Block paving – A simple guide to selecting the right block paving for you – part 1 of 3

Block paving – A simple guide to selecting the right block paving for you – Part 1.

Over the past 30 years or so, block paving has become a leading choice in the construction of driveways, pathways and patios for many homeowners.

When block paving originally came on to the market as an alternative to tarmac or concrete there were a limited number of styles and colours available. Nowadays there are over a thousand types of block paving available as this ever growing industry has evolved.

So how do you choose the block paving product thats right for you?

Well, its important to understand that block paving offers an almost unlimited amount of design combinations. There are, as already mentioned, simply hundreds of colours and styles available to choose from.

We believe that there are three major factors to selecting the right block paving for your project.

1.Style
2.Colour
3.Pattern

Style

There are literally hundreds of styles of block paving available from a large range of manufacturers from all over the UK. From standard block paving like driveline 50 from Marshalls, to ethically sourced natural stone imported from India, whether your looking for a modern, traditional or rustic finish the choice really is endless.

Colour

Firstly, ask yourself, which colour is going to work best. It would be prudent to give consideration to the immediate surroundings of the project in question. Including the style of your property, how much light penetrates the area and even what others may have done in your immediate neighbourhood.

Pattern

Once you have decided upon colour or colours the next step to choosing the right block paving for you is to decide upon the pattern you may want to set out. This, as with style and colour, is another major factor that very much depends upon your personal taste.

There are a number of standard patterns often used including 45 and 90 degree traditional herringbone or something in the industry that is referred to as “stretcher bond” which is a pattern of alternating courses, much like the pattern you see in a simple brick wall. Another pattern you may be familiar with is basket-weave, where the block paving is laid in 2 columns and 2 rows, consisting of 4 pairs of bricks, with two brick starting vertically followed by two bricks horizontally and so on.

The pattern you decide upon will very much be dictated by the colour and style of block paving you have chosen.

You may also want to consider incorporating special features such as circle sets or experiment with borders and edgings.

These three factors are probably the most important things to consider when choosing your block paving.

In part two of this guide to choosing block paving we will be exploring in more detail, some of the UK’s most popular block paving products.