Pavers, natural stone, or stamped concrete for patio?
Looking to have a patio built. Which is better — pavers or natural stone (ie. bluestone, flagstone) or stamped concrete? I live in the North East, so it needs to be durable, and also low matainence.
I would recommend the natural stone. In terms of durability and life it will probably outlast anything else you would want to put down. Maintenance would be minimal. The only downfall would be price (depending on your location in the northeast cost can vary based upon distance from a quarry).
Natural stone is also going to look great with almost any style landscaping/architecture you may have. The only suggestion I would have within a natural stone is pay attention to the cut. Something flat will be vastly easier to clean (as well as remove snow if desired). However, a rougher stone would provide a better surface for grip. That patio wouldn't be all that great if it was dangerous when wet.
6 Answers
The paver and natural stone options will allow you to have a permeable or pervious path which will allow storm/run off water to seep through the stone and back into the surround land. Just fill the area between the stones with a single sized aggregate. As Patrick said above the stamped concrete will crack due to standing water and just wear and tear over time, especially for large surfaces including driveways and oversized patios. Good luck!
I would recommend the natural stone. In terms of durability and life it will probably outlast anything else you would want to put down. Maintenance would be minimal. The only downfall would be price (depending on your location in the northeast cost can vary based upon distance from a quarry).
Natural stone is also going to look great with almost any style landscaping/architecture you may have. The only suggestion I would have within a natural stone is pay attention to the cut. Something flat will be vastly easier to clean (as well as remove snow if desired). However, a rougher stone would provide a better surface for grip. That patio wouldn't be all that great if it was dangerous when wet.
Natural stone. I don't know where you live, but being from up north, I know that the cold can wreak hell on man-made or poured substances. When water seeps underneath, then freezes, it expands and pushes upward - creating frost heaves, which look like large, raise cracks in the pavement.
If you're from the north and are familiar with this, then don't worry about it. If you're from the warmer areas and it doesn't even get cold even, then don't worry.
However, it is definitely something to consider. Natural stone won't crack due to weather conditions, it looks natural, and can withstand anything you'll end up dropping on it.
I live one hour north of San Diego, so snow and ice really isn't a concern. However, I went through this same dilemma when I bought my first house in 2001 (new construction).
I originally wanted pavers, but could not justify the cost ($8000). So I opted for colored, stamped concrete ($4000).
Within a year, cracks were everywhere and the color shade varied wildly. It was spotted like a cow's hide and the contractor virtually disappeared.
So in 2007, we had a coating company come out ($4000). They filled the cracks, primered it and then installed the coating followed by a clearcoat sealant. It looked great -- for two years. Then it started bubbling and peeling off. Turns out that it was due to moisture coming up through the concrete because the first contractor failed to install a sheet of plastic first.
So I recently had the coating company come out again, repair/patch all the damaged areas, and reseal the whole thing ($400). Total cost so far = $8400.
Should have just gotten the pavers.
Now I am about to move to a different house. This one already has a stamped, colored concrete patio. But it's far too small. I'm definitely going with pavers when the time comes to replace it.
The company I was originally quoted from and will revisit is System Pavers
real stones, actual natural products are always better I have found, they have survived in nature before the point when you are using them, inevitably they will be of a better quality and of course look better.
They can all be durable when installed properly and are excellent products. I'm just outside of Philly and have been looking at these options myself. First of all take a look at your budget. Make sure all options in the size/shape you want fit that budget. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. Starting with stamped concrete, no matter what you do, at some point it will crack, and theres potential to crack away from the joints. The fix will never look 100% perfect and may leave you unhappy with how it looks. Pavers on the other hand are much easier to fix, cracks rarely occur and if they do, you snag that one paver out and replace it - the patio doesn't look any different. These with the proper yearly care and proper initial installation will last years and look great. They do take a bit more maintenance as theres potential for them to come out of level but is a quick easy fix. Natural stone is essentially the same way, however will be more expensive. I myself would stick with pavers or natural stone. If my concrete cracked and therefore didn't look perfect would bother me extremely