What Are Driveway Pavers?

Concrete pavers are a very popular building material used to pave driveways, walkways, patios and other surfaces. Although they are often referred to as "cement pavers," that term is a bit misleading. Cement (usually Portland cement) is the primary ingredient in all concrete, but not the only one. Concrete also contains sand, aggregates (such as gravel) and water, as well as various color additives and specific performance characteristics.

 

Concrete and asphalt are by far the most popular road surfaces. Both are long-lasting materials that are relatively inexpensive. The average asphalt driveway is about $3 to $5 per square foot installed, and the average lifespan is 12 to 20 years with proper care. The cost of installing a concrete driveway on average is about $6 per square foot, nationally, and can last for 40 years with good maintenance.

 

But both of these materials are a bit boring. If you're tired of the usual fare when it comes to driveways, maybe it's time to start thinking about using the driveway pavers on your next project.

 

All paver driveway installations begin with the installation of a good base, usually composed of compacted gravel and sand. But some people are surprised to learn that there are three distinctly different types of pavers, each with its own merits and drawbacks.

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Advantages of Pavers

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Pavers offer many more options for colour, design and overall appearance. If you choose the right pavers and install them according to professional standards, you 're sure to be at the back of your home.

 

Pavers also offer the advantage of being permeable to environmentally-conscious homeowners. Rather than allowing rainwater (and runway oils and salts) to wash off into the streets and watersheds, sand-filled joints in the pavers allow water to sink into the ground rather than wash away.

 

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Brick Pavers

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The brick pavers are made of molded and baked clay. The brick paver driveway may last for several decades, but this is still the most fragile of the paver options, as weather and wear can eventually cause clay bricks to fade and disintegrate. Brick pavers have a strength rating of about 12,000 pounds per square inch, making it one of the stronger options. The brick paver driveway can last for 25 years with proper upkeep.

 

Concrete 

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Perhaps the most popular option for paver driveways is to use pavers made of concrete molded into brick shapes. Concrete paver driveways are usually longer than clay bricks; lifespans of 25 to 50 years are common. Concrete pavers are slightly less powerful than brick paver driveways, although their 8,000-pound-per-square-inch strength rating is perfectly sufficient for normal use. Concrete paver driveways are stronger than solid concrete driveways. Cost: $30 to $40 per square foot, including materials and labour.

 

Cobblestones

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When the paving materials are made of blocks of natural quarried stone, they are known as cobblestones. This is by far the most durable of all paver options; the cobblestones should have been good for at least a century, and even then it is usually the driveway base that gives way; the cobblestones themselves are largely indestructible. The cobblestone driveway is extremely attractive, but the surface is somewhat rough, which may limit the way you use the driveway. For example , you can't play basketball on a cobblestone driveway. Cost: $40 to $70 per square foot, including materials and labour.