A creative and well selected paver pattern can turn an average looking concrete paver patio into one that properly accents your home and landscape. Unfortunately this is not one that is randomly chosen, but one that uses imagination and sound design techniques. Following the below paver pattern guidelines will help you develop a paver pattern that you can incorporate into your patio design that has bragging rights.
Before we get too far we need to clarify one fact. Irrelevant of paver pattern, sizes or borders, the choice to use pavers is going to make your concrete paver patio look good; we want it to look great. As I mentioned in the article "Three Questions to Ask Yourself When Designing a Brick Paver Patio", the more time you invest at the front end of your paver project, the easier and more enjoyable the installation and end product will be.
When we talk about paver patterns we are also going to include two very important components of a pattern; paver size and borders. Now that we have that established, we are going to focus on the purpose of paver patterns and why they are important to the patio design. Paver patterns have primarily 1 of 2 purposes and sometimes both. They can be used to identify space within the patio and/or to compliment your home and its surrounding landscape. Each of these purposes works hand-in-hand with paver size and borders.
How do I choose a paver size for my pattern? It's all relative to size of space you are working with. A basic design guideline is "larger pavers for larger spaces and smaller pavers for smaller spaces". The size of your pavers should be proportionate to the size of the space you are working in for no other reason than that it looks better.
An example, let's say you are installing a 10' x 10' paver patio and decided to use 24" x 24" pavers in a pattern with pavers slightly smaller. You would never be able to appreciate the pattern because it is too large for the space it is contained in. Concrete pavers in the size range of 6" x 9" or 6" x 6" would be much better suited for this size of patio.
On the flip side of this strictly using 4" x 8" pavers would very busy in a 20' x 30' paver patio. These small pavers would almost get lost in this size of patio. The smallest paver you would probably want to use in this size patio is a 9" x 9" paver. The only exception to this would be if you lived in an older home and you were trying to capture that era by using brick size 4" x 8" pavers.
How do I select a paver pattern for my patio? MyPatioDesign.com's definition of a paver pattern; a single or group of pavers the same size or different that form a consistent arrangement. With that being said, we always work with patterns whether it is a single paver pattern or a pattern combining of two or more different size pavers.
Generally speaking, patterns combining 3 or more different size pavers will reflect a more random and natural appeal. In Example A, we used a tumbled paver with a 3 paver pattern and a border or soldier color the same as the field paver color. The result is a natural looking paver walkway in the midst of an informal or natural landscaping theme.
Patterns combining 2 or fewer different size paver will reflect a more traditional or even modern appeal. In Example B, we also used a tumble paver, but we laid a single paver in a running bond pattern with different color inset border or sailor. The tumbled paver still provides a natural feel, but the different color sailor and running bond pattern adds a more formal taste to the walkway.
How do I use patterns and borders to identify space? This is a great way to add flare to your patio. Whether you are trying to identify different rooms on larger patios or simply trying to identify where you might place your patio table or fire pit. In Example C, not only did the contractor use a circular paver pattern to identify where the patio table would sit, but he also altered the color and style of paver. Also notice his border or soldier course is the same paver style and color as the circle pack he used. To make this paver patio more subtle, change the circle pack to the same color as the field pavers, but add a border around it that is the same color as the patio border.
There are many variations of patterns, sizes, colors and border that can change the way a paver patio look and functions.
Remember, do your homework and enjoy your patio!
Steve Combs is the owner of MyPatioDesign.com and has over 11 years of experience in designing and installing paver patios. Mypatiodesign.com has a large library of pre-designed paver patios available for download. Each download includes fully dimensioned design, material list, color palettes and how-to's.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
probably want to use in this size patio is a 9" x 9" paver. The only exception to this would be if you lived in an older home and you were trying to capture that era by using brick size 4" x 8" pavers.
midst of an informal or natural landscaping theme.
soldier course is the same paver style and color as the circle pack he used. To make this paver patio more subtle, change the circle pack to the same color as the field pavers, but add a border around it that is the same color as the patio border.
tweet this!