape design and installation contractor serving the entire Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area.