Lawns have their place, but at least part of the garden floor needs paving or some kind of hard surface to move around easily and create outdoor seating and dining areas. Every inch of space in a small garden is precious. Especially if you want to have fun outdoors. A solid surface is essential for this. When choosing a solid facing material, remember the golden rule. Simplicity is key. Mixing too many materials on the garden floor can look chaotic, especially in a small garden.
Crazy paving
It was great in ancient Rome and even in the 1950s. Now, the crazy pavers are making another comeback in the garden. Irregularly sized paving stones are dried or mortared onto a flat surface to create an organic and eye-catching garden floor. The curved shape is the perfect counterpoint to the rectilinear geometry of many urban gardens, such as (Add Place Name). Crazy paving is perfect for modern, Mediterranean, coastal, and other informal garden styles
Advantages: This kind of paving gives it a unique look because of its shape and often the color of each slab. The curved lines are also softer on the eyes than normal pavement.
Disadvantages: Installation of pavers requires a skilled installer, and natural stone can be
expensive.
Travertine
If you want to use natural stone, travertine is one of the best paving materials available around your pool. This is because of the porous surface. It absorbs water quickly, so the surface is virtually non-slip. Travertine pavers also do not heat up like other pavers such as bricks and concrete.
Advantages: Travertine is incredibly long-lasting and comes in a variety of colors and patterns with warm undertones that blend well with plants. Non-slip, smooth or textured, suitable for both modern and European gardens.
Disadvantages: It is expensive, it is a porous stone, so sealing may be required, and the surface can be rough with bare feet. An experienced installer is also required.
Reconstituted stone
Made by mixing stone aggregate with concrete, reclaimed stone is a great way to get the look of natural stone at an affordable price. It works very well when laid out in a traditional stone pattern like the designer used here. This Granite Range Vega pavement is made of reconstituted black granite flecks within a light gray base.
Advantages: They are less expensive than natural stone, available in a variety of colors, and have
consistent thickness and texture.
Disadvantages: Pavement can fade although a weathered appearance is often an advantage and can be marked.
Bluestone
Gray tones of bluestone or basalt complement green lawns and plants. The polished bluestone stepping stones shown here are set into the lawn to allow rainwater to seep through, creating a softer look than a hard path. The classic simplicity of bluestone paving is suitable for most garden styles.
Advantages: Bluestone has attractive colors and comes in many sizes and shapes. Packaging can be cut to specifications and a variety of surface finishes are available. Dense, durable, non-slip, low maintenance and leaves no marks.
Disadvantages: This is an expensive option. Skilled installers are required and some stones may be sourced from unethical overseas quarries.
When covering large areas with high vehicle traffic, such as driveways, concrete is often the best paving solution. This (Add Place Name) home showcases the versatility of concrete. The house is clad in textured concrete, and along irregularly shaped driveways and paths, the same material with different colors and finishes is used in different sized paving units.
Pebble Other “smooth” pavements such as gravel, pebbles, stone chips and shells are ideal for secondary or low-traffic routes. The gravel should still be kept as a kind of border to add an attractive texture to the garden. And while it can be noisy, it’s said to be a good anti-theft deterrent.
To make your gravel more stable, choose a smaller grade stone and avoid round, crushed pea gravel. Sharper, more angular pebbles mesh together to form a harder surface, and compaction with a roller also helps with stability. This look is perfect for informal garden styles such as cottages, beaches, and naturism.
Advantages: Gravel paths drain well. Plants can grow on this material, which softens its shape, and it is a good environmental choice because rainwater does not run down the storm drain. It’s also one of the cheapest paving options you can install with only basic DIY skills
Disadvantages: Weeds can grow if the paths are not properly maintained, and the gravel is generally too uneven and unstable for outdoor seating or tables. Some pebbles are too sharp to walk barefoot and can be tracked indoors.
Deck and walkway
A wood deck connects visually well with a wood house or a house with hardwood floors. It’s also a great way to camouflage level changes, and boardwalks are especially good for swampy terrain.
Wood decking is versatile enough to suit most garden styles.
Advantages: Available in a variety of deck finishes, colors and board sizes, decks can be built with moderate DIY skills. There are also ready-made wooden decking sections.
Disadvantages: Wood must be regularly treated to reduce slipperiness from mildew and some wood decks may be unethically sourced from rainforests.
Composite deck
An environmentally sustainable alternative to wood decking is a composite deck like the Mod Wood used here. Mod Wood, an American synthetic product, is a blend of shredded wood waste and recycled plastic milk bottles. It contains no formaldehyde and is available in a variety of sizes, colors and finishes. Like wood decking, they are suitable for most gardens.
Advantages: Mod Wood is sustainable, versatile, easy to install, durable, splinter free, resistant to insects like termites, and requires little maintenance. It is also as stable as wood.
Disadvantages: Not real wood, but more expensive than most decking wood.
Gravel or sets Smaller sized cobbles and sets are ideal for garden edging and decorative details as well as curved paths like this one. Most cobbles and sets are made of concrete, granite or bluestone to ensure durability and hardness. Used primarily in informal country or cottage gardens, but also suitable for patios.
Advantages: Cobbles and sets are durable, non-slip, versatile, and can be easily removed if damaged when placed on sand.
Disadvantages: Requires specialized skills for large-area installation. Brick
Recycled or old bricks have character and warmth and work well with other materials such as gravel or concrete and plants.
Advantages: Different patterns, different colors, non-slip surface, not as expensive as stone paving.
Disadvantages: Brick isn’t always easy to come by, and large areas of brick can seem too busy for most modern styles. A reasonable level of skill is also required to install it.
Your Turn: Share your experiences with paving and decking materials in the comments below.
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
of course like your website but you have to check the spelling on several of your posts A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it very troublesome to inform the reality on the other hand I will certainly come back again
Your blog is a true hidden gem on the internet. Your thoughtful analysis and engaging writing style set you apart from the crowd. Keep up the excellent work!