Home Ideas

Written on June 7, 2009 – 1:41 am | by Staff |

Our home’s patios, walkways or driveways say a lot about the homeowners. It is an extension of our homes and we should pay attention to it and include it in the planning of our entire home. When you have decided on the areas of your home that you would like to be paved, then it’s time to choose the paving product.

Brick pavers are genuine paving bricks that are made of clay. They have a timeless beauty and classic elegance that will definitely add to the entire look of your property. Brick paving compliment a house of any style. In fact, many fine and elegant homes have brick paving in the patios, walkways, driveways, terraces and courtyards. Brick imparts a soothing and stately ambiance and imbues a warm and an inherent comfort.  It never goes out of style and it will add more value to your property.

Brick pavers are made from a combination of earth, water, clay and fire hence, they exude a natural beauty that will compliment and will be in harmony with any landscape design. Brick pavers are first molded and dried. The bricks are then fired so that the particles will be fused together thus giving the brick a very strong bond. This strong bond is what makes the brick paver very dense and resistant to most type of stains. Paving bricks are made from earth, thus it comes in natural earth colors such as brown, red, greenish gray and cream. These colors are typical of the various regions or areas that the clay is mined from. Brick pavers that have darker shades or blends of light and dark occur due to the flashing process, by which they get a permanent color. Because of the high temperature that is used to fire brick pavers the color they are imbued with lasts forever without ever fading.

One of the advantages of using brick paving is the unlimited number of design options you can choose. The patterns can be created by using the various textures, colors, shapes and sizes of the bricks. Characterized by the rich colors of the earth, the patterns of brick paving can range from the intricate to the classically simple, and can be laid either by using mortar or even without it.

To effectively use brick pavers, here is a guide on how to lay out your brick paving. You must begin by outlining the area that you want to be paved. This way, you will see the  flow of the area to be paved and from there, you can picture out the finished design with all the hardscape and softscape in place. Outlining the area to be paved will also allow you to foresee the process that will be involved and estimate the number of materials to be used.

Next is to choose the right brick pavers. The best way to do this is to bring home some samples of brick pavers and lay it in your marked area. This way, you will see how it will fit in the whole design. Take into consideration the color and style of your house, doors, shutters or sidings. After you have finalized you choice, then it’s time to dig out the area to be paved. You need to dig at least 6 to 8 inches lower than the final grade of your pathway. This will be taken up by the compacted base that will be laid beneath the paving layer. Make sure that you also have an extra of at least 6 inches on either side of the pathway for the material that will be used as edging, in order to hold in the brick pavers.

The next step is to put the base layer of the brick paving. This layer is composed of quarry-processed stone which are to be laid in increments of two inches and wetted and tamped as thoroughly as possible.  One of the most important factors while constructing your brick paving pathway is creating the correct pitch in order for water to drain out. In order to preclude the brick paving from getting waterlogged you have to ensure that the pathway’s slopes away from the foundation of the house as well as off the brick paving.

After the digging and pitching, comes the actual laying of the bricks according to the pattern that you have chosen. The best way to have straight lines is to use strings which you can follow. Cut the bricks with a concrete saw for best result. The edging material for your brick paving should be strong enough so that it can hold the tightness and form of the brick paving. This is particularly required in climates that are colder, since the thawing and buckling can result in the bricks pushing apart, creating gaps. You can fill the joints of the brick paving with polysand which will create a very tough bonding agent for your brick paving and will also prevent weeds from growing in between.