Paving Versus Decking: Which is Right for You?

When homeowners, or even developers, are looking at landscaping an outdoor space, one question usually comes to mind – decking or paving?

While each of these materials has their benefits, it’s important that you don’t choose one or the other until you know all the facts.

The Pros and Cons of Timber Decking

While timber is often the cheaper of the two materials initially, one of the biggest downsides of a timber deck is the level of ongoing maintenance that’s required to keep it in good shape. Decking usually needs to be replaced long before you’ll even need to think about replacing any natural stone pavers. Even composite timber that’s known for its long-lasting qualities will need to be replaced before pavers will.

Timber requires regular staining, and is prone to rot, especially when exposed to the elements. However, due to ease of construction, it’s usually the material of choice when building an off-ground deck or patio – especially second storey verandas. Decking is also popular on sloping blocks, as the excavation required to install paving can get quite expensive.

However, when installing timber decking, extra care needs to be taken to ensure it’s installed properly. The topsoil needs to be removed, weed killer applied, and good drainage provided or else weeds can start growing through the deck, making it a breeding ground for termites and other nasty pests.

The Pros and Cons of Outdoor Paving

Paving on the other-hand, is a hassle-free, long-lasting outdoor solution that – as mentioned previously – will long out live its timber counterparts. As such, outdoor pavers have become a reliable, high-quality building material in both residential and commercial settings.

This is because they’re:

• Durable
• Visually appealing
• Easy to maintain
• Strong
• Easy to repair
• Affordable (especially when viewed from a long-term point of view); and
• Versatile

Pavers are available in a number of sizes, shapes and colours, and can be cut to size to suit your specific requirements. Extra touches like sealers have also added to their appeal, as you can now protect the pavers from growing weeds in the grout, and from general signs of wear and tear. Outdoor pavers are also available in both natural and engineered stone varieties, and will perfectly complement the design of various outdoor areas.

Want to learn more about how natural stone pavers could be perfect for your next outdoor project? Feel free to get in touch and we’ll help you out as much as we can.