Pavers vs. Concrete Patio
Comparing a Paver Patio to a Stamped Concrete Patio
We are planning out our backyard makeover and found ourselves comparing a paver patio to a stamped concrete patio. We didn’t realize how many factors came into play when we were deciding between the two.
Are pavers more expensive than concrete?
Does concrete last longer than pavers?
What are the benefits of pavers vs concrete?
In this blog post I am going to share what we learned.
How much does a paver patio or concrete patio cost?
We received quotes from both concrete companies and paver companies. For our patio, we needed 715sqft and the quotes for both pavers and concrete didn’t differ a whole lot. The paver quotes came in between $9-12/sqft and concrete came in at $10-13/sqft. A factor that played a role in the price of pavers was whether or not we planned to have a straight/square design or a curved patio design. A patio shape with straight sides like a rectangle, has less cuts and therefore less pavers and labor. If we were to go with a curved patio design, there would be a lot more cut paver pieces which means we would have had to order an extra 10%+ of pavers plus there would be more labor involved to do all the curved cuts.
What are the Pros and Cons of Pavers and Concrete?
Pavers - Some of the pros we heard about a paver patio were that they are stronger than concrete and can hold more weight. Pavers are easier to repair or replace because you can pull up and replace individual pieces. One con for pavers is that they have a potential for weeds or grass to grow between them overtime. Some people also complained that pavers were not as easy to clean as concrete.
Concrete - Some of the pros we heard about having a concrete patio is that they are super easy to clean with a hose or pressure washer and you don’t have to worry about grass growing up through it. A con of a concrete patio is that they can crack if too much weight is put on them and if there is settlement in the dirt below the concrete. Another con is that it is more difficult and more expensive to repair cracked, chipped or stained concrete because large entire pieces of concrete have to be busted up and removed and replaced.
Did we choose Pavers or Concrete?
Since we live in Florida and our dirt here is mostly sand which means there is a lot of movement, we were afraid that concrete would end up with a lot of cracks. We also really liked the idea of being able to remove single pavers in the future if we needed to make a repair. So…we decided to go with pavers!
