The Paving Blog

I mentioned interlocking paving in a previous post, and it’s well worth elaborating on. Interlocking concrete pavers are one of the latest modern marvels to grace the paving field. A compressed concrete product, modular and therefore segmented, these compressed bricks of amazing strength and durability also now come in varied colors. Many are even able to conform to the strictest architectural demands of permanent and seemingly impossible colorations once thought impossible to come by. There are now many striking gorgeous walks, piazzas, driveways and roads, including the Hong Kong Airport, constructed entirely from brick pavers.

Interlocking brick pavers have made such a splash since the early ’80’s, when they burst onto the field, that they are now a truly common alternative material for patios and sidewalks. Perfectly-formed, shaken in their molds to express out all air pockets, fine silicates blended with strong cement mixes yield an amazingly durable, hard block. The standard ratings for these paving stones are in the 8,500 PSI range, just about twice as hard as the cement curbing specified for enduring city gutters and streets.

The other remarkable factor is their perfection of shape. Constructed to fit with the finest tolerances, they tend to be perfect in depth, width and length, fitting together more than snugly with others of the same ilk. The tiny crevices engineered as gaps between the interlocking bricks allow for a very fine sand grout to be swept or shaken inside, further locking them laterally into a durable and permanent position. Thus snug and permanent, they are the basis of a roadway, patio or driveway destined to live a long and serviceable life. More so, in fact, than any other product.

Drive way paving presents a potential buyer with a wild array of choices.  Depending, of course on budgets, almost anything is possible.  Naturally, the cheapest driveways, suitable for cars and deliveries, are gravel only. That loose or even compacted gravel gets looser later and is hard to walk on is obvious.  The tendency for it to reach into lawns and gardens is yet another of the many reasons, gravel driveways might be economical, but their disadvantages certainly outweigh the competition.

Asphalt tends to be the cheapest alternative to gravel and, from asphalt, we progress upwards into cement products.  The cost comparisons to your standard average cement driveway as opposed to asphalt reveals a small range of difference. But the step up from there is substantial with some very definite upsides.

A newer method of applying cement is now the “Stamped Concrete” alternative.  It is approximately double the price of asphalt, but the amazingly sleek and colorful patterns and textures of stamped concrete are pretty amazing.

The next category is slightly higher in price to ’stamped concrete’:  interlocking brick pavers. These cost about double what asphalting costs.  Here’s the deal, however.  It turns out paver patios and driveways have few peers in terms of adding value to a home.  In terms of strict real estate value, there are few items within or without a home that appraisers and buyers attach this much value to. What it amounts to is that you really do pay for what you get.  In fact, in this particular case, you might just be getting even more for your buck.

Hello and welcome to the paving blog’s first post! Paving may seem like an odd topic to blog about, but with so many blogs out there, on so many topics, I figured this one as important as any other and deserving of due attention in the blog sphere. The posts on this blog are all by a professional paver but intended for home owners, wondering about the tricks of the trade and about various materials, machines and techniques used in paving. I will try to cover these and more in posts added from time to time to this blog. Hope you join me and that soon enough we’ll have archives that will make you all come back and send your friends over too!