5 Permeable Paving Options For Your Patio

Uncovered or partially covered patios give you a place to enjoy the wide-open sky in your own backyard. Unfortunately, the large paved area can become a wet mess if water collects on it after rain or irrigation. The good news is that there are permeable paving options that allow you to enjoy a dry patio while ensuring necessary moisture is absorbed into the ground beneath instead of being lost to evaporation. 

1. Sand Joint Pavers

The simplest design is also one of the more effective at both paving and allowing good drainage. The pavers, which can be brick, concrete, or stone, are laid over a gravel base. Instead of mortar, sand is used to fill the joints. Water is able to percolate through the sand joints and into the gravel layer, which speeds the moisture on its way to soaking into the soil below.

2. Grass Pavers

Grass pavers are made of concrete that is poured to create open grids, so they effectively look like concrete frames. These are installed directly onto leveled soil. The grids are then filled about half full of additional soil, followed by the planting of grass or another groundcover plant. Moisture can soak into the grassy open grids, while the grid frames of the pavers provide enough stability for patio usage.

3. Plastic Grid Pavers

Similar to grass pavers, plastic grid pavers are designed as open grids that allow grass or ground cover to grow through them while allowing moisture to seep below them. The main difference is in aesthetics. Whereas concrete grass pavers are attractive and designed to be seen between the blocks of grass, plastic grids are meant to be installed flush to the ground so that the grass or groundcover plants camouflage the pavers from sight completely.

4. Concrete Specialty Pavers

There are a variety of specialty pavers on the market that are made of concrete. These pavers typically use a special proprietary concrete mix that contains aggregates and other materials that leave open spaces within the paver body. These spaces allow moisture to seep through the pavers themselves, even though they appear solid. You can find specialty pavers in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. 

5. Gravel and Pavers

A final option is to use standard non-permeable pavers and bricks in conjunction with gravel. The gravel provides an inlet for water to permeate through. Gravel can be used as wide joints between pavers, or decorative borders or stripes of gravel can be placed within the paver patio to allow for drainage in low spots. 

Contact a patio paver design service, such as Pavescapes LLC, if you are ready to put in a new patio.


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