Paver | Orlando Pavers | Concrete Pavers | Paver Company | Pavers Install

Real stone pavers are regarded as the best paving material; but concrete pavers are a close second. Although not as strong as genuine cobblestone, concrete pavers are more durable than clay brick pavers. Concrete pavers are available in numerous colors, shapes and sizes; thus, homeowners have a plethora of options for such driveways, patios and other complements to homes and landscapes. Concrete pavers can work well with most any home design; however, the look tends to be uniform rather than random. Orlando pavers installed by concrete company ACCG, Inc.

Concrete pavers installation starts with removing existing paving, excavating grass and loose soil and generally preparing a building site. Next, a gravel base is laid down and compacted thoroughly, followed by a layer of sand. A basic pavers driveway consists of one inch of sand covering four to six inches of gravel; however, for driveways that need to accommodate heavy vehicles, a base of 10 to 12 inches is recommended. Plus, it’s graded with a slight slope to facilitate water runoff. Once a base is ready and set, edging is installed along the sides of a driveway to contain and to keep the tightly positioned pavers snug. Pavers can be cut with a masonry saw to position correctly at edges and corners.

Upon all of the pavers being down, the entire new surface is compacted with a motorized plate compactor to set the pavers firmly into the sand base. Paver sand is swept across to fill in joints between pavers; and the surface is then compacted yet again to ensure joints and gaps are fully filled. This entire paver installation process creates a more rigid and monolithic structure; also providing more traction when wet vs poured, smooth concrete. Pavers can be removed and replaced.

Relatedly and as detailed on the decorative concrete page, genuine travertine tile is a very elegant but pricey paver option.

Conversely, poured concrete like concrete slabs are typically plain concrete (unless stained or stamped) and require a curing period until setting firmly; and slab foundations can’t be removed and replaced like individual pavers. Poured concrete slabs that crack or heave just can’t be fixed as successfully, for any such repair efforts will be permanently visible and instead necessite replacement. In addition, poured concrete projects often require heavy equipment to install vs the relatively smaller and easier-to-handle concrete pavers.

With proper maintenance, concrete paver driveways (having up to 50-year lifespan) usually outlast poured concrete (having a 20 to 30-year lifespan).

Clearly, concrete pavers are an extremely popular building material utilized to form driveways, sidewalks, patios, walkways and other durable surfaces. They're sometimes called "cement pavers," but that term is a bit misleading because cement (typically Portland cement) is a main  ingredient in all concrete, -- but not exclusively. Concrete contains sand, aggregate (like gravel) and water; plus numerous additives for color and specific performance traits.

Longwood, FL-based ACCG near Orlando does concrete paver installation and is a top concrete pavers contractor and paver installer serving all of central Florida with paver installation services.