Sealing Your Brick Pavers
Sealing your brick pavers is a wise decision. Much like you should weather proof your wood deck with a product like Thompson's Water Seal, applying a sealant to your brick pavers will help prolong the life of your pavers.
Pavers are an aesthetic material. Functional, yes, however, most people agree that the primary value pavers bring to a home is their visual impact. Sealing pavers helps to add to this value. A sealer will protect them from premature fading due to strong or direct sunlight. You will be able to clean the pavers easier once they have a sealer on them. Water will bead on top of the pavers after a hard rain, just like it beads on your car after you've had it waxed. Mold cannot as easily take a foothold in the natural pours of the bricks, as those pours are now sealed. And most significantly, sealer will darken the pavers. When pavers are sealed, they have a wet look to them. Generally, the wet look is very appealing as it makes the rich, vibrant colors of the pavers stand out more prominently.
The sealing process normally takes two days. The first day the pavers will be pressure washed and cleaned. Any stains, mold, or mildew will be washed off of the surface of the pavers. Once the pavers have been washed, it will be necessary to add a polymeuric joint sand in between the joints in order to stabilize the pavers from shifting. Next, the pavers must dry completely. Most paver sealers are solvent based, not water based. The use of a solvent based sealant requires a low moisture content. If the pavers are sealed, while damp, with a solvent based sealer, a white, cloudy residue will form on the surface of almost every brick. It is, therefore, imperative that the pavers are completely dry before the sealer is applied. The next day, the sealant is applied. To apply the sealer, we recommend using a slotted foam roller technique which allows for even coverage. We apply one heavy coat across the paver area, allowing about three hours for dry time. It is important to not apply too thick a coat as the sealer will not properly penetrate the pours. It is important to let the sealer dry overnight before using the area. You can apply second coat if you need it.
When asked whether a sealer should be applied, we consistently recommend that it should. If you have recently just installed pavers or if you've had pavers for ten years and you want to freshen them up, cleaning and sealing them is a sound investment in their well being. It is not a necessary step to owning pavers, but one that will allow you to enjoy them looking beautiful for a long time.
JJW BrickScape offers brick paver sealing to homeowners located in Rochester Hills, Macomb, Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, Troy, and many other cities in Oakland and Macomb County Michigan.
Paver Patio Design
A brick paver patio design is important because it has the potential to transform the aesthetics of your property in an amazing fashion. It creates interest and appeal that draw people to that special space. Near the home, it creates transition from indoor living to outdoor living, and in remote parts of the yard, it creates transition between divergent elements and unique vantage points from which to take in the surrounding landscapes.
One of the most important considerations in a paver patio design is grade elevation. Most of the world is very flat, and the soil is often shifting silently under our feet. To make sure that patios remain stable, we have to build the patio with a slope or pitch that is equal to a ¼ inch per foot to allow proper run off. We may also have to build a retaining wall to hold part of the earth back from the hardscape. Retaining wall blocks can also be used to elevate the patio off the ground making it the highlight of your surrounding landscapes.
Foundation work is also very important to the paver patio design. The surface of the patio itself cannot be laid directly on the ground. An aggregate sub-base compacted in minimal lifts will provide the solid surface concealed underneath the pavers in order to prevent soil erosion and/or ground shifting which canaffect the expensive hardscape design that is so vital to the success of the landscape.
The determination of construction materials in a paver patio design is based on a number of aesthetic factors that all tie together. Home architecture should be reflected geometrically and thematically in the patio’s overall form and constitution. Surrounding outdoor architecture, to a lesser degree, should be somewhat supported as well.
The patio’s appearance should blend with the overall style of landscaping design that characterizes the master plan in general. Finally, the practicalities of client budget should also be seriously considered. The fine level of detail that a paver patio design requires really necessitates the involvement of a professional landscape company with the experience in developing landscape master plans. The size of the yard will often determine the diversity and extent of the paver patio design.
In large yards, we want to create livable space out of properties whose size can overwhelm the eye—particularly at night. We may need to build several patios in different areas of the yard in order to divide it into more comfortable zones of special interest.
In smaller yards, we want to generate the sense of more space. This may require patios out of smaller building materials and adding custom forms such as fountains or small retaining block walls to make the paver patio appear more self-contained and the surrounding yard simultaneously more expansive.
Plants are essential to a landscape patio design regardless of landscaping style. Even in modern outdoor design, where a minimum of vegetation is called for, there is still great need for some type of organic presence to contribute living emergence to the scene.
JJW BrickScape offers brick paver patio design as we are a professional landscape company serving Oakland and Macomb County. Our primary areas are Shelby Township, Rochester Hills, Macomb Township, Sterling Heights, Troy and many other cities.
Brick Seating Walls
Maximize Your Outdoor Space with Seating Walls
Unilock retaining wall products are especially great for defining and creating useful outdoor space. Retaining walls allow you to create horizontal space that you normally would not have because of a sloped yard. Whether you're cutting into an embankment or filling in lower area, gaining that extra space is invaluable. Unilock walls are manufactured to tight tolerances with a high compressive strength concrete often exceeding industry standard specification. This strength, combined with superior engineering and design, will give you the peace of mind that your installation will last for many years to come.
Define Your Patio With Curved Walls
One of the most popular trends in creating and defining a useful outdoor space is by constructing seat walls around the perimeter of your patio area. Not only does this define the area, but it also provides additional seating which comes in handy when you're entertaining large groups of people. An added benefit too is the sense of enclosure or privacy that it adds. The enclosed area also minimizes any uncomfortable drafts which can also affect the enjoyment or operation of a fireplace feature.
Pillars constructed using Unilock wall products offer up both visual and practical anchors for walls and/or gates. Lamps can be incorporated into the pillars as well to provide lighting and visual appeal. The high strength of the adhesive used to construct many of these features also allows for the connection of metal or wooden gates without compromising the integrity of the structure.
Multi - Level Patios!
Unilock walls also offer the option to create multilevel patios which adds interest to your overall design. Most entrances into your home require at least a couple of steps. Complementary steps are easily constructed using Unilock wall products facilitating the change of grade in any situation.
The great thing about Unilock wall products is that they are compatible in texture and color to their paving stones. This way you can create a complimenting design with a combination of materials that look like they are meant to be together. They are also dimensionally compatible with many of their paving stone products, which means you can mix and match products, textures and colors, to come up with a design that is truly unique and truly yours.
JJW BrickScape uses unilock pavers and retaining walls to install brick landscapes for homes located in macomb and oakland county michigan.
Brick Paver Patterns
Narrow Down Your Style for Brick Walkway or Driveway
When it comes to brick paver patterns for a patio or walkway, there is almost no limit to what can be created. With use of a variety of brick paver colors, and pattern techniques some paving projects become admirable works of art. But even with straightforward common projects such as a paver driveway or a brick paver walkway, the design alternatives can be a bit overwhelming. Here’s how to narrow down the options.Best Brick Paver Patterns
Some of the simplest and most elegant designs used today are also the oldest. Patterns should be chosen for not only for their looks, but to also serve a functional purpose depending on whether the space will be used by pedestrians or vehicles; if the space needs to be visually enlarged; or to lead the eye to a focal point, like a sculpture or fountain. Is the Project for Vehicular or Pedestrian Traffic?
The types of pavers also will change according to the size of a project and its purpose.
• For cars or other vehicular traffic, a herringbone pattern is the best bet. This type of paver pattern allows the loads to be transferred and evenly distributed more effectively than any other pattern.
• Designs for pedestrian traffic such as walkways, terraces, patios, courtyards, garden paths and surrounding a pool or pond are often not limited by load considerations; so virtually any pattern can be used. But the more elaborate the pattern will mean more cuts, which will raise the labor time and cost of the project.
The 3 Basic Patterns
There are three basic patterns of brick design for walkways and driveways:
1. Running Bond & Stack Bond. The running bond is a simple but attractive pattern that requires next to no cutting. This is also the most common pattern used on the façade of brick buildings. This pattern is best used for outdoor patios. Stack bond pattern is the simplest of all paving patterns, since pavers are simply stacked or laid side by side, but can be laid at a 45 degree angle for more interest. Stack bonds can stand up to more foot traffic than the running bond, so it is ideal for walkways.
2. Basket weave. The basket weave paver pattern is also called a “parquet” pattern. This design is a checkerboard type of pattern hailing from old European courtyards. This pattern is very attractive and pleasing to the eye; but it looks more complicated than it actually is to install.
3. Herringbone. The herringbone paver pattern can consist of various shaped pavers laid at either 45 or 90 degree angels. It is the strongest of the three patterns; the angles of the pavers create the greatest interlock between the pavers which makes it ideal for driveways that require a sturdy surface.
Steps to Brick Walkway or Driveway Success
To create a successful paver project, get inspiration from looking at various pattern designs – both in magazines and books, as well as around your neighborhood or town.
Once you know what pattern you’d like, make sure that it is the right strength for the type of project you are installing. You can also select from a variety of brick colors and styles (antique, european, colonial and more) which have a wide range of colors.
Brick paver patterns for patios, walkways, and driveways for homes located in Shelby Township, Rochester Hills, Macomb and Oakland County Michigan.
Brick Driveway Pavers
As an alternative to paving your driveway with concrete, brick driveway pavers offer a viable means of providing a parking and walking space without the need of mortar. Driveway pavers come in a variety of sizes, colors and shapes. If you compare the cost of either hiring a concrete crew to pave your driveway or paving it yourself with buying a number of interlocking driveway pavers, you’ll find the advantage is with the pavers. When you factor in labor, laying brick driveway pavers cost less.Benefits of Driveway Pavers
Driveway pavers add value to a home that a cracked or crumbling concrete driveway will take away. Brick pavers are stronger than concrete in the aggregate, better able to distribute weight. Additionally, driveway pavers are much cheaper to repair than concrete. Whereas a whole section or even the whole driveway must be repaved if part of it starts to crack, because pavers are individual modular units, you have only to replace the one piece. All in all, brick pavers are a more cost effective means of building a driveway and will save you money and add value to your home in the long run.
Design Ideas with Driveway Pavers
Coming in many different varieties, the design options for driveway pavers are only limited by your imagination. The easiest types of pavers to work with are either square or rectangular in shape. One popular method for paving your driveway is to lay the brick in much the same way as a brick wall–with each successive row of bricks shifted half a brick to the left or right. This creates a simple offset pattern that is stronger than a checkerboard layout.
You can also choose to combine both square and rectangular bricks in different colors and create a repeatable pattern, giving your driveway the appearance of a random brick layout. In fact, it may actually be random, but as long as it works, it will be quite a focal point. A combination pattern using both large and small patterns is attractive as well. If your driveway has a curve to it, you will have to be a little creative when you lay the bricks. Cutting brick can be burdensome, so look for triangular shapes to augment the square and rectangular bricks. The idea is to make a pattern that has character to it. The best way to do this is to utilize different sizes and colors of brick and to create a semi-random design that is orderly in its apparent chaos.
Brick driveway pavers are far superior to concrete in that they are stronger, more attractive and ultimately less money. The prices may be comparable at the onset, but taking repair into consideration, replacing individual bricks is far less than repaving. In addition, the presence of brick pavers in a driveway actually adds value to your home. Working with brick driveway pavers lets you express your creativity in a very practical way. Rather than a plain slab of concrete, your driveway will consist of a patterned layout full of character and charm. If your home is located in Rochester Hills, Shelby Township, Troy, Bloomfield Hills, or any city located within Macomb or Oakland County, contact JJW BrickScape for a free quote.
