COST COMPARISSON BETWEEN NATURAL STONE PAVERS AND CONCRETE PAVERS

Hardscaping of your back yard can be a very costly exercise and you will be overwhelmed with the many alternatives in both products to use and design.

Here are some of the most common questions that we’re asked, and our answers.

We would firstly like to enlighten you to the fact that a concrete paver that is 30mm thick has the equivalent compressive strength to that of a 20mm thick natural stone paver.

‘Is it worth spending more to lay a 30mm paver compared with a 20mm paver?’

Natural stone pavers come in many different thicknesses. Typically, a 20mm paver is used when laying pavers on a concrete base or into a wet mix of sand and cement over the top of a compacted roadbase. However, there are times when a 30mm paver might be preferred. Some landscapers prefer 30mm around pools, and on driveways. The reason for this is due to the extra wear and tear created by salt/chlorinated water from pools, and the heavy traffic of vehicles on driveways. Generally speaking however we normally follow the following guideline in thickness selection of natural stone pavers:

10mm thick natural stone pavers can ONLY be layed over the top of a concrete slab, generally layed into a thick bed stone adhesive.

20mm thick natural stone pavers can be layed as above as well as into a wet mix of sand and cement over the top of a compacted roadbase.

Costwise, a 30mm paver will generally be approximately 1.5 times more expensive than a 20mm paver, as it is 1.5 times thicker.

See the table below for an example:

‘What is the cost difference to lay a poured concrete base and a crushed rock base?’

It is difficult to generalise the costs of poured concrete bases and crushed rock bases. This is because the costs are dependent on many factors, including access to the site, the size of the job and the amount of preparation needed.

However, as a ballpark estimate, for a site with easy access, of about 100m2, with little preparation required, will incur costs along the lines of:

As you can see, crushed rock bases are cheaper than concrete bases. In this case, the savings runs at approximately $2,200. That being said, it is important to remember that crushed rock bases do move, which means that your pavers are more prone to shifting, cracking and breaking. In comparison, concrete bases will last longer, and as there is much less movement in a concrete base—meaning that your pavers will be less likely to crack and/or break over time. ALSO please note we recommend that if paving a driveway you MUST have a concrete slab base.

‘What is the cost difference between buying concrete pavers and natural stone pavers?’

Many people assume that concrete pavers are significantly cheaper than natural stone. This is not always the case! Often, the prices of concrete pavers and natural stone are a LOT dearer.

See the table below for an example:

 ‘ Should I purchase dropfaces or bullnose for my swimming pool coping (pool edge tiles)?’

There are two major differences between dropfaces and bullnose copers. These are design and price.

Design : Dropfaces are usually available in a L-style, square edge, design. Whereas bullnose have a rounded edge. (Note: in our travertine range we also stock rounded edge dropface copers.)
If your design is modern, you might prefer the L-style square edge design. However, if your design is more classical or traditional, you might prefer the rounded edge look.
The great thing about drop face pool coping pavers is that unlike a bullnose or tumbled edge 30mm paver, the drop face will cover the adhesive holding the coping down on a fiberglass swimming pool.

Price : Pricewise, you are paying for two very different products. A bullnose coper is a 30mm piece of natural stone, with one edge rounded and smoothed. A dropface coper is a much thicker 40mm, 75mm piece of natural stone, which has had the underneath section is ground away, leaving the dropface edge. IT IS IMPORTANT when purchasing a drop face paver that it is made from 1 piece of stone NOT laminated.

Please see below for a price comparison: