Pavers offer much greater freedom when it comes to design, with an array of colors and shapes available to them. The best way to find asphalt companies is in Hayward.
Selecting suitable pavers will help ensure driveway longevity and lower maintenance costs. When selecting driveway pavers, prioritize those that can withstand freeze-thaw cycles, UV damage, and the weight of cars driving over them regularly.
Materials
Selecting the appropriate paver material is critical to crafting a driveway you will love. It should complement the aesthetic details of your home, add depth to landscape textures, and blend seamlessly into your driveway design.
Pavers come in many different materials and styles. Brick pavers offer a classic appearance and complement numerous design styles well. Furthermore, their durability withstands most climates’ freeze-thaw cycles.
Concrete pavers are cost-effective solutions that allow users to create unique designs in various patterns. Suitable for most climates and more straightforward to install than asphalt pavement, concrete pavers make an economical and user-friendly option for creating landscape designs.
Stone pavers are the most expensive option, yet they offer a natural rustic charm that adds beauty to any driveway. Stones last centuries and are easy to repair if they become dislodged or damaged.
Before installing pavers, the site must first be prepared by clearing away any existing grass or weeds and laying a layer of crushed stone as a firm foundation. Then, add another layer of sand—ideally level with the top surface of the crushed stone—which will ensure that your driveway looks its best for years.
Patterns
When designing a driveway, its pattern plays an essential role. You want it to look visually pleasing and durable enough for heavy vehicles to drive over it.
There are three primary paver patterns suitable for driveways: herringbone, running bond, and basket weave. Each style offers a different visual aesthetic.
To add a more modern and minimal aesthetic, consider opting for stack bond paver installations. This technique involves stacking pavers directly upon one another in rows, forming uniform lines both horizontally and vertically. Furthermore, this pattern can accommodate permeable installations since rainwater flows freely through it.
Herringbone patterns involve laying pavers in alternate directions to form V-like formations in their design. This type of pattern is popularly used to pave driveways because of its superior interlocking strength and resistance against shifting under vehicle pressure.
Herringbone patterns can be combined with running bond or basket weave patterns to form more complex designs, or you could opt for random paving patterns using different sizes and shapes of pavers to add interest to your driveway design. For an eye-catching effect, try including hexagonal or octagonal pavers into the mix as well.
Colors
Color selection for pavers is an integral element in creating the ideal driveway space. Choose a shade that complements your home’s exterior color scheme while keeping in mind any specific effect you want to create; perhaps subdued or vibrant? Getting samples from your contractor might help – spread them around on your property to “live with” before making a final decision.
Paver colors can be affected by sunlight, so it is helpful to view photos taken of products at various times and in different weather conditions. Furthermore, block-by-block shades may differ slightly due to dye and pigmentation processes.
Don’t match the color of your paver with that of your home’s paint, as this can ruin its exterior aesthetic. Instead, select a hue that pairs nicely with accent pieces such as trim or shutters before choosing an appropriate paver that brings out their best qualities and makes them pop! We provide stone-textured concrete pavers as well as brick pavers in many shades – take your pick!
Focal Areas
Pavers can add the perfect touch to any design scheme; not only can they create driveways but they can be used to make an eye-catching focal point or highlight an element, they can even tie together walkways. Finding the ideal combination of pavers can make or break any project.
Herringbone, running bond, and basketweave are among the most sought-after paver laying patterns, offering robust interlocks for a firm surface suitable for residential or heavier commercial traffic areas. A herringbone pattern also works well on curved areas as its asymmetrical appearance adds geometric interest while fitting perfectly into many different home styles. A more contemporary option could include a random ashlar pattern, which uses pavers of various sizes for a less structured appearance.
For an attractive finish, use pavers with smooth or brushed surfaces. They come in various colors and will hold up better under vehicular traffic and weathering than pavers with mottled surfaces.
If you live in a snowy region, select permeable pavers that allow water to pass through them and melt the snow rather than creating icy, wet patches on your driveway. When using a snowplow to clear away snow from your driveway, be sure to ask about blade covers that reduce damage from scrapers passing over paver surfaces. To determine base height accurately, put two concrete stakes a few feet outside where you want the pavers placed; use a transit laser level to measure the distance between stakes and the base of each paver base using the transit laser level measurement system.
