Outdoor Living

Genuine Clay Pavers Top the List of Paving Options for Your Yard

The grass is in and the flowers are blooming, but your yard still needs something. Hardscaping - paved areas designed for outdoor living, recreation or mobility - can make your whole yard more usable and enjoyable.

Meandering garden paths, sidewalks, a circular driveway, a back patio or a front porch complete with rocking chairs - any of these can be part of your landscape design. But the paving materials you choose will determine the personality of the hardscape you select.

Your choices range from genuine clay paving products (also known as brick pavers) to concrete products (poured, stamped or brick-shaped), natural stone products (such as flagstone) and tile products (like slate). Some are more appropriate for certain areas than others, and, of course, they all have their own character. Let's look at the products themselves and see how they compare.

Genuine Clay Pavers

New brick paver products provide countless aesthetic choices, while still offering the durability of a product that's been around for thousands of years. Genuine brick pavers, made from a blend of clay and shale, are dried and fired, making them strong enough to withstand loads exceeding 12,000 pounds per inch.

The rich, lasting color of clay pavers is one of the biggest aesthetic benefits of the product. Because the color is inherent to the clay - not added as an artificial dye or pigment - it will never fade.

Pavers range from the lightest buff to the darkest charcoal and deepest chocolate. A variety of traditional reds and more subtle pinks are also available. Clay paver colors can even reflect minerals - like iron - found in clay and shale deposits, giving them strong, metallic undertones.

Brick pavers come in several shapes and sizes, including rectangular (the most common), boardwalk (long and narrow, like a boardwalk plank), interlocking octagonal and odd-shapes, and even a bull nose with a curved edge perfect for overhangs on steps and other niche areas.

Clay pavers, like face brick used on a home, require little maintenance and can last a lifetime. Brick streets in Boston still in use after more than 200 years are a testament to their longevity. Cleaning, when necessary, is easily accomplished with a little detergent and a water hose.

Concrete Pavers

Designed to mimic clay brick pavers, concrete pavers consist of cement and aggregate dyed to the desired shade. Like brick pavers, concrete pavers can be found in a variety of styles and colors; however, the color retention of concrete pavers is poor as the pigment erodes with wear, exposing the aggregate. Once the color has faded, it is impossible to return the paver to its original shade. Faded pavers can be easily removed and new ones re-installed if they are set in a sand base.

Poured and Stamped Concrete

Poured concrete allows versatility ranging from a large, low-cost slab or a more costly, yet intricate, pattern achieved through stamping, a newly popular technique in which patterns designed to resemble other products such as brick, slate, flagstone, etc. are, literally, stamped into wet concrete treated with the appropriate color of pigment. You will need to thoroughly clean and seal any concrete hardscape, particularly if it is stamped or colored, to help defend against weather, water and stains.

Natural Stone and Stone Tile

Stone, a solid formed by nature itself of one or more minerals, can - like clay pavers - provide an organic look to complement a landscape. It's a good choice for steps dividing close gardens or for pathways curving around the main features of your landscape. Stone colors range from black and brown to red and yellow. Minerals enhance the color of stones by imparting variations such as pearlescent, metallic gray and black, pale gold and pink. Stone may be fabricated into natural shapes of varying thickness or cut into more precise pieces to form tiles. Textures range from smooth matte or high gloss, to ultra rough and rustic. Stone also varies in hardness and density, which effects its ability to resist cracking and staining.

Although stone tile provides more precise appearance and installation options than its natural stone counterpart, it's not an option for areas such as driveways, which will see vehicular traffic, because of its tendency to break under pressure.

Making Your Decision

In the end, aesthetics and performance must be balanced with cost when considering any paving product. In general, including materials and labor only, the traditional poured concrete patio is the least expensive at around $5 a square foot. Stamped concrete adds additional labor and sealant costs making the initial cost from $7 to $12 per square foot. Clay pavers cost anywhere from $17 to $20 per square foot, while concrete pavers run $15 to $25 a square foot. Natural stone, the most expensive paving option, costs $30 to $35 a square foot, with natural stone tile ranging from $9 to $28 a square foot, depending on the type of stone chosen.

Maintenance costs must also be factored in when looking at the life cycle cost of your paving material. For clay brick, maintenance is virtually non-existent, while concrete products will need sealing (and resealing every six months to two years) to keep color from leaching out. For more information on genuine clay pavers or to find a distributor near you, visit the Brick Industry Association's Web site at www.gobrick.com. 

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