Paver driveways have become increasingly popular for homeowners due to their versatility, durability, and aesthetic appeal. However, like any construction material, they come with their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these can help you make an informed decision when considering a paver driveway for your home.
Pros
- Versatility: Pavers come in a wide range of shapes, colors, and patterns, allowing for endless design possibilities. Whether you prefer a traditional, contemporary, or rustic look, you can find pavers to suit your style and complement your home’s architecture.
- Durability: Paver driveways are known for their durability and longevity. Made from materials such as concrete, clay, or natural stone, pavers can withstand heavy loads and resist cracking better than traditional asphalt or concrete driveways.
- Easy Maintenance: Unlike concrete or asphalt, which may require regular sealing or resurfacing, paver driveways are relatively low-maintenance. Individual pavers can be easily replaced if damaged, and routine cleaning with a pressure washer or mild detergent keeps them looking new.
- Interlocking Design: Most paver driveways feature an interlocking design that distributes weight evenly and prevents shifting or settling over time. This helps maintain the integrity of the driveway surface and reduces the risk of cracking or sinking.
- Environmentally Friendly: Paver driveways are considered more environmentally friendly than traditional asphalt or concrete options. They allow rainwater to penetrate the ground, reducing runoff and minimizing the risk of flooding or erosion.
- Enhanced Curb Appeal: A well-designed paver driveway can significantly enhance the curb appeal of your home. Whether you’re selling or simply want to impress guests, a beautiful driveway can make a strong first impression and increase the overall value of your property.
- Weed Growth: No weeds can come through the cracks in your paver driveway unless it was installed improperly. That’s because we install 6 1/2 inches of paver base underneath all paver driveways, which is like having another layer of unbreakable concrete. With an all-concrete driveway, any crack can be an opportunity for weed growth.
- Unzipping: If you need excavation in your yard, such as replacing a sewer line, you can remove a handful of pavers for access. With concrete, you’ll have to do a partial demo. Concrete color is dictated by not only the mix of materials, but also the weather conditions when it was poured. So patched concrete will never match perfectly. With pavers, that’s not a problem.
- Skid and slip resistant: Pavers offer more texture than unfinished concrete, which helps protect against skids and slipping in any weather condition.
- Earthquake resistant: Thanks to the flexibility of the joint sand, paver driveways can withstand even significant earthquakes.
Neutrals
- Cost: Pavers cost about the same as concrete from a licensed contractor to install. However, paver repairs are a fraction of the cost, even without our 30 year warranties.
- Installation Time: If you’re fully demolishing your old driveway, installing your new driveway will take roughly 3 or 4 days whether you’re opting for pavers or concrete. ]
- Potential for Staining: All types of driveways are susceptible to staining from oil leaks, tire marks, or other substances. But pavers also offer a big advantage here, because replacing a few stained pavers is less expensive than fixing stained concrete. Matching concrete colors is also a challenge, so your concrete driveway will never look the same after repairing stains.
- Load Capacity: All of our paver driveways are installed with Geotex to distribute the weight and load. For high load capacity projects (like RV parking) we typically add another 2 inches of base to withstand even higher weights. Pavers are also rated at 8,000 PSI versus 2,000 PSI for poured concrete, which means they can tolerate significantly more weight without cracking.
- Uneven Surface: Despite their interlocking design, improperly paver driveways may develop unevenness over time due to settling or shifting of the underlying base material. This can create trip hazards and detract from the appearance of the driveway if not addressed promptly. But this is also an issue that affects concrete and asphalt, with worse results. But with our 30 year warranty, you’re covered no matter what.
Cons
- None. With proper installation and a comprehensive warranty, concrete offers no advantage over pavers for driveways.
Conclusion
While pavers aren’t a perfect material, at Viking Pavers we go beyond industry standards and provide generous warranties to offset their shortcomings. That makes our paver driveways a perfect choice for any home. Learn more about our paver driveways or reach out any time for a free consultation.
Considering a New Driveway?
Compare your options and learn why many Bay Area homeowners choose interlocking concrete pavers.
