Speedy Hire : Paving Ideas for Your Garden

Paving is a practical, functional addition to your garden. From dining al-fresco to reducing how much grass there is to mow, most gardens benefit from some form of patio or paved area.

But by playing with colour, texture, and design, you can transform this practical space into something which also brings your outdoor space into the 21^st century.

Or you might want to match your garden to the flow of your home, creating a colourful or monochrome patio. You just need to pick the right patio slabs and styles.

Laying your own patio is a really simple DIY job if you have the right tools.

You need:

You can hire all the power tools you need from Speedy and can also purchase PPE at the same time.

Below are some patio ideas and inspiration. There is plenty to think about, so know that your paving and garden paths can suit your lifestyle, whether you want something to suit a contemporary garden, something which is slip resistant, or something cottage-core.

Patio Styles

1. Shapes & Sizes

Patio stones don't have to be square or rectangular slabs. There's no reason you can't design a round patio using curved slabs or use misshapen unique cuts of stone to make a mosaic style.

You can even alternate between square and rectangular if you still want to make laying the patio simple but don't want to make it look boring.

A pressure washer can keep these clean, blasting away the dirt and ensuring no hard work for you.

Photo by Alfred Garcia

2.Materials

Concrete slabs are practical and can withstand everyday activity, but they aren't the only option.

Slate is available if you need something hard-wearing and scratch-resistant, but which looks more natural than concrete. Porcelain is ideal if you would like something in a pale, neutral colour, which is easy to clean and durable.

Limestone is also natural, and great if you would like something which isn't necessarily uniform. Flat and smooth, they are great looking aesthetically.

Block paving commonly uses bricks, for a decorative look which is substantial. Joints can be refilled with sand every so often, and individual bricks can be replaced with ease if necessary.

You can even look to obtain reclaimed bricks for this, to not only keep costs lower but also make your patio eco-friendlier by saving items which could otherwise be destined for the rubble tip.

Photo by Nik Cvetkovic

The best for you depends on a few pointers:

• The durability required
• How dirty the paving will get
• How easy the paving needs to be to clean
• How natural do you want the paving to look
• Whether it needs to be long-lasting or easy to repair
• If it has to be slip resistant for children or elders

Photo by Marianne

3.Filling between the patio flags

Usually, a mixture of sand and cement is used to fill in the gaps between paving stones. Leaving a gap prevents contact pressure if the flags expand in heat or rain.

But why not try something different? Wildflowers and spreading plants can be used to fill in any gaps, for a natural look (and for the benefit of insects).

While it could make it harder to clean the slabs, this is a good option for anyone happy to let the patio slabs be natural all year round. Ensure you have low footfall to allow the plants to grow.

Stick to anything with shallow roots, such as mosses. Anything with deep roots, like dandelion, could damage the patio stones, so eliminate those by pouring boiling water onto them.

If creating this from new, use a mixture of soil and fine grit to fill the gaps. Leave bigger gaps between the patio stones if you're building the patio from the start.

Photo by Kaboompics .com:

4.Split the areas

Rather than one large patio, why not two or three smaller patios? This way, you can dedicate areas to certain events (one for dining, one for relaxing, one for the kids), and allow grass or other plants to grow in between to encourage wildlife.

A simple stepping stone or two between each area will allow you to easily move around.

5.Mix the textures

A mixture of paving slabs and gravel can help make a patio area look more modern and aesthetic. You can either reduce the size of your patio and have gravel surrounding it, or split up the paving stones with gravel.

Photo by Nadin Sh

READY FOR MORE PATIO AND GARDENING TIPS?

When it comes to cleaning your paving, our handy How-To Clean a Patio with a Pressure Washer blog will tell you all you need to know. Remember to be careful and adapt the pressure of your washer to suit your patio materials and whatever is in between the slabs.

If you're on a budget and want to transform your space temporarily before laying a new patio, we have a guide on how to paint patio slabs.

To hire everything you need, simply open a Speedy account online or visit us in-store.

Speedy has more than 200 local service centres across the nation, hire counters in selected B&Qs and nationwide 4-hour delivery. It has never been easier to hire the tools and equipment you need.

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