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01 March 2007 |
Decorative paving options liven up driveways, walkways and patios
By Jerry Hale
It used to be that paving was done principally to
cut down on dirt tracked into the house. For that,
just about out any hard surface worked fine. The
downside? Bor-ing!
Enter the Age of Affluence and Style. Now
homeowners can choose from several functional
paving options that make decorative statements as
well.
Take driveways. First impressions count, and your
driveway is the first thing you — and guests — encounter
upon arrival. A surface of plain, dull black asphalt or nondescript
gray concrete will provide a solid driving and
walking surface. And it will look about as imaginative as
most area roadways and parking lots.
But wait! The same driveway can declare, “Style and
taste live here!” From classy decorative pavers to stamped
concrete in geometric patterns to asphalt that’s patterned
and attractively coated, paving can be part of your home’s
“WOW!” appeal.
Blacktop that’s anything but black
Charles Jennings of CJ Paving in Boones Mill specializes
in decorative asphalt.
“We use the Street Print® technique,” he said, which
originated for commercial applications but is taking hold
for residential. It’s essentially asphalt, so it expands and
contracts without cracking. StreetPrint color and patterns
can be applied to existing asphalt (up to three years old) by
re-heating the surface, but it’s best done when the paving is
initially installed.
“StreetPrint is the only decorative paving surface that
can be re-tinted to change or rejuvenate the color,” Jennings
noted. “While it can look much like pavers, there are no
seams where vegetation can take root. And there’s no sealing;
the only maintenance is keeping it clean.”
Pricing for new decorative asphalt runs about $6-8 per
square foot and StreetPrint warrants the coating process.
Concrete with flare!
A paver-like look can also be obtained using stamped
concrete.
“It’s getting more popular at the Lake as people
increasingly seek the luxury look of decorative paving,” said
Rhodney Tozier of Glavas Decorative Concrete in Salem.
It’s not cheap. Cost runs $7-10 per square foot, roughly
twice that of plain broom-finished concrete. “But the effect
can be dramatic on driveways, walkways and patios,” said
Tozier. “You can have about any color – and patterns to
simulate brick, stone, tile, even boardwalk.”
Pavers for Purists
For some, only the real thing will do. So Capps Home
Building Center distributes Cambridge Pavingstones™ with
ArmorTec™ - a 3/8-inch thick layer of color-saturated, extradense
concrete that, Cambridge claims, “…keeps pavers
looking colorful, rich and smooth yet skid-resistant.”
Capps Retail Manager Mike Ridder calls the resulting
look “nothing short of ‘spectacular” — and flips through
the photos in the Cambridge brochure as proof. Right he is:
the applications shown are breathtaking — driveways with
intriguing patterns; pool decks spruced up with sunburst
patterns; inspired walls, steps, planters and patios. Clearly,
the results are limited only by imagination …and purse:
pavers, being the “real thing,” are typically the most costly
approach to paving. But nothing beats them for style!
Shovel the “dough” and never the snow!
And now the ‘coup de snow?’ Lakers who can’t shovel
snow (or who simply had their fill in previous lives up North
somewhere!) now have the option of adding imbedded
radiant heating to their driveway, sidewalk or patio
installations. Wisler Plumbing’s General Manager Denton
Wisler explained: “A network of PCX [a type of plastic pipe]
is installed before concrete, asphalt or pavers are put down
and is connected to a dedicated gas heat source. When a
sensor detects freezing temperatures or snow accumulation,
it sends hot water through the pipes, keeping snow and ice
from accumulating on the paved surface. The water can then
evaporate and, VOILA! — it’s clear and dry with nary a sore
muscle.”
Pretty nifty, but also pricey. Available through builders
and architects, the system adds $10-20 per square foot to the
cost of a Lake driveway. It’s something to consider for steep
grades or situations where shoveling or plowing is out of the
question.
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Last Updated ( 29 May 2007 )
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