The Paving Blog

Interlocking brick pavers are quite possibly the single most value-adding enterprise in the outdoors of any home.  I base this on numerous conversations with Real Estate salespeople, appraisers and with folks who have sold or will sell their homes.

Now, I am a definite “outdoor guy”.  I am a landscaping professional whose entire galaxy of concerns take place on the level of things like initial curb appeal, outdoor living and the expansion of the indoors to satisfying outdoor solutions, all implying an enhancement as opposed to the strictly necessary concerns regarding pure food and shelter. The things I advocate deal with driveways and patios, sidewalks and trees and plants.  It’s an area I am extremely familiar with and knowledgeable about.  I hope my recommendations can create some resonance and perhaps some facts-checking at your end.  If you do take this route, I am absolutely certain you will have my claims about interlocking brick pavers bear out every scintilla of what I am saying. Simply put, they add value and curb appeal.

The rewards of interlocking brick as a paving solution speak foremost of all to longevity and durability.  Prepared correctly and correctly installed, the life expectancy of brick pavers has no limit. It is no accident roads and streets, the Hong Kong Airport and many other permanent structures are using them now. They are simply an amazingly durable product.  Their added benefit is in the ease of repair if something does go wrong.  Pulling pavers out and then reinserting them is child’s play, quick and easy. Monolithic, poured surfaces like cement and asphalt have a life span. In most climates both surfaces eventually wear out and need replacing, either in patches or entirely.  The fact that the segmented nature of pavers allows contraction and expansion and can revert to form means it faces none of the problems implicit in monolithic structures.

Then we come to the other major strength of pavers and it is their look.  Aesthetically, no other surface can even compare to the complexly-woven, patterned and colored surface these offer.  There is no comparison, outside of perhaps “stamped concrete” in terms of texture and color, but even here we revisit the monolithic slab with its maintenance issues and life span.  Simply put, the technology and expanding development of interlocking brick pavers deals with an already near-perfect product in terms of durability, but also now reaches into continually-evolving and more beautiful forms.

Sealers used on pavers are usually sprayed on with a backpack or pump sprayer. Sealants serve in a diverse number of enhancing ways for a paver surface. They lock the loose, dry sand into place inside the joints between the pavers. Thus the sand will stay in place in the event of high pressure pressure-washing and continue its functional and aesthetic reasons for existence. The pavers will have better measure of protection from things such as grease droppings from cars or bar be que’s, making it easier to clean. Sealers also dictate the sheen: a glossy, semi-glossy or flat surface coating.

Paver sealers are typically a chemical mix involving polymers or epoxies or else often water-based mixes of acrylics which cover the surface and perform a variety of functions. They can act as agents to give pavers a “wet look”, as if recently washed. Looking therefore glossy, it has the colors standing out very loudly. This sealer can effect a newer and fresher look and bring the color out very prominently.

The fact is there are 3 grades of sealers. Going backwards from a “sheen” rating, the glossier ones give the look described above. A second sealer gives a less prominent color and a more semi-glossy look. And the flat look is more natural perhaps but still serves its protective function as well as locking the sand into place. All are highly recommended by all installers yet they are not absolutely necessary.

Stamped concrete has hit the construction industry running.  One of those ideas whose “time had come”, stamped concrete offers variations of color and texture previously thought to exist only in the application of native or imported stone.  The absolutely wild themes available currently are even more diverse every year.  New patterns of impressions are discovered every year, resulting in yet more design possibilities. And the color possibilities remain basically endless.  The better the installers get at mixing, dying and experimenting, the better the overall look in general.  For something as relative new to the construction industry as stamped concrete, its technological and design application advances boggle the mind.

Making driveways of stamped concrete costs a bit more than installing your standard grey cement mix, but the effects are truly arresting. What one gets with stamped concrete is the texture of natural stone, a potentially rough surface mirroring that of grainy and pocked natural rock.  But when the color is applied, the work really stands out.  Penetrating charcoal powders thrown down on the already-colored cement from the truck result in a look of depth and shadow as they settle into the lower dips of the impressed finish. Hosed off, you see this shadow effect emerge and the results are a two-colored deep and very artistic look.

Other colors work as well, ranging through the entire color spectrum, now resembling more of an artisan’s project than some slab of cold, gray cement. Matching color to a home works a minor miracle in bringing everything together into some thematic consistency.  It also pleases the eye dramatically, giving a striking curb appeal.

Another tactic often employed is to use bands of stamped concrete to either rim the edge of standard cement or top even bisect it, bringing out the colors of the banding yet more and reducing the glare and offensiveness of an immense gray slab.  Inserting shapes inside the gray look also works -shapes of circles, rectangular effects or shapes of almost any character at all.  These are easily done during the initial pours and can result is a much softer, far more interesting look.

Continuing the stamped concrete theme to the sidewalks, entryways or patios that surround the home simply highlights the entirety of the enterprise even more substantially.  The themed look goes from simply “pretty” to “stunning” and gorgeous to another degree altogether.

These value-added changes and installations can produce value far beyond the norm.  Presenting such a fascinating and thematic face to the world is a rue highlight of adding to curb appeal and yet another way to enjoy one’s living space even more.

These edge restraints represent an achievement in paving technology. Where previously many paver installers formed edges of cement, often on top of yet more cement, meaning a far greater labor and materials expense, these handy plastic items serve the same purpose in a tenth of the time. When 10″-12″ spikes are used as the securing mechanisms, the edge restraint shown here can be applied in minutes upon satisfactorily laying a paver edge. Indeed, owing to some very bizarre asymmetries in design any more, the edge restraints are often put in “prior” to the laying of the pavers.

This is so a perfect edge can be scribed and then cut for a maximum conformity, leaving a perfect congruent line of edging. After all, when all is said and done, this product will be invisibly doing its work: retaining the entire paving edge in a durable and permanent way. Thus, plastic is a perfect product, not only because of its lightness the ease of transport and cutting, but also because it will never break down like metals or cement will.

Plastic and aluminum paver edge restraints represent the latest in restraint technology’ Faster, easy to install, they allow a contractor to leave in a timely manner without the headache of worrying about the after effects of dealing with cement.