Patio Stone & Pavers Buying Guide
Explore our selection of patio stones and pavers. From retaining wall blocks to concrete pavers, we have everything you need to create a beautiful patio in our patio stones and pavers buying guide.
Create a Backyard Oasis
Create a polished look in your backyard by installing patio stones and pavers. Bring elegance to your patio with natural stone or natural looking stone pavers. Easy to install, the perfect patio stones and pavers are waiting for you online or in-store.
Patio stones, pavers, and blocks can add an element of architectural design to your landscape. They are available for projects like:
- Patios
- Retaining walls
- Edging
- Raised garden beds
- Fire pits
Decorative precast products, like concrete block, are made by pouring concrete into a variety of forms to create the desired shape and texture. Precast products can replicate the look of stone, brick, tile, slate, and more. Their various shapes, textures, sizes, and colours allow for a variety of patterns.
Types of Patio Stones & Pavers
Concrete
- Made out of mixture of aggregate and concrete.
- Available in a variety of colours, styles, and sizes.
- Strong and durable.
Rubber
- Made out of recycled durable rubber.
- Doesn't heat up and provides a non-slippery surface, making it ideal for patios around pools.
- Available in different colours, styles, and sizes.
Natural Stone
- Made out of mixture of natural stone and concrete.
- Because they are made with natural materials, each patio stone's dimension, weight, and texture varies slightly.
- Not as durable as concrete or rubber.
Retaining Wall Blocks
Retaining walls are a great way to section off your gardens or ponds from sitting and play areas. Retaining wall blocks can look like old, tumbled stone, chiseled stone, or can have cleaner, designed edges.
Different blocks have different maximum wall heights, generally ranging from 15 inches to 2 feet in a standard installation, so make sure you know the maximums for the wall block you choose. Some wall blocks work with pins you can purchase separately to interlock each course (or layer), helping with alignment and stability.
Coordinating caps are available for some styles of wall block to help give your creation a finished look.
Edging Stones
Edging stones provide clear, visually interesting borders between planting beds and lawns or patios, in addition to highlighting flowers and shrubs. From a practical point of view, edging stones help keep mulch where it belongs and provide a cleaner mowing and trimming line. You can create straight, angled, or curved borders with ease, and some edging stones interlock for simpler placement and design. Like other patio blocks, edging stones are available in different colours and styles to let you select the look that best complements your home.
Considerations When Installing Patio Stones & Pavers
- The shape and size of concrete precast patio blocks are designed for installation that requires minimal cutting. Uniform sizes also simplify the planning and purchasing processes.
- Precast patio blocks are relatively simple to install and maintain. While different types of block may have different installation requirements, you can complete most projects with just a few tools.
- If you do need to cut the block, you'll need special tools and accessories. A brick chisel and engineer's hammer are sufficient for some cuts. Others require a power saw with a diamond blade.
- Keep in mind that block can be heavy and moving and placing a lot of it requires some physical exertion. If you don't want to haul block, you can have it delivered.
Note: When considering a patio block project, make sure you're aware of any building codes or homeowner association rules that might apply. Also be mindful of any underground utilities that may be in the area.
What You'll Need to Install Patio Stones & Pavers
Paver Base
Gravel is a paver base that forms part of the foundation of patio block projects. It gives the project stability, provides for drainage, and helps you work with natural elevation changes in your landscape.
Paver Or Levelling Sand
Another foundational layer that supports patio block projects. Paver sand helps fix the block in place.
Polymeric Sand
A polymer and sand mixture for filling the joints or gaps between patio and walkway blocks. It's designed to be superior to regular sand for resistance to weeds, wind, rain, washout, and freezing conditions. After filling the gaps between the block with polymeric sand and clearing it completely off the surface of the block, misting the polymeric sand with water allows it to harden.
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