House & Home

Six Ways to Use Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers are not the most glamorous building material, but they are much, much less expensive than stone. Advances in paver manufacturing have yielded concrete pavers that look remarkably like stone. When carefully set, concrete pavers can look decidedly sophisticated and upscale.

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Concrete pavers are not the most glamorous building material, but they are much, much less expensive than stone. Advances in paver manufacturing have yielded concrete pavers that look remarkably like stone. When carefully set, concrete pavers can look decidedly sophisticated and upscale.

When people think pavers, they often think of driveways. Pavers are a beautiful alternative to asphalt. They increase curb appeal by giving the driveway the look of luxury. There are many ways to install pavers, beyond driveways. Concrete pavers can be used in place of poured concrete, in place of red bricks, in place of asphalt, and in place of a variety of exterior stone products.

Although there is definitely a learning curve when it comes to installing pavers, a few of the following projects were done by do-it-yourselfers. Go ahead, choose pavers for the floor of your outdoor living room. They're a good choice!
1. Build a patio.
This patio was built by Hoffnew Landscaping & Nursery, an Orlando hardscape contractor.
2. Build a fire pit.

This big guy was a DIY project. The results are pretty professional looking!

3. Construct a pathway.
I love this concrete paver pathway, but I really shared this photo because of the privacy screen pergola. The pergola/privacy screen is such a gorgeous piece of custom carpentry.
4. Use big pavers as stepping stones.

If you need a walkway but don't want to invest the time or money into a fully paved walkway, a gravel or rock and paver path is an attractive solution.

5. Redo your pool deck.
This "spool" (that's a hybrid spa and pool) is surrounded by a pool deck made of tumbled pavers. Tumbled pavers offer the classic look of stone, for a fraction of the price.
6. Build a "stone" wall.
Related:
Networx.com and Hometalk.com help folks to do the best and smartest home improvement and gardening projects.