Benefits of Concrete Pavers Over a Concrete Slab

If you're planning a concrete patio, you may be deliberating whether to install poured concrete or concrete pavers. Pavers, though, provide several unique benefits that make it more functional and beautiful.

Installation

Pouring a slab of concrete is an involved process. The concrete will possibly be mixed on-site in a truck before being poured and smoothed. After that, it will take one to several days to cure until it's hard enough for you to walk over. Additionally, contractors can only lay the concrete in the right conditions. If it's too cold, for example, cement can struggle to dry out properly.

Laying pavers, though, is not so dependent on curing and the weather. After a gravel and sand base is placed, the pavers are arranged on top. Because interlocking pavers don't require mortar, you don't need to wait for the surface to dry.

Drainage

Pools of rainwater over a solid concrete slab can erode the exterior over time. However, pavers allow for natural drainage, as the rain can trickle between the joins and disperse in the sand and gravel base, which will absorb excess moisture. Thus, pavers won't be submerged in puddles and deteriorate. Additionally, you won't have to walk over slippery patches of water that create a hazard in your own yard.

Low Maintenance and Durable

Because a continuous concrete slab can't flex and shift with earth movements, it can crack as the ground settles and also during minor earth tremors. However, pavers won't suffer the same fate as each one can jiggle around and accommodate the ground movement. In any case, if pavers get damaged, you can tug them out and put in new ones. Additionally, concrete pavers are durable, and they can withstand harsh elements.

Design 

Concrete pavers are available in forms such as square, rectangle and fan-shapes. During manufacture, the cement is poured into various moulds that leave grooves and indents on the pavers to mimic other substances such as natural stone. Thus, you can lay faux travertine pavers in gorgeous shades like ivory, pink and fawn. Concrete pavers are available in plenty of designs to complement different homes and landscapes.

Individual pavers will give your patio a more authentic look than treating a concrete slab to emulate pavers. Contractors can create actual patterns by piecing different shapes together. For example, they can arrange pavers to produce a herringbone, basketweave, circular grid design or many other patterns to complement the surroundings.

Reach out to a local concrete contractor to learn more about pavers.


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