Are you reimagining your exteriors as a place to reconvene with nature or revamping your outdoor living space to host gatherings? There’s a patio style to meet your lifestyle needs, style and budget.
Outdoor patios and walkways can be designed and built with a variety of materials in a range of colors, shapes, and patterns. You just have to know where to begin to find the right materials for your home.
Tips for Selecting Materials for Outdoor Walkways
When choosing patio and walkway materials, it’s best to consider the diverse options while understanding your patio’s location and size as well as your budget. Before making a final decision on your patio walkway materials, think about:
- The specific location — front yard, outdoor living spaces, pool surrounds — and amount of foot traffic.
- The amount of shade around the walkway or patio area.
- Whether you want the materials to add texture and contrast to your landscaping or blend in.
Five Patio and Walkway Material Ideas
When you see a home with tailored, pristine landscaping, your eye is drawn to the hardscaping throughout the scenery. The best outdoor landscape designs enhance the yard and plants while complementing the character of the home.
Creating an enchanting outdoor patio or walkway depends on selecting the right type of material for your needs. The most popular walkway materials are:
- Concrete: Versatile, affordable and adaptable, concrete is used for a variety of outdoor patios and walkways. It can be customized with several finishes like stamping, scoring, painting or tinting as well as decorative inlays or patterned. Concrete is ideal for outdoor entertaining spaces where there’s a lot of foot traffic and where you need a smooth, even surface to move furniture. To maintain the finish of decorative concrete, apply a clear coating regularly.
- Flagstone: Flagstone has a natural beauty and is easily recognized by its irregular shape and slightly textured surface. Natural stone material offers good traction when wet, but is one of the most expensive patio materials available.
- Brick: Patios created with brick provide a clean, classic look that can blend into traditional or contemporary designs with a variety of options. Brick is durable and strong, without needing an outdoor coating, but can become slippery if left in moist, shaded areas.
- Pavers: Pavers have come a long way from basic red, bulky square materials, and have evolved into many different shapes, colors and patterns. Pavers are cost-effective and ideal for wet areas, like around pools.
- Alternatives: To help save on patio installation costs, alternative man-made materials are an ideal option. They’re typically manufactured with a cement base and can be designed in several colors and patterns as well as to look like natural materials.
Spruce Up Your Home With a New Patio From Shearer Patio & Landscape Services
At Shearer Patio & Landscape Services, we’ve been serving the greater Columbus area for nearly 20 years, offering a wide selection of custom patio and walkway design and installation solutions. With our personalized solutions, unique products, and professional installation services, we can deliver a stunning walkway for your home.
Contact us online or call 614-889-9981 for more information about our landscaping services and to request a free quote.
