Brick Vs. Concrete Walkways

Concrete

• Concrete is the cheapest paving material to install. It provides the smoothest surface. However, it can be expensive to repair. Concrete is the least durable paving method, often counteracting the cost savings at installation. Small repairs are difficult and often require removing large surface areas. Water is likely to pool on a concrete surface, creating slick spots in very cold weather. A good quality concrete pathway requires more than basic skill to install and is very intolerant of mistakes.

Stamped Concrete

• This method consists of poured concrete with a molded pattern that mimics stone or brick paving. Color is often added for aesthetic purposes. Stamped concrete is more expensive than a plain concrete surface. It is also more difficult and expensive to maintain and repair. The basic material is no more durable and when it comes to repairs, matching the original pattern can be very difficult. The "mortar lines" in stamped concrete are superficial, so large sections have to be removed to make large repairs while small patches are more likely to be noticed. Installing stamped concrete requires tools and materials not typically available to most do-it-yourselfers.

Bricks

• Prior to 1891, concrete paving was unavailable. The most common paving material of the time was brick. Brick takes more time and expense to install than any concrete application. However, setting bricks, especially on a sand sub-surface, is a fairly easy process and errors are much easier to correct. Brick is more durable because a brick surface is much less likely to crack as the subsurface settles over time or with seasonal changes. In addition, maintenance and repair costs are significantly less. A settled surface can be re-leveled and the bricks replaced without removing a large area around the repair. People also consider brick more environmentally friendly as they allow water to seep between the joints. A drawback to brick paving, especially in garden landscaping, is that weeds can grow between the bricks. However, the same is true of cracked concrete. Finally, bricks are often considered a far more attractive addition than monotone concrete.

Stone

• Paving stones have many of the advantages and disadvantages of brick. Stones are both more durable and more expensive than bricks. Fitting stones can be more difficult than bricks due to their less uniform shape. Setting stone in sand is not usually recommended as the extra gap cause by lack of uniformity can create dangerous and uneven surfaces. Using mortar, however, is no more difficult than mortaring a brick pathway.