paving stone vs stamped concrete

Many homeowners are having to make a choice in what materials to use for their walkway,patio, or driveway. Stamped concrete is becoming more and more popular and often the stamped look is created to imitate paving stones. The attraction to concrete is usually due to the lower cost. One very important factor to consider is the durability of stamped concrete, and repair costs due to cracking. For many concrete pads and walkways it is not a matter of if the concrete will crack but when. It is almost inevitable that concrete will crack over time. Cracking can occur because of settling, heavy loads, or shrinkage and one of these is likely to happen in the next five years. Consider the costs of concrete repairs before you invest in this for your walkway or patio.

Stamped and poured concrete repair not cheap
Repair costs for cracks in poured concrete can be expensive and often the repairs are noticeable or the dye to cover the repair is not correct and does not match the original stamped dye. In the long term stamped or poured concrete walkways and patios are eventually jack hammered out and replaced. The homeowner can incur a expensive removal fee for this service. Paving stones outlast any other There is no questions that paving stones out last any other foundation material. Take a look around some old european countries and you will see paving stones dating back over a thousand years. When installed properly, paving stones will not sink and can handle the heaviest of loads, a cracked paver is very rare but also very easy to replace, and, unlike stamped concrete, the repair itself is not noticeable.

Which is really more expensive ?
Although your initial installation costs are probably less for poured concrete, over the long term and even in the short term, if cracks appear soon after installation, you may find that stamped concrete costs you more. In some cases, the repair costs combined with the initial installation costs will cost you much more than paving stones. Paving stones are hassle free, maintenance free, and will look as beautiful in 30 years as the day they were installed. To learn more about our paving stone installations visit our patios and fire pits page We install durable, beautiful paving stone walkways and patios. To request and estimate call : 403-452-8552 

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