Simply put, pavers look beautiful and make a great first impression. Concrete pavers provide an appeal that carries an unspoken message of quality, sophistication, and lasting performance. Where aesthetics are a priority, interlocking concrete pavers can provide beautiful and stunning, yet functional, paving in place of alternatives such as asphalt or poured concrete.
From the designer’s perspective, concrete pavers are exceptional for their sheer creative potential. Available in an array of shapes, sizes, colors and textures, pavers allow unparalleled choice in product selection and application. Whether the desired look is weathered and rustic; classic and timeless; or modern and contemporary, pavers are the perfect medium for creating unique designs.
At first glance, the price per square foot of concrete pavers may be greater than that of alternative materials. However, upon examining the durability, flexibility, low maintenance, and quick installation of concrete pavers, their lower life cycle makes for a functional and inviting backyard patio costs can often prove to be the most cost-effective option for a residence:
Concrete pavers are manufactured and installed to easily withstand repeated pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as well as the everyday wear-and-tear of family life. In fact, some manufacturers like Andorra Roof Tiles & Pavers produce concrete pavers that far exceed these industry guidelines. Properly installed concrete pavers, following industry recommendations, will easily last 20-30 years with minimal maintenance and with proper care can be expected to last 50 years or more. The high-strength concrete paving units offer resistance to freeze-thaw cycles and deicing salts, high abrasion and skid resistance, minimal damage from petroleum products, and do not experience indentations from high temperatures.
Driveways and patios installed with pavers typically perform very well when subjected to freeze-thaw cycles and minor movements of the earth. This results in a longer-lasting, lower maintenance installation. While movement control joints are intentionally added to poured concrete to accommodate the stress of settling and shifting of the earth beneath, the spaces between concrete pavers act as built-in control joints. Cracking and degradation of the paver surface is minimized because the sand-filled joints act to transfer the load without damaging the pavement surface. Maintenance and replacement cost over time is an important consideration when pricing paving materials, and concrete pavers shine in this department. While asphalt requires periodic resurfacing and concrete repair can be expensive, pavers require only light cleaning and/or minor restoration every few years.
One primary advantage of pavers is that they can be taken up and replaced without compromising the aesthetics or the structural integrity of the pavement. If a paver gets dislodged, it can be re-set very quickly and inexpensively. In the same way, concrete pavers can be easily and seamlessly added if a driveway expansion becomes necessary. They also facilitate incremental construction, affording a homeowner the opportunity to add paver areas in phases, depending on site and budget considerations.
Pavers require no cure time and can be installed in weather not conducive for alternative materials. Installers certified by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) or by a paver manufacturer can provide efficient and proper laying of concrete pavers. Furthermore, modern mechanical installation methods allow even large areas to be paved quickly and cost-effectively. Hiring a professional contractor experienced in installation is advised. Sustainability Pavers are a smart environmental choice for many applications; it’s no coincidence that concrete pavers are becoming more popular as sustainability becomes a priority for homeowners. Concrete has a low embodied energy; this means it takes less energy to produce than materials such as plywood, glass, and steel. Compared to asphalt, concrete requires only about one-third of the energy to produce.
Furthermore, the exceptional durability of concrete pavers means that fewer resources are needed to repave and replace surfaces over time. They simplify surface and subsurface repairs by reinstating the same paving units; there are no unsightly patches or weakened pavement from utility cuts. Concrete pavers also provide heat island mitigation. Many urban areas suffer from a phenomenon known as the heat island effect, wherein light and heat reflection from the built environment can raise local temperatures in warm weather by as much as 22° at certain times of the day.
Concrete pavers – especially light-colored ones – can help address this uncomfortable and dangerous situation by reflecting heat and light.
Permeable concrete pavers deserve special mention as a sustainable construction material. These concrete pavers are specially installed to filter stormwater runoff through the paver joints to base and subgrade layers that act as natural filters by capturing many harmful pollutants. Permeable pavers are widely recognized as an effective solution for reducing up to 80% of total suspended solids (TSS) levels in stormwater to EPA mandated standards. Runoff from paved surfaces can cause serious environmental damage such as erosion and silt build-up in rivers, lakes, and streams, as well as impact fish and other wildlife. By allowing rain and snowmelt to infiltrate on-site, permeable paver systems reduce or eliminate runoff problems. Permeable paving eliminates surface puddles and local flooding, and is typically required in many waterfront applications to protect fragile shorelines. Furthermore, with the use of a permeable paver system, a higher percentage of rain and snowmelt percolates naturally down through layers of aggregates to maintain healthy groundwater levels. Adequate levels of groundwater promote the survival and growth of trees and other plant life.
Resources
Erin Ashley, Ph.D., LEED Ap1 and Lionel Lemay, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, Concrete’s Contribution to Sustainable Development, published in the Journal of Green Building, Fall 2008.
Heat Island Effect, U.S. EPA website: http:// www.epa.gov/heatisland/.
South Carolina Department of Transportation publication, Traffic Calming Guidelines, revised 2006.
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C 936, Standard Specification for Solid Interlocking Concrete Paving Units
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