If you have a patio, count yourself lucky. Patios are amazing outdoor structures that are paved and ready for recreational use. However, building one isn’t easy. Even if you do hire a contractor, you still need to design it.
Designing a patio can be super fun, but it also requires you to pick textures, patterns, and more. Learning the different types of paver patterns can help you make your final decision and feel good about it.
What Are Paver Patterns?
Picking a paver pattern depends on a few different things. The paver texture, the paver color, and the paver bond, which is like a brick bond. All of these work together to create your ending paver pattern.
Paver Textures
The paver texture affects the surface of the paver. Some are smooth while others are more natural. The paver texture will affect the overall look and feel of your patio or walkway. Here are your primary options.
Non-Tumbled
Non-tumbled pavers are smooth but not usually slick. They are pavers that don’t go through the additional process of creating pavers. They are not tumbled are usually quite a bit cheaper than tumbled pavers.
Non-tumbled pavers also only require regular joint sand. They look more modern, have a beveled edge, on most occasions, and don’t look as rustic. This type of paver is common and the texture is easy to find.
Tumbled
Tumbled pavers look rough and natural in texture but they actually are less natural than non-tumbled pavers because they require an extra step. This extra step is called tumbling, which would make one assume they would be smoother.
But tumbled pavers pass through a tumbler which is used to mix cement. The pavers are filled in a rubber-coated barrel with grit and water. Then the barrel is turned for weeks at a time to give the pavers a new texture.
Embossed
Stamped pavers are usually made from concrete which makes them much cheaper than stone pavers. They usually mimic stone but they can also be embossed with tile-like patterns such as flowers or stars.
Embossed pavers are simply a way to get the type of paver you want without paying the insane prices for them. They come in almost any variety and are always cheaper than their authentic alternative.
Slate
Slate pavers are pavers made of slate. They are thin, grey, and fairly smooth in texture. Though they aren’t as common as other options, they are unique. Just remember that slate refers to both color and material.
If the pavers are slate and concrete, that means that they’re made of concrete but are the color slate. Or they are made to resemble slate. Because slate is a type of rock that is often used for hardscaping.
Flagstone
Flagstone is a great and common choice for pavers for a few reasons. First of all, they are readily available and can often be harvested from one’s land. Second of all, they offer a great balance to natural and man-made.
Flagstone pavers come in most natural colors and are in fact usually natural. However, the term is also often used to describe a pattern rather than a material. The flagstone texture is seen as oddly-shaped rocks that fit together like a puzzle.
Cobblestone
Cobblestone pavers are usually fairly rough and always grey. They are inspired by the classic cobblestone streets that were so common hundreds of years ago in Europe. But today, they are used not for practical reasons.
Cobblestone pavers are small pavers that are made of stone yet shaped like a brick. They usually have a bumpy texture when finished as the tops will be slightly textured and often rounded. They offer a gorgeous patio look.
Paver Colors
The paver color matters almost as much as the paver texture. There aren’t that many paver colors as they will all be neutral unless painted to look bright and bold. Either way can look amazing when finished.
Sand
Sand, or sandstone, is a gorgeous color to use for pavers. It usually offers a beachy feel but can also be perfect for a desert landscape. Keep in mind that sandstone pavers can be a color or a type of paver.
In this case, we are referring to the sandy color of this type of paver. It is similar to cream which is another option. Both are warm yet light and can take the gray look away from the usual patio setting.
Grey
Grey pavers are probably the most common. They can be found in any shape and with any texture. Grey pavers are the base for embossed paver stones because they are made of concrete instead of real stone.
If you can’t decide on a color then grey is probably a good choice. Add an accent color for best results as all grey can be a little daunting and won’t have enough personality for most patios. But you can always give it a try and paint it later.
White
White patio pavers are actually rare. Because white isn’t often found in stones naturally. So you will need to get special pavers in order to have a white patio. That said, the white pavers are usually expensive.
More often than not, when you do find “white” pavers, they aren’t even white at all. They are more like a light gray. You can try staining, whitewashing, or better yet, limewashing the pavers for a whiter look.
Black
Black pavers are also quite rare. They do exist but not all stores carry them. However, most can special order them as suppliers usually make them. They aren’t extremely popular for entire patios and are common with accent pieces.
Most black pavers are made from asphalt or recycled rubber. That’s the easiest way to get black pavers because it is important that the pavers not simply be dark gray. Charcoal or pure black is usually preferable.
Buff
Buff is a yellow-brownish color that is actually quite common in stone. It’s the natural color of many stones, leathers, and trees. Because it is so often found in nature, it looks natural in any patio as well.
Buff is a fairly common paver color for patios so you won’t have trouble finding it. Or at least something very similar. There are many different tones and shades of buff and it is quite versatile too.
Terracotta
Terracotta is a reddish-brown color based on fire-treated clay. It is used to create statues, pots, and tiles all over the world. The word and the technique it describes is very old, having been used for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Today, not all terracotta pavers are made of clay. Many of them are but don’t be ashamed if you want to use a terracotta paver that isn’t real terracotta. Today, what matters more is the color and texture of the pavers.
Paver Bonds
A paver bond is like a brick bond. A brick bond is a type of pattern used when laying bricks. It is used to create unique pictures in the bricks by alternating the way you lay the bricks, or the colors used.
Runner
The runner, or running bond, is one of the most popular paver bonds. It consists simply of alternating the placement of the pavers with each row ending in the center of the last. It starts with a full paver then a half paver.
Checkerboard
This is a common type of bond that requires two different colors. Most people understand what the checkerboard pattern is and how to use it. You simply alternate the colors of pavers that you use.
Herringbone
The herringbone pattern is more complicated than it looks. The only really hard part is starting it and ending it. Otherwise, it’s a “W” pattern stacked on top of each other. The base is four pieces and that continues on.
Ashlar
An ashlar pattern is a little complicated and it takes practice to perfect. It usually requires four different sizes of pavers, which really complicates things. But once you perfect it, you’ll have a very impressive patio.
Letters
This is simple. You create letters on the patio by using a different color for the letter. This sounds juvenile but it actually is quite fascinating. You can duplicate the same letter or use multiple letters to spell something.
European Fan
The European fan pattern is also difficult to master. It creates a fishtail pattern by creating fans that stack on top of each other. It looks extremely impressive and unique if you can pull it off using small square pavers.
Basketweave
The basketweave pattern isn’t as complicated as it looks either. All you have to do is use two pavers one way and the next two the other way. This is the simple basket wave pattern. There are many variations.
Pinwheel
The pinwheel pattern is also very common. You use one small square paver and use four rectangle ones around it. The end result looks like a bunch of pinwheels are scattered over your patio. It is phenomenal.
Custom
This is probably the best patio paver pattern out there. All you have to do is draw out your pattern, then make sure all the measurements will work. Buy the pavers that you need for the job and create your masterpiece.
The post Paver Patterns To Create The Perfect Patio appeared first on Home Decorating Trends - Homedit.
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