How Can I Choose The Best Patio Paver Color?
Perhaps one of the most agonizing yet rewarding choices a homeowner has to make when choosing to install pavers is which color(s) to choose. It's a good problem to have, because it means there's a high chance of finding the perfect paver for your home environment , especially if you're using these helpful tips.
Basic Rules of Thumb When Selecting Paver Color
Experts suggest that you choose colors that are in harmony with your home. For example, pavers that are a few shades lighter than your home won't compete with it, allowing the structure itself to act as a focal point without confusing the eye.
Brick-colored pavers can warm up a wooden house, but they're not really recommended for use with brick houses. Experts believe that mixing a brick house with a brick hardscape usually results in too much red. Gray pavers paired with a brick house are a less-overwhelming color combination.
It's easy for homeowners to default on natural tone pavers because they blend well with the surroundings. However, even natural shades may have pink, yellow, or gray shades that may be accentuated by sunlight or water from overspray irrigation. So it's important to look very carefully at the pavers with natural tones to make sure that the color is right for your home. These colors are trendy at the moment because they are reminiscent of the tranquility of the beach or desert and therefore conjure up a feeling of being on vacation.
Consider Sunlight
Paver color may vary depending on the amount of sunlight that hits it. Check the area all day in bright sunlight, filtered sunlight, and even at night when the landscape lights shine on the pavements. If the area is completely shaded, you may want to opt for light-colored pavers to lighten the area.
And, if you're living in a hot climate, you might want to consider how hot the paving stones might get, especially if they're near a pool where kids might be walking outside with bare feet.
Consider the Effect Are You Trying to Achieve
Do you add pavers to the zen garden and need a muted, quiet feel? Untapped pavers in natural or gray tones with clean lines may be your answer. Do you want to create a vibrant space with a lot of color and energy? Look at patterns that can be set in your driveway or patio. Is your taste more modern or perhaps more rustic? Rustic means that tumbled pavements with uneven edges and colors may best suit your look.
If you want to make the area feel bigger, light-colored pavers will do the trick because they reflect light. On the contrary, dark-colored pavers tend to make spaces look smaller because they absorb light.
Matching Pavers to Roof Color
Some experts believe that matching the color of the walkway, the driveway and the patio floors to the color of the roof of your home is the way to go, because this strategy ties colors together. Colors don't have to match exactly, but they should have the same hues. Look at photos online and at homes in person to see whether or not this strategy appeals to you.
Ask for Samples and Examples
It is highly recommended that homeowners ask their installer to lay out multiple samples and live with them for a while before officially choosing the color of the paver. Be sure to ask for a variety of options so that you can examine the shades of each flooring combination. Although it may take extra effort, try looking at a large-scale installation of the paver color that you like to further understand what your outdoor living space will look like.
Consider What You Might Be Able to Change
Often, homeowners first fall in love with a paver color that may not exactly match the exterior of the home. Take a look around and see if you can tie in color by painting window shutters, changing rain gutters and downspouts, changing the color of the front door, or by refreshing other accents.
Monotone or Multicolored?
The installation of a monotone paver means that the color chosen is pure and without any variation. It's usually modern and sleek, but the problem is that this choice will show both large and small stains that can catch your eyes almost every time you look at the surface. Oil stains and tire marks are inevitable when it comes to driveways. There are also likely spills of barbecue grease stains, bird drops and other potential stains in the backyard. Think about how much a stain or two is going to bother you. (But be assured that one of the advantages of interlocking pavers is that your contractor can easily remove and replace them.)
If the stains bother you and replace the pavers every time the stains do not appear in the cards, the multicolored pavers are the way to go. Usually, these pavers have two or more color variations and tend to hide stains very well. And, obviously, because multicolored pavers have more colors in them, they tend to blend more seamlessly into existing environments.
Are You Considering Pavers for Patio?
At DPG Pavers and Design, we’ve been providing our customers with specialized Landscape and Hardscape Design and Build services for over 30 years. With offices throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, we are the best curb-appeal and outdoor living space designer and installers for homes, apartments and municipalities. Appearing on HGTV’s Curb Appeal and featured on Discovery Channel’s program Renovation Nation, our team of skilled designers and landscape engineers provide top-quality service and professionalism our customers love. Have a patio in need of an upgrade? Contact DPG Pavers and Design to schedule your free consultation today!
