If you are considering renovating or adding a new driveway or walkway in your home or workplace, you may become confused over the choices you have. There are different paving materials. Some are more expensive than others while some are more durable and easy to maintain. The most commonly used materials are pavers and concrete. Each material provides its advantages all depending on your needs. Let’s get into it.
Pavers
Pavers are stone pieces that can lay in different patterns to form your walkway. They are like stone tiles used for flooring outdoors. There are two types of pavers which are concrete pavers and the interlocking kind. Pavers go back to the ancient roman empire when they were used in the construction of their roads. Some of these roads are still in relatively good condition.
Concrete
Concrete or how they are known- stamped concrete is a concrete slab embedded with texture to mimic other building materials. For example, you may install a concrete slab with a texture that would mimic bricks if you wanted. They are usually a better alternative to plain concrete making your driveway prettier. Concrete slabs are not as old as pavers. They were made to lower construction costs. Psst: see here for the best paving & concrete company. Here is our top-recommended company when it comes to professional concrete polishing service.
Cost
Pavers are known to be very expensive. If you look well enough, you might come across cheap options. Pavers may cost around $1 up to $20 per square foot. Concrete on the other hand is a cheaper option due to the easy way it is mixed and installed. Concrete can be as cheap as $8 up to as much as $15.
Durability
Pavers can take about 9000 pounds of pressure per square inch. An average car weighs about 2000 pounds so taking a car is no problem. You may not have to make repairs often. Interlocking pavers are made to be flexible and move with the ground. Concrete on the other hand is not as durable. Pavers can last up to 50 years but concrete will be good for only 25 years. It is also prone to cracking.
Ease To Customize
One of the best parts of using concrete is the fact that you can customize them to whatever you want. Installers can just press any pattern you want into the concrete. Contractors can also mix colors on-site since concrete is very easy to transport. Pavers on the other hand have issues with the colors of each batch matching.
Installation
To get any of them installed, you may need to contact a professional to help with that. Poor installation can lead to several issues down the line. Pavers for example may move and sink into the ground if it is not properly installed. Concrete is not flexible at all. Due to its inflexibility pressure from an unstable foundation can cause cracking too.
In conclusion, it is possible to find cheap pavers but you may have to do some shopping around. But in general, concrete is an inexpensive material. Comparing the costs can be complicated. Pavers may be more expensive but concrete requires more upfront payment.