Tips for Choosing Pavers for Your Property
Pavers come in various materials, such as stone, brick and concrete. Plus, they're available in a wide array of shapes, sizes and colours, giving you plenty of options when planning garden paving. To help you choose a design, here are some tips.
Mono- or Multi-tone
After you've decided on the colours you want, you'll need to decide whether you want monotoned or multitoned pavers. Monotoned pavers are one uniform colour, such as red, for example. Multitoned pavers, though, blend several hues like red, blue and grey. The colours will naturally ebb and flow over the surface of each block, giving the paving a lively and interesting appearance.
The variations in hue will help to harmonise the pavers, as they're bound to echo other nearby hues in the landscape. Additionally, these pavers hide stains, making them a good option for driveways. On a driveway made of uniform pavers, an oil stain or tyre mark will stand out. You can combine the two types of pavers by spreading multi-tones across most of the area and setting uniform pavers to form a border.
The Perception of Space
The paver colours and patterns can be used to affect how the paved area appears and how large or small it feels. If you want to open up a dark, shady patio, use light-coloured pavers that are reflective. Darker pavers will have the opposite effect, making an area seem cosier.
The paver pattern also plays a role in creating visual effects. For example, rectangular pavers laid horizontally on a narrow pathway will make it appear wider. If the paving area is wide, you can lay the pavers lengthwise to elongate the space.
Choose an intricate pattern if you want to add visual interest to a large area to prevent it from looking boring. For example, opt for a circular or fan-shaped design. You can use contrasting coloured pavers to create a focal point. For example, on an area of predominantly tan paving, use dark blue or grey rectangular pavers to form a pattern of interlocking diamonds.
Texture
An additional aspect to consider is the texture of the pavers. If you plan to walk over the area in bare feet, it will need to be accommodating. Smoother paving is also preferable for shooting a basketball or pushing a pram. However, texture, such as that on cobblestones, can add visual interest and give a charming rustic feel. Plus, the texture improves the traction of the pavement, making it less slippery. You could include a decorative accent area of highly textured paving that you may not want to place more widely.