DIY FRIENDLY PAVING PATTERNS

As spring lingers around the corner, now is the perfect time to make use of the cooler weather to spruce up your outdoor entertaining area, ready for the BBQ season ahead! The easiest and best place to start is from the ground up, meaning have a look at your backyard and make an assessment on the lay of the land. Could you do with a lovely paved area ready for alfresco dining and a few summer sundowners? Laying a set of pavers down is a good starting point and creates a solid foundation for your backyard face lift.

Easy to install & great for DIY projects!

Many home owners go for pavers as they’re easy to install and make great DIY projects. Pavers also give you the ability to get creative with different paving patterns which means you can make a unique focus point for your backyard without breaking the bank. “For variety, style and impact for your home, the flexibility that pavers provide is hard to beat. With any one paver, you can create four to six different paving pattern styles allowing you to find the right match for your home,” explains Better Homes and Gardens Landscape Expert and Adbri Masonry’s Brand Ambassador Jason Hodges.

Enhance your yard with colour and texture

An important consideration when creating a marvellous backyard is the addition of colour and texture, as it sets the scene for the entire area. “Consider which paving colour will best complement your existing space by matching them with roof tiles, guttering, bricks or render,” advises Jason.

How to pick your paving pattern

The most important element for those looking to DIY their own paving project is that some areas and paving patterns require half pavers to fill gaps and this involves cutting. “Some paving patterns will require cuts via the use of a brick saw which can be hired from Bunnings or a local hire shop. While the hiring is easy, the operation of the saw requires caution and all of the required safety gear, so take your time or better still, engage the help of a tradesman,” says Jason.

HOT TIP: If you are using pavers that will need to be cut, Jason suggest running a boarder around all of your paving so that you won’t end up with a little paver on the edge.

WHAT ARE MY PAVING OPTIONS?

1. Stretcher Bond

Stretcher Bond is the most common paving pattern as it’s super DIY friendly, requires minimal cutting, and leaves little wastage. A traditional pattern that replicates the classic look of brickwork, Stretcher Bond can also easily hide imperfections in the laying pattern.

2. Stack Bond

Stack Bond is an excellent choice when paving feature sections such as entertaining areas and patios, where the finished product sets the atmosphere of the space. Stack Bond is a great paving pattern choice for large format pavers and can make smaller layouts appear bigger than they seem – a great design hack! This pattern is simple to install however, it can become fiddly as you must lay each paver down by one corner, making sure that all four corners align for a straight stack look.

3. Herringbone

The Herringbone pattern is a savvy design choice and on the rise of making a stylish comeback. To achieve this look, take a smaller sized paver and interlock the pavers on a 90-degree or 45-degree angle. Herringbone is an eye-catching pattern that will make a great first impression on any space.

4. Basket Weave

The Basket Weave pattern is a design that adds character, dimension, and can complement existing brick surfaces of your home. When picking a paver to style a Basket Weave, take a close look at the aggregates (exposed coloured stones in your current brickwork), and choose a paver that is complimentary to the aggregate colours. To create a Basket Weave pattern, simply lay two rectangular pavers the same way each time, swapping in direction every “set” of two pavers, and repeat.

5. Mixed Euro® Stone 

Mixed Euro® Stone is hot new trend on the Masonry scene. It’s quickly gaining popularity amongst residential and commercial designs because of its revolutionary tone choice and alluring design. The Mixed Euro Stone design incorporates mixed pavers of different colours and sizes for a modern paved look. A bonus of this pattern is that it has the ability to hide stains as the colour varies throughout the pattern, making it a fantastic choice for families. To create this look, check out Adbri Masonry’s Euro® Stone paver in Riverina, Zurich and Prague. You can also find these pavers in two different sizes, 400x400mm and 600x400mm for easy application.

Learn how to DIY your paving pattern with Jason

For more inspiration on masonry projects, check out our social media channels or give us a call on 1300230633.