Four Things To Consider When Choosing Driveway Pavers

Your driveway’s design can vastly impact the property’s appearance and function. Driveways occupy much of the front garden, yet homeowners commonly view these surfaces simply as loose gravel or a slab of concrete.

The driveway pavers you choose should enhance the look of both the home’s façade and soft landscape.

If you’re renovating your current driveway or planning a new build, read these four tips to ensure your driveway improves your property’s look and functions well over time.

1. Wear & Tear

Driveway pavers need to be durable due to constant vehicle and foot traffic. They must be able to cope with wear and tear, grip issues and potential staining.

To combat wear and tear, the material and format of your Driveway Pavers Are crucial. Choosing the right type and format will help achieve a driveway that will stand up to the tests of modern living.

When it comes to grip and traction, Split Stones generally perform best as driveway pavers due to their inherent non-slip surface.

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Eco Outdoor Endicott Filetti flooring used in an organic home driveway application

Cobblestones, Crazy Paving or Filetti are the most suitable Split Stones for driveways. These finishes are more sturdy than a standard flooring paver, which is key for dealing with vehicle weight.

Another vital thing to note when it comes to how well your driveway surface will wear over time is how forgiving it is when it comes to spots and blemishes.

Darker driveway pavers that are tonally variant are more suitable in disguising oil spills, tyre marks and other common stains. Porphyry fits into this category.

Eco Outdoor’s Top Materials For Driveway Pavers

Cobblestones

Granite is one of the most popular types of Cobblestone. It is an ideal driveway paver due to being very dense. The darker Granites such as Buffalo are great for hiding marks, with some even blending into the stone’s natural movement.

Filetti

Filetti is a stone found across Europe and in its long thin format works with both traditional and modern architecture. Filetti incorporates various stone types including Granite, Porphyry and gneiss. Their density and durability make them fit for driveways.

Porphyry split stone

Porphyry split stone is suitable for driveway use, with its dark reddish and earthy colours provide tonal movement. This makes the stone highly forgiving when it comes to marks and stains. Due to its split face, this type of stone also provides a non-slip finish. This is a must for effective driveway pavers.

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Eco Outdoor Porphyry Crazy Paving flooring used in a natural-looking residential driveway design

2. Design Detail

Whether you’re trying to achieve a modern, streamlined look or a more rugged, textured driveway, picking up on your home’s design details will help complete the aesthetic. Style cues could be materials, colour tones or the lines of the architecture.

You can soften the driveway by adding subtle curves or planting out a ground cover along the edge. Create visual interest and depth by bordering the driveway with a different stone. Look at how it links to the other elements of your front garden such as your fence and pedestrian path. You should also think about how it looks in the evening and daylight.

3. Create Movement

One simple way to lift your driveway’s look is to consider how you lay the pavers. Laying them in a linear pattern may relate well to the architecture. However, some homes benefit from a more organic surface.

Using the stone to create movement can help blend it more smoothly into the surrounds. Filetti or Cobblestones are great for adding fluidity and texture.

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Split stone cobblestones used to create movement in a driveway paving design

4. Caring for your driveway

A final factor is how much ongoing care is required to keep your driveway pavers looking great. Knowing how much time and money you may need to invest in its upkeep may shape your decision.

Natural stone pavers tend to require less looking after than loose gravel. You may find that the material’s up-front cost and install is a better long-term investment.

Another popular choice is to include grass or a ground cover in between the hard surfacing. While this can soften the driveway’s appearance and reduce the stone cost, it does require more upkeep.