What kind of first impression does your driveway and entryway make when company arrives? If you're in a home that's been built within the past 60 years, chances are good that you have a concrete driveway and maybe an attached path to the front door. Poured-concrete is low maintenance and durable, but over time there is a 99.9% chance it will crack. Sadly, once it is cracked... Well, it's cracked!
As an alternative material for your driveways, walkways, and patios we recommend concrete pavers with a mortarless joint. Here's why!
#1 THEY DON'T CRACK
Mortarless pavers are set in a sand-based mixture. This mixture provides a stable setting-bed once it is screeded (flattened-out), so they stay in place. Yet, they also remain relatively flexible due to the nature of sand. Extreme temperatures cause concrete to expand and contract. This is why our poured-in-place slabs crack in the first place! With the way pavers are laid, into a media that is in and of itself flexible, the pavers are afforded the room necessary for this expansion and contraction.
#2 THEY ARE EASILY REPLACED
We embellished a bit above... Is it possible to crack a paver? Yes. If you were to drop a 16-pound bowling ball off the top of your roof directly onto your brand new paver driveway, there's a pretty good chance that something is going to crack. But, it's going to be one-three pavers at most. The standard sizes of most reputable paver manufacturers is 6"x9", 6"x6", and 6"x3". Because you are using a modular paving system, any crack that is incurred is only going to travel 9-inches. MAXIMUM! Hence the beauty of modular paving! Now, the chances of a paver actually cracking truly is slim-to-none. The chief point here is that if they crack, you simply pull those pavers up and lay new ones down. Voilà!!!
Because of the size and modularity of pavers, they can be placed with mortar or without. Some home-owners prefer the look of a mortared joint between the pavers. However, good designers and contractors will most often recommend against a mortared layout. There are a couple reasons:
#3 THEY ARE LOW MAINTENANCE
Pavers require little-to-no maintenance. They don't stain the same way concrete does when oil from the car or wine from the party is spilled. Because many of the preferred colors for pavers are somewhat polychromatic, it is also more difficult to visually pick out dirt, wear, or a recent spill. If you've installed new countertops in the kitchen, it's the same principle. You can seal your pavers if you'd like, but it isn't necessary. Sealing will protect your pavers and give them a clean, semi-wet sheen throughout the year. Sealing only needs to be done once every few years.
#4 THEY ALLOW WATER TO DRAIN PROPERLY
Take a moment to think of all the water that is lost into the street and gutter system from concrete in the landscape. It doesn’t rain much here in Arizona, but when it does, it’s a downpour during the monsoon season. Though our sensitivity to conservation of this precious resource has grown in many areas, such as lawn reduction or complete removal, impermeable surfaces is not something that we tend to think about as average homeowners. As demand for water increases, it will be extremely important to achieve as much positive ground-percolation on your property as possible.
One of the coolest aspects of pavers is the fact that they significantly reduce the amount of sheet flow. Instead, they allow water to percolate through their joints. During a rain event, or when washing your car, water it is able to penetrate directly into the ground rather than running off onto an adjacent patio or onto the street. Many manufacturers, such as Belgard, also offer a "permeable" paver. These are high-tech designed systems that allow moisture to filter back into the soil gradually and naturally. Permeable pavers are designed with small sponge-like openings, which allow water to push directly through its surface.
If you are looking to maximize positive drainage and don't mind a more natural look for your driveway, "grass pavers" like Belgard's “Turfstone” are an excellent choice! Grass pavers are typically a bit larger module, usually around 16”x24” and a tad thicker, at around 3”. They are constructed like a lattice, with 1-3”-square voids throughout. Their design is both aesthetic and functional; allowing for grass to grow up, the water to go down, and typically lend a softer, and more natural feel to your overall hardscape design.
If you are after maximum drainage but don’t want turf growing amidst your driveway, you’re still in luck! Instead of putting down grass seed, we recommend filling these voids with a 3/8”-minus decomposed granite of your color choice. This aesthetic is beautiful, you will still gain the benefits of awesome drainage, and it will tie in beautifully with your adjacent landscape.
#5 THEY JUST LOOK BETTER
The concrete slabs that are oh-so-typical of our old driveways and patios, are often a single color: gray. Yes, concrete can be stained. Yes, concrete can be sand blasted. Yes, you can apply an epoxy-surface to it and make it look better than just plain ole’ concrete. However, pavers are designed and manufactured with aesthetics in mind, and as such, come in dozens of colors, shapes, sizes, and styles. With so many choices in pavers, there are a multitude of setting-patterns you can incorporate to really make them pop! There are pavers for Old World-style residences: Tuscan, Spanish-Colonial, and pavers that look just like the old cobbled streets of Rome. The list goes on and on! If you prefer a sleek, clean, and modern feel there are a multiplicity of paver-flavors just for you! The options for materials today are almost endless, and this affords your designer and contractor a greater palette to offer in composing a space that is unique to your individual tastes. From a curb-appeal standpoint, pavers win hands-down!
#6 THEY ARE MADE LOCALLY
If you are anything like us at Sonoran Shadows, you appreciate supporting the local economy and reducing your carbon footprint. Belgard, Acker-Stone, and Phoenix Pavers all have manufacturing plants right here in Phoenix. These local materials take less time, money, and resources to get from point A to point B, and in-turn will reduce the cumulative energy that will go in to your project.
You may be curious about cost. Pavers are a bit more expensive to install over concrete, but this is due to the difference in the amount of time it takes to install them. They also vary per / square-foot depending upon the style, color, and size you choose, and how your contractor prices them. If you are concerned about price, fear not. You’ll see a good return on your investment, both from a perspective of quality and enjoyment, as well as through the curb appeal that you’ll be creating through incorporation of your new hardscape. Take our word for it… pavers won’t let you down!
As an alternative material for your driveways, walkways, and patios we recommend concrete pavers with a mortarless joint. Here's why!
#1 THEY DON'T CRACK
Mortarless pavers are set in a sand-based mixture. This mixture provides a stable setting-bed once it is screeded (flattened-out), so they stay in place. Yet, they also remain relatively flexible due to the nature of sand. Extreme temperatures cause concrete to expand and contract. This is why our poured-in-place slabs crack in the first place! With the way pavers are laid, into a media that is in and of itself flexible, the pavers are afforded the room necessary for this expansion and contraction.
#2 THEY ARE EASILY REPLACED
We embellished a bit above... Is it possible to crack a paver? Yes. If you were to drop a 16-pound bowling ball off the top of your roof directly onto your brand new paver driveway, there's a pretty good chance that something is going to crack. But, it's going to be one-three pavers at most. The standard sizes of most reputable paver manufacturers is 6"x9", 6"x6", and 6"x3". Because you are using a modular paving system, any crack that is incurred is only going to travel 9-inches. MAXIMUM! Hence the beauty of modular paving! Now, the chances of a paver actually cracking truly is slim-to-none. The chief point here is that if they crack, you simply pull those pavers up and lay new ones down. Voilà!!!
Because of the size and modularity of pavers, they can be placed with mortar or without. Some home-owners prefer the look of a mortared joint between the pavers. However, good designers and contractors will most often recommend against a mortared layout. There are a couple reasons:
- You're back at square-one with a system that is susceptible to cracking. All those little mortared joints are now going to fill with water, expand, contract, and then crack.
- Though easier to repair than a fractured concrete slab, replacing a single paver section can become troublesome, and it will look different from what was originally laid.
- Laying a mortared driveway or patio is time consuming, and this is going to drive your price up. You'll serve the same purpose with the same product by going mortarless.
#3 THEY ARE LOW MAINTENANCE
Pavers require little-to-no maintenance. They don't stain the same way concrete does when oil from the car or wine from the party is spilled. Because many of the preferred colors for pavers are somewhat polychromatic, it is also more difficult to visually pick out dirt, wear, or a recent spill. If you've installed new countertops in the kitchen, it's the same principle. You can seal your pavers if you'd like, but it isn't necessary. Sealing will protect your pavers and give them a clean, semi-wet sheen throughout the year. Sealing only needs to be done once every few years.
#4 THEY ALLOW WATER TO DRAIN PROPERLY
Take a moment to think of all the water that is lost into the street and gutter system from concrete in the landscape. It doesn’t rain much here in Arizona, but when it does, it’s a downpour during the monsoon season. Though our sensitivity to conservation of this precious resource has grown in many areas, such as lawn reduction or complete removal, impermeable surfaces is not something that we tend to think about as average homeowners. As demand for water increases, it will be extremely important to achieve as much positive ground-percolation on your property as possible.
One of the coolest aspects of pavers is the fact that they significantly reduce the amount of sheet flow. Instead, they allow water to percolate through their joints. During a rain event, or when washing your car, water it is able to penetrate directly into the ground rather than running off onto an adjacent patio or onto the street. Many manufacturers, such as Belgard, also offer a "permeable" paver. These are high-tech designed systems that allow moisture to filter back into the soil gradually and naturally. Permeable pavers are designed with small sponge-like openings, which allow water to push directly through its surface.
If you are looking to maximize positive drainage and don't mind a more natural look for your driveway, "grass pavers" like Belgard's “Turfstone” are an excellent choice! Grass pavers are typically a bit larger module, usually around 16”x24” and a tad thicker, at around 3”. They are constructed like a lattice, with 1-3”-square voids throughout. Their design is both aesthetic and functional; allowing for grass to grow up, the water to go down, and typically lend a softer, and more natural feel to your overall hardscape design.
If you are after maximum drainage but don’t want turf growing amidst your driveway, you’re still in luck! Instead of putting down grass seed, we recommend filling these voids with a 3/8”-minus decomposed granite of your color choice. This aesthetic is beautiful, you will still gain the benefits of awesome drainage, and it will tie in beautifully with your adjacent landscape.
#5 THEY JUST LOOK BETTER
The concrete slabs that are oh-so-typical of our old driveways and patios, are often a single color: gray. Yes, concrete can be stained. Yes, concrete can be sand blasted. Yes, you can apply an epoxy-surface to it and make it look better than just plain ole’ concrete. However, pavers are designed and manufactured with aesthetics in mind, and as such, come in dozens of colors, shapes, sizes, and styles. With so many choices in pavers, there are a multitude of setting-patterns you can incorporate to really make them pop! There are pavers for Old World-style residences: Tuscan, Spanish-Colonial, and pavers that look just like the old cobbled streets of Rome. The list goes on and on! If you prefer a sleek, clean, and modern feel there are a multiplicity of paver-flavors just for you! The options for materials today are almost endless, and this affords your designer and contractor a greater palette to offer in composing a space that is unique to your individual tastes. From a curb-appeal standpoint, pavers win hands-down!
#6 THEY ARE MADE LOCALLY
If you are anything like us at Sonoran Shadows, you appreciate supporting the local economy and reducing your carbon footprint. Belgard, Acker-Stone, and Phoenix Pavers all have manufacturing plants right here in Phoenix. These local materials take less time, money, and resources to get from point A to point B, and in-turn will reduce the cumulative energy that will go in to your project.
You may be curious about cost. Pavers are a bit more expensive to install over concrete, but this is due to the difference in the amount of time it takes to install them. They also vary per / square-foot depending upon the style, color, and size you choose, and how your contractor prices them. If you are concerned about price, fear not. You’ll see a good return on your investment, both from a perspective of quality and enjoyment, as well as through the curb appeal that you’ll be creating through incorporation of your new hardscape. Take our word for it… pavers won’t let you down!
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