The Best Materials for Your Backyard Patio Design

Flagstone patio or paver patio? Although there are other materials that may be used in a backyard patio design, such as brick and cobblestone, we’re going to focus on the two most popular ones: flagstone (natural stone) and pavers (a manufactured concrete product).

Flagstone Patio Materials
Natural stone, commonly referred to as flagstone includes slate, travertine, limestone, sandstone, and bluestone. The flagstone used in backyard patio designs is quarried in different regions of the nation. Each type of stone has distinctive qualities, texture, and color.

Stone arrives from the quarry rough cut into rectangular and square shapes of varying size. It also comes in random irregular shapes and large slabs.

The uneven size and shape of stone gives craftsmen the option to “go with the flow” and work creatively with the stones as they are, allowing them to determine the spacing and size of joints between. If the patio design specifies a more “tailored” look, craftsmen can lay out all the pieces, and fine cut them to fit the pattern and achieve evenly sized joints between stones.

Concrete Paver Patio Materials
Manufactured concrete patio pavers also come in random pattern sets of varying sizes as well as slab sizes. The point of difference is that they arrive from the factory precisely cut, so the need for cutting pieces on site is minimal. Materials are required to meet set standards of strength and consistent dimensions to suit different applications such as driveway, patio or walkway surfacing.

If you prefer a look that is organic and free form, stone is the way to go. If you are looking for an “out-of-the-box” uniformity of character in your backyard patio design, manufactured pavers are perfect for achieving that look.

Designing Patios with Flagstone and Pavers

Stone offers a creative opportunity for talented designers and craftsmen to make a one of a kind patio for your yard. Pavers offer a wide range of colors and styles in pre-set laying patterns.

The Versatility of Flagstone
The flagstone we use for backyard patio design can be set in concrete with mortared joints, or laid on a compacted gravel base. If the design calls for large slabs of irregular flagstone, we always set them on a gravel base. We fill the joints with pea gravel or plant a low growing ground cover that fills in the spaces and creates a green joint. It softens the edges of the stone.

The Efficiency & Consistency of Pavers
The design capabilities of paver patio systems have become more sophisticated today due to technology.

Companies like Techo Bloc offer pavers made with limestone or granite aggregate. The aggregates introduce subtle variations in color and texture that mimic natural stone. There are three piece and four-piece type products that facilitate patterning. They also offer material in 2×3 foot sizes that approximate the effect of large stone slabs.

Jeff Taphouse of Techo Bloc says that paver patio design has benefitted from the boom in outdoor living and pool construction over the past fifteen years. Concrete pavers don’t get as hot under foot as some types of flagstone, making them a desirable surface for a pool deck on a summer afternoon.