Paving Slabs, Pavers and Retaining Walls

These days, people are looking for ways to get more out of life. They want to enjoy the good times, surrounded by luxury in a warm and attractive setting, all while reducing the amount of time spent on maintenance.

Paving slabs, pavers and retaining walls are ideally suited for this modern lifestyle. In addition to their durability and resistance to the elements, these products provide a luxurious look and are practically maintenance-free.

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Selection Criteria
The Products
Paving Slabs
Pavers (Interlocking Stone)
Retaining Wall Blocks
Steps
Borders (curbs)
To Seal or Not to Seal?
Hints

Selection Criteria

Three features must be considered when purchasing paving slabs, pavers or wall blocks:

The Look (shape, colour, texture)

In addition to satisfying your needs in terms of taste, slabs, blocks and pavers must also blend harmoniously with the installation environment. As such, the overall style of the area, the existing landscape design elements around your property, as well as the style and colours of the siding on your home must be taken into account.

For example, a modern looking stone (i.e. with sharp edges or "non-natural" shapes) would not be appropriate for more rustic settings. Keep in mind however that the opposite is not necessarily true: rustic style interlocking stones may blend perfectly with a modern home environment. We suggest you avoid using stones associated with a given trend design as you may find that they quickly become outdated.

Ensuring the right effect for your home does not mean that the selected products should be the exact same colour as your house. In fact, we suggest the opposite: seek to create contrast or nuances.

The Price

Prices vary greatly (from $1.50 to $4.50 per square foot) based on the thickness of the stone or slab, as well as its dimensions, finish, shape and quality. The colour of the product and type of colouring used in the production process may also have an impact on the price: is it surface colouring or was the colour integrated with the mix prior to casting? These variables also apply to wall blocks.

There are several ways to help you optimize your budget. For example: when installing a path made of pavers, do not install concrete borders (also called curbs) on either side of the path; install individual stepping stones instead of a "solid" path; or select a wall block that does not require a capping module. Straight-lined surfaces, instead of curved ones, may also be installed using rectangular or square paver systems. This tends to limit the number of cuts required and reduces product waste. In such cases, the "impression of movement" may be created with rounded plant beds installed along the straight lines of the path, patio, pool deck, etc. using inexpensive plastic borders.
Note that any investment in your home’s landscape design will increase the value of your property. And, if the installation is completed according to best practices, it will typically allow you to recover a significant portion of your investment upon resale. Landscape design projects handled by amateurs without following proper procedure, especially in terms of ground preparation, will show signs of sagging during the very first season and may result in a negligible or even negative effect on the value of the home.

Usage

The selected product must be designed to resist the application conditions (weight, friction, de-icing products, freezing and thawing, etc.) and to satisfy certain other criteria depending on its intended usage.
If, for example, the product is to be installed as a pool deck, it must have a non-slip surface. Uniform surfaces should be used on patios to ensure that chairs and tables remain level (no natural stone). The same goes for surfaces that must be shovelled in winter; it’s difficult to remove the snow when the shovel is constantly jamming against the stones. Pavers to be installed in high-traffic areas must be thicker to ensure the added stability and durability required to support the effects of significant weight and repetitive use. If there is a risk that the product will be scuffed or damaged due to impact (i.e. retaining walls or any stones that extend above ground level), the colour should ideally be integrated with the product mix (the vast majority of pavers on the market are produced with integrated colour). If a surface colour product is used, the damages caused by these incidents will be quite obvious.

Depending on the model, retaining wall blocks may be stacked to a maximum allowable height as indicated by the manufacturer. Therefore, these blocks must be selected based on the height of the tallest retaining wall included in the layout.
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