When laying a driveway, you need to pick from various materials, two of which are standard, grey concrete and stone pavers. Out of these, pavers provide a better option. Here's why.

Cracking

If you lay concrete across your driveway, it can develop snaking cracks that create an eyesore across the area. Because concrete forms a solid and continuous surface, it doesn't have the give of pavers. Thus, if the earth underneath settles or shifts minutely, concrete needs to crack to accommodate the movement. Pavers, however — that sit on a base of sand and crushed rock — can adjust and shift to allow for the earth movement. Thus, they don't need to crack. Plus, if a paver surface does suffer damage, you can replace individual units rather than the entire surface. 

Colour and Visual Interest

Another reason to select pavers is simply that grey concrete is dull and unappealing. Stone pavers, though, come in diverse colours, depending on the type of rock. Slate, travertine and granite, for example, exhibit blue, tan, grey, black, ivory, peach and pink. Thus, you can colour the drive any way you wish and harmonise it with other hardscape elements, such as the front steps or a retaining wall. You can also personalise your driveway by combining the pavers in different patterns such as running bond or basketweave.

Accessibility

Once you lay a concrete driveway, it's done and dusted. You can't move the drive to the right or the left or change its curves. You can't shift the concrete to your patio. If you want to do such things, you'll need to smash the surface to start again. However, with natural stone pavers, you can do all those things with a bit of work. 

If you want to move the drive's trajectory, you can remove the pavers and the sub-base of crushed gravel and sand and relocate them to one side or the other. You can adjust them to change the sweep of the drive, or you can shift the pavers to the patio. You might need to purchase additional base materials, but you'll be able to relocate the pavers to another place. They're repurposable. You could even use them for garden edging as well.

Thus, for driveways, pavers provide a better option than concrete slabs. Paver surfaces don't develop spreading unsightly cracks that ruin your home's exterior, and you can replace individual pavers that might sustain damage. As well, pavers bring beautiful colours and patterns to the landscape, and they're extremely versatile and convenient. You can relocate them to another spot in the garden if you wish.

To learn more, contact a natural stone paver supplier.