Knowing What You Want in a Paver Before Visiting Your Landscape Supply Store in York, PA

December 22, 2019 Stephanie D

Choosing the right pavers for an outdoor living project is a fun process, but it can quickly become overwhelming, especially if your client isn’t clear on what they want. Knowing what you want in a paver before visiting your landscape supply in York, PA, will save time and prevent frustration. And it will result in a project that is satisfying to the eye.

The Overall Look and Feel

Before diving into the specific characteristics of individual pavers, what’s the overall look you want to achieve? What is the feeling your client wants when they use their space: casual or formal, rustic or elegant, family-friendly or sophisticated?

In general, large-format, darker-colored pavers are a more sophisticated and refined choice while smaller-format, earthy tones give a backyard a charming relaxed vibe.

Colors

The next step is matching pavers to the home, any existing hardscapes, and the softscape. Go for a complementary look rather than attempting to match a home’s siding or color exactly. This will give an outdoor space its own identity and character, while contributing to a cohesive whole. Colors in the home, landscape, or any existing hardscape areas can be utilized as accents or borders. This technique ties the look together without creating an overabundance of one color.

Location and sun exposure will narrow the color choices. Light pavers make spaces feel spacious and bright, but they can become blindingly bright in a south-facing location. Dark pavers make a space feel smaller, but they can make a north-facing location feel cold, and they may become uncomfortably hot on bare feet on southern exposures.

In general, mid-tone colors are the safest bet. If the home is a bold distinctive color, the paver choice will have to be made carefully to avoid too much contrast. Too much dramatic contrast doesn’t create a visually soothing space, which many homeowners want in outdoor living.

Shapes

You don’t have to use small pavers in small spaces. In fact, large-format pavers laid at a 45-degree angle to the home make a small patio appear much larger. However, small pavers will contribute to a cozy feeling, so choose pavers that best fit the homeowner’s desired look and feel.

In larger spaces, pavers that are available in three varied sizes work well because they can be laid in random-looking patterns that create visual interest while avoiding too many lines that draw the eye like a runway to the end of the patio.

Textures

Textures are both tactile and visual. Flagstone pavers (natural flagstone or flagstone-like concrete pavers) are more textured, which is a wonderful choice for large spaces that could otherwise achieve a “paved” look. Visual texture is also achieved with jointing compound. Create more texture by choosing a contrasting jointing sand, and less texture by choosing jointing sand that closely matches the pavers.

Materials

The final choice is the materials. Both natural stone and concrete pavers are beautiful, durable, and easy to care for. Natural stone has a slight advantage in character, as no two stones are ever alike; the flip side to this is that a particular color may not be available in the future. Concrete has a slight advantage in that pavers are designed to lock together, making for easier installation, and many concrete pavers come factory sealed.

Our helpful paver experts are standing by to assist you with making the perfect choice for your next hardscape project!

Image Source: Unilock