Top 5 Driveway Pavers

The driveway is an entrance to your home.

And this positioning makes for an elegant feature to introduce to guests and pedestrians.

Thus, a well-dressed driveway will add charm and timeless character to your property.

In saying this, it can also become a costly investment to install a concrete driveway.

And dressing it with cobblestones, pavers or something else.

This is why we encourage you to remember that you are adding long-term value to your property.

And you deserve to enjoy your home, the way you want to enjoy it.

After all, you’ve worked hard to reach this point in your life.

So it’s only fitting to do it the right way and create the aesthetic you feel you deserve.

Before we share with you the top 5 driveway pavers.

Let’s start with the most important part of your driveway project: the concrete slab.

Raven cobbles on mesh

Raven Granite Cobblestones

The Concrete Slab

Firstly, ensure you have a 120mm reinforced concrete slab for your driveway.

Considering basic physics like expansion and contraction due to temperature changes.

Be sure to install an expansion joint to allow the concrete to move freely.

Secondly, you want to research which adhesives to use for installing your paving on your new driveway.

As driveways require a totally different installation process to foot-traffic areas.

You must ensure that you use specific products that will be able to hold a lot more weight than a regular footpath or entertaining area.

Experts recommend using a glue with added flexibility that provides a stronger bonding.

This is important because of the high-pressure demands caused by the weight of vehicles.

And the vibrations they cause on the ground’s surface.

And a good adhesive should give flexibility as well as strength.

Next, you need to decide on the best grout.

We suggest using a flexible grout.

For cobblestones we recommend the product from Ardex called WJ50 and mixing it with the Ardex Grout Booster.

The WJ50 is sanded cement-based grout.

It is simple to use and has superior colour consistency.

It is ideal for joining pavers without shrinking, that have widths ranging from 2mm to 50mm wide.

If you want to improve the strength of the adhesion along with its flexibility and abrasion resistance.

We suggest combining it with a booster.

This is typically a water-based, synthetic polymer grout additive.

Now, to dress the concrete slab!

While you can select something from a variety of materials.

You definitely want to consider factors such as grip strength, density and lastly colour.

There are numerous options available on the market.

So it is best to choose one that will be perfectly tailored to your individual taste and lifestyle.

If you’d like expert advice on which products are best suited for your individual circumstances, give us a call .

Now let’s review the top 5 paving options for your driveway!

 

Top 5 Paving Options to Choose from for Your Driveway

1. Cobblestones

Cobblestones are a timeless, versatile and beautiful paving solution.

Exuding old European character with superb density and grip strength.

Cobblestones serve as an unrivalled paving option for your driveway.

Cobblestones are generally made from very strong natural stone materials.

These include granite, quartzite, porphyry or bluestone.

These are the superior option when it comes to steep driveways.

Modern cobblestones are inspired by the century-old roads and walkways you’ve seen in Europe.

To create the traditional cobblestone look, they are composed of smaller pieces of stones.

These are set apart from each other in an organised way.

The styles have a variety of patterns ranging from Chicago, Brick, Herringbone, Straight and more.

Essentially, there are countless ways you can turn your driveway into a focal point for the front of your home.

Bonza cobbles 1
** Bonza Quartz Cobblestones

The natural raw texture of cobblestones also helps with grip for your vehicle’s tyres.

This creates a safe environment for constant use.

With a wide selection of natural stone materials and designs for your choosing.

It’s super easy to create a beautiful driveway feature.

For curved driveways, or centre circular driveways.

Creating borders from cobblestones or using cobblestones in a fan pattern, works incredibly well.

Raven Granite Fan Cobblestones*Driveway Cobblstones in fan Pattern

 

Cobblestone Infographic

 

2. Natural Stone Pavers

Boasting with large beautiful formats and vivid natural colours.

It is not hard to see why Stone Pavers are a popular choice amongst Australian homeowners.

The most noteworthy materials for driveways are Granite Pavers, Basalt Pavers (Bluestone), Quartz Pavers and Porphyry Pavers.

The dense genetic makeup of these natural stone pavers provides a solid base for your driveway.

Because vehicles will add a considerably heavy load onto your natural stone.

If you decide to use a natural stone paver for your driveway.

It’s crucial that you choose pavers with the correct thickness.

We recommend 30mm for all the aforementioned pavers.

Raven Granite Pavers** Raven Granite Pavers

As stone pavers are completely natural products.

Like all-natural stones, they have small hairline fractures in them.

These are not always visible to the naked eye.

To reduce potential breakages down the track.

We recommend using thicker pavers.

As well as thickness and slip resistance.

Colour is another important consideration when choosing the best paver for your driveway.

For example, lighter-coloured natural stones (or anything lighter-coloured really).

Are easier to mark and even if they are sealed, they can be challenging to clean.

This is because sealers only allow you 24-48 hours to maintain the look of the stone.

As such, darker-coloured natural stone pavers.

Are a much more practical choice for driveways.

Stone pavers are a beautiful option for the driveway.

And if you pick the right type of paver, your driveway will stand the test of time.

Audrey Cobblestones on mesh
**Audrey Cobblestones on mesh

3. Structural Porcelain Pavers

Structural Porcelain Pavers are extremely strong, durable and hard-wearing.

With a multitude of colours and prints to choose from, you can create a fuss-free stone-look driveway!

If you’ve read any of our other posts, you would know all the specific benefits of using porcelain pavers.

To summarise, they have the ability to withstand permanent stains and are extremely strong.

Elite Silver** Elite Silver Travertine Porcelain Pavers 

Porcelain pavers can be used anywhere and everywhere.

No need to seal these pavers.

They are cost-effective, and you can create driveways that look like Granite all the way to Travertine.

With so many benefits available the most noteworthy of which is the massive break load.

And the multitude of prints and looks available.

4. Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers are available in a wide range of shapes, patterns, colours and styles.

Ranging from traditional rectangular pavers to squares or interlocking circular pavers.

There are many creative ways to dress your driveway according to your taste.

Compared to regular concrete, concrete pavers will improve traction.

And when using interlocking pavers, will also add strength for your vehicle load.

This is also a cost-effective solution to dressing your driveway and as such, repairing damaged or affected pavers is relatively easy.

Concrete pavers

5. Clay Brick Pavers

Clay Brick Pavers are made from baked clay and have been used by stonemasons for centuries.

Their versatility allows for different designs like weaves, herringbone patterns or even a running bond.

Whilst clay brick pavers are somewhat fragile compared to other types of paving options.

They can still be used for a driveway.

Combining a variety of colours, textures and characters, these pavers offer a myriad of choices for you.

As a natural material, clay is also an eco-friendly option.

It can be easily cleaned and re-used for other future projects.

Brick pavers 1

Conclusion:

All in all, you have some wonderful paving options available for your driveway.

The best way to determine what suits you best is to review your lifestyle and pick accordingly.

For example, if your driveway has many overhanging trees.

We would recommend installing Porcelain Pavers instead of Natural Stone Pavers.

If you have a smaller budget, you may choose to invest in Concrete Pavers instead of Cobblestones.

Every circumstance is different and at Armstone we can help you select the option that is best for you.

For expert advice and a tailored solution, call us on 1300 560 560.

Or visit our showroom in Sydney, Glebe.

We love this stuff.

As always, thanks for reading.

We hope you learnt something valuable.

It’s been a pleasure having you here.

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