Updated: March 4, 2024
Learn how to elevate the look and feel of your home’s exterior with patio pavers from the pros at Epic Stoneworks:
- Check out your choices for stone pavers and their benefits
- Learn the many uses for pavers beyond a new patio
- Get insight into the paver installation, finishing, and maintenance processes
To bring out the best in your home’s exterior, have you considered renovating your patio? Or perhaps you don’t yet have a patio and would like one to enjoy Cutler Bay’s gorgeous weather. Either way, you’ve got plenty of options with patio pavers.
Epic Stoneworks wants you to receive an introductory lesson to make the most of your home improvement project, no matter if you’re a homeowner, landscape designer, or landscape architect.
What are the Different Stone Pavers?
One great thing about pavers is you have several options to choose from, meaning you don’t have to settle for an option that’s only “good enough.” Let’s dive into stone pavers, their types, and their essential attributes, so you better understand what you’re getting out of them.
Options for Stone Pavers
If you have kids or pets or desire a durable patio, explore stone pavers. You have even more options to check out in this category, including travertine, flagstone, and slate. Another boon of these pavers is no matter the overall aesthetic you wish to achieve with your outdoor space, you’ll likely have an easy time choosing a stone paver that fits your desires. You’ll immediately notice the easy touches of charm, elegance, and style the pavers add. Once you have a professional team install your stone pavers, we recommend creating a maintenance schedule, so they always look their best.
Essential Attributes of Stone Pavers
While flagstone is one of the most popular types of stone pavers, no matter which specific natural stone you choose, you’ll pay more than you would for concrete or brick pavers. That said, you may feel the overall durability of natural stone to be more than worth the cost, especially when you realize how much curb appeal stone lends your property. If you plan on moving and putting your property on the market in the coming years, quality pavers may help boost the overall value of your home and entice potential buyers.
If you want to add more natural hues to your exterior, look to travertine pavers, which do a great job retaining their color and withstanding Miami’s weather. Even better, you don’t have to clean travertine very often, saving you time and money.
Maybe you already have a patio you enjoy. If so, consider installing stone pavers for pool areas like a deck. One caveat with natural stone pavers is we don’t suggest putting them down in the regions that receive a lot of foot traffic, as you don’t want to risk cracking or breaking, but we’ll talk more about how to handle cracking later.
Common Uses for Patio Stone Pavers
You may use pavers for more than your patio or pool deck. You may like the idea of replacing your current concrete or asphalt driveway with stone pavers. The problem with driveways made with traditional materials is they often need sealing and are susceptible to cracking over the years.
Do you enjoy cooking with a view of beautiful Cutler Bay? You can build an outdoor kitchen with pavers to create bars, counters, a barbeque, or a grill. If you prefer, you may also add a kitchen to your currently existing patio. If you do little cooking and like to lounge, erect an outdoor fireplace or fire pit on your property to enjoy breezy days and cozy nights with friends and family.
No matter how you use pavers, the final look and feel of the construction depend on your taste. No matter if you and a neighbor both have stone pavers on your property, the material’s versatility and customization mean that you’ll likely have two different spaces.
Essential Facts To Keep in Mind about PATIO stone Pavers
Even though we recommend letting us handle your paver installation, we still want to inform you of the process so you have a basic grasp of everything and know what to expect so you may plan accordingly. Before laying down pavers, you must have a suitable base, which requires excavating a section of your yard. We recommend contacting your Miami metro utilities provider to make sure they mark all plumbing, electrical, and cable lines before we get started.
It’s vital that you lay down pavers on an even bedding layer. If the finished surface isn’t level, not only will the patio or pool deck not look good, but it could also become a tripping hazard.
One vital structural element for your pavers is edging. Edging options include plastic and aluminum, but you may also use concrete for your patio as long as it’s mortared in place. Besides edging, another critical step in the installation process is joint sand. The way this step works is we spread the sand over the pavers, use a push broom to brush it all in and use a plate compactor to vibrate the sand into the joints. Just like with the pavers themselves, you have a few joint finish style options.
While it’s essential to have a level finished surface, you must have a slight slope to the surface to account for proper drainage. For every two feet of surface space, aim for having a quarter-inch of a slope, aiming it all away from your home and its foundation.
Properly Maintain Your Patio Stone Pavers
Once you have your pavers installed, edged, sanded, and sloped, you’re ready to enjoy them. Before your installers leave, we recommend working with them to create a maintenance schedule, so your pavers last as long as possible and always look great.
Thankfully, the surfaces need little more than the occasional sweep, but you can seal or clean them with a pressure washer to help them last longer and look even better. We recommend sealing your pavers for overall longevity and keeping them from taking on stains. Not every paver type requires sealing, such as clay pavers that aren’t positioned under barbeque grills or leaking cars.
Over the years, you may notice cracking on a paver or two. If so, it’s best that you only take care of the issue if you have massive and easily noticeable cracking. The most favorable remedy for paver cracking is to replace the entire damaged paver rather than addressing the crack itself. It’s a good idea to keep a few replacement pavers once you complete the initial installation, so you can easily replace damaged pavers.
Call Epic Stoneworks for Pavers in Miami
Do you think pavers could make a great addition to your home? Perhaps you’re a landscape designer or architect looking to expand your services for customers. No matter which category you fall into, Epic Stoneworks has you and your needs covered. To learn more about our selection of pavers, or if you’re interested in block walls or coral stone veneers, contact us. Questions? Call 305-493-8562 or fill out and submit a contact form.
Featured Image: Ozgur Coskun/Shutterstock
