The complete guide to paver patios — brick, concrete, flagstone, travertine, and bluestone. Patterns, costs, and installation tips for every style.
Visualize Pavers in My Yard →Upload a photo — see results in 60 seconds
Classic brick pavers — timeless, durable, and endlessly patternable. Red, tan, charcoal, or mixed colors.
The most popular brick paver pattern — interlocking 45° or 90° angle bricks. Extremely strong (distributes load), visually dynamic. Classic for traditional homes.
Bricks laid in rows with offset joints — like a standard brick wall. Simple, clean, works with any home style. Slightly less structural than herringbone.
Pairs of bricks laid perpendicular, alternating direction. Creates a woven visual effect. Traditional and formal — great for cottage or colonial homes.
Circular fan patterns radiating from a center point. Often used as a focal point — fire pit surround, dining area center, entry feature.
Brick pavers with 2–4 inch grass or ground cover joints between. Partially permeable, softer look. Lawn chair-friendly, great for informal gardens.
Salvaged historic bricks — irregular, weathered, full of character. Can't be replicated with new materials. Common in urban renovation projects.
Modern concrete pavers offer more colors, sizes, and textures than any natural material — at a fraction of the cost.
24×24 or 24×48 inch concrete slabs. Modern, minimal, resort-like. Wider joints filled with fine gravel or polymeric sand. Very popular for contemporary homes.
Machine-tumbled for irregular, aged edges — looks like antique stone but much cheaper. Warm tones. Works with traditional, cottage, and Mediterranean styles.
Pavers with open joints or hollow centers that allow water to drain through. Required by code in many municipalities. Reduces runoff, recharges groundwater.
Combine two complementary paver colors for borders, insets, or full patterns. Border-and-field (dark border, lighter field) is classic and timeless.
Alternating concrete paver squares with artificial turf infill. Modern, graphic, low maintenance. Popular for small backyards and modern townhomes.
Concrete pavers with exposed stone aggregate on the surface. More traction than smooth concrete. Looks natural. Wide variety of aggregate color options.
Flagstone, travertine, bluestone, limestone — natural stone is the premium choice. Each piece is unique.
Random-cut flagstone laid dry or mortared. Arizona sandstone (reds/browns), Pennsylvania bluestone (blue-gray), or Tennessee crab orchard (red/brown). Each patio is unique.
Precision-cut Pennsylvania bluestone in square/rectangular pieces. Clean, formal, architects' favorite. Goes with any home style. Blue-gray color works with everything.
Tumbled or honed travertine — warm ivory, tan, and walnut tones. Cool underfoot in summer (unlike brick or concrete). Classic Mediterranean resort feel.
Buff, cream, or gray limestone slabs. Softer feel than granite, warmer than bluestone. European country and Mediterranean styles. Gets softer-looking over time.
Hard, sparkly metamorphic stone — highly durable, slip-resistant. Gold, rust, gray, or white. More exotic look than standard flagstone.
Combine flagstone infill with cut stone borders, or mix two stone types for visual interest. Often more economical — fill expensive cut stone borders with cheaper irregular infill.
| Material | Cost/sq ft installed | Lifespan | DIY Friendly? | Maintenance | Best Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete pavers | $10–$18 | 30–50 yrs | Yes | Polymeric sand refill every 5 yrs | Any |
| Brick pavers | $12–$20 | 30–50 yrs | Yes | Re-sand joints every 5 yrs | Traditional, cottage |
| Flagstone (dry-set) | $15–$28 | 20–40 yrs | Moderate | Weed control in joints | Rustic, cottage |
| Flagstone (mortared) | $22–$40 | 30–50 yrs | No | Re-grout cracks every 10 yrs | Formal, modern |
| Bluestone (cut) | $25–$45 | 30–50+ yrs | No | Seal every 3–5 yrs | Formal, any |
| Travertine | $20–$40 | 25–50 yrs | No | Seal annually | Mediterranean, resort |
| Porcelain tile pavers | $25–$50 | 25–40 yrs | No | Very low | Modern, minimalist |
| Permeable pavers | $15–$25 | 25–40 yrs | Moderate | Replenish aggregate annually | Any — eco focus |
Concrete pavers are the most affordable — $10–$16/sq ft installed for standard sizes. Brick pavers run $12–$18/sq ft. Natural stone starts at $15–$20/sq ft for basic flagstone. A 400 sq ft concrete paver patio runs $4,000–$6,500 professionally installed, or $1,200–$2,400 as a DIY project (materials only).
For most residential patios: polymeric sand is the best choice. It hardens when wet, resists weeds and ants, lasts 5–10 years before needing replacement. Traditional sand (non-polymer) is cheaper but washes out and weeds grow through it. Mortar is used for mortared applications (wet-set) like cut stone — requires professional installation and is permanent.
Yes, but with caveats. The concrete must be structurally sound (no major cracks). Laying pavers over concrete raises the height 2.5–4 inches — check door clearances. You can use a thin-set mortar or sand bed. The benefit: no excavation needed. The risk: if the concrete heaves or cracks, the pavers follow.
Concrete pavers: 30–50 years. Brick pavers: 30–50 years. Natural stone: 50+ years if properly installed. The key variable is the base — a 4-inch compacted gravel base is minimum; 6 inches in freeze/thaw climates. Failure usually happens from inadequate base preparation, not the pavers themselves.
By material: herringbone is the most popular for brick. Running bond is most popular for concrete pavers. Irregular (random) is most popular for flagstone. By style: large-format (24×24 or larger) concrete pavers are the fastest-growing trend, especially for modern and contemporary homes.
Professionally installed: brick/concrete pavers $5,000–$8,000. Flagstone $8,000–$15,000. Cut bluestone $10,000–$20,000. Travertine $10,000–$18,000. DIY (materials only): concrete pavers $2,000–$3,500. Brick $2,500–$4,000. Flagstone $4,000–$8,000. Factor in base materials (gravel, sand), polymeric sand, edge restraints — about 25–30% of total cost.
Upload a photo of your yard and instantly see how different paver styles look. Try herringbone brick, large-format concrete, or flagstone in your actual outdoor space.
Visualize My Paver Patio →Free to try · 60 second results