How to Choose a Color for Your Backyard Pavers

When you moved into your home, you probably spent at least some time thinking about colors.

What color should we paint the living room? What shade do we want for the kitchen? Do these curtains go with our furniture?

For a lot of people, these are questions worth pondering. The right color can change the character of a room for the better, while the wrong hue can make your space feel uninviting.

The same thing is true when it comes to backyard pavers. Whether you’re installing pavers on your patio or your driveway, you’ll want to choose a color that harmonizes with the rest of your property and makes sense for the use of the space. Here are a few ways to decide which backyard paver is right for you.

1. Know your options

Many paver manufacturers use locally-sourced natural materials, which means the colors available to you might vary by region.

It’s easy to find color inspiration for your paver patio by exploring design websites such as Houzz, and by saving your favorite photos in a digital ideabook.

Consider factors like multiple colors vs. monotone designs, the use of color in creating interesting patterns and borders, and the overall effect created by textured and tumbled pavers.

Ask your contractor or paver dealer to show you a selection of samples so you can get at least some inkling of how different colors will look against your home’s exterior.

2. Determine the right tone

When we talk about the “tone” of a color, we’re referring to how dark or light it is. Just like cool or warm colors, the tone you pick is matter of taste, but there are some things you should consider.

Lighter tones can make your space feel more open, while darker tones will give you a feeling of coziness.

It might be tempting to automatically go with a natural tone paver, as these blend well with your surroundings. But remember that even natural tones still have shades of yellow, grey or pink that can be enhanced by sunlight or water. And these colors might not be right for your home. Pavers that are a few shades lighter than your property will still let your home stand out without confusing the eye.

Another factor is the amount of sunlight your patio or driveway typically soaks in each day. The color of your pavers can change based on their exposure to the sun. Completely shaded sections would benefit from lighter-colored pavers, which serve to illuminate the area.

3. Think about how the space will be used

Think about how you’ll be using the space where you’ll be installing new pavers. For example, if you use your patio to hold barbecues, you might want to choose darker pavers to hide stains.

And if your pavers are part of a patio next to your pool, think about how hot the paving stones might get. Lighter colors will be cooler on bare feet, while darker-shaded pavers will absorb more heat and reflect less light.

Pavers used to create a walkway should usually be smoother, although you can line the walkway with darker or more textured stones.

4. Weigh monotone vs. multi-colored

Do you want your driveway or patio to be a single color, or a mix? A monotone paver layout gives you a modern, sleek look, but comes with a downside: stains are much more noticeable.

Multicolored pavers tend to have a few variations in color, which can hide stains, while also blending more easily into your existing landscaping.

Your pavers’ texture can also affect the overall color, even if they’re all one tone. Textured pavers will have a greater color variation because the varied surface height – no matter how minimal – creates a shadowing effect that causes pavers to appear lighter or darker in natural light (as opposed to how they might look in a retail showroom).

These days, many homeowners are choosing tumbled pavers, which are tumbled in a rotating drum that smooths out sharp edges, provides color variation and creates a more natural look.

The downside is that the joints between the pavers are larger, leading to more weeds and the need to add more sand to the joints, and an overall higher cost due to the added processing.

5. Consider your house materials and roof

Some experts suggest that matching your backyard paver color to the color of the roof of your home is the best way to tie together all the colors of your property.

It doesn’t need to be a 100 percent match, just shades that don’t clash. You should also choose pavers that coordinate with the materials your home is made from.

For example, installing brick hardscaping next to a brick home leads to a look that’s much too red, while grey or neutral pavers combined with red brick offer a much more pleasant combination. You can do some research online to see what paver colors are used with homes similar to yours.

6. Change other colors?

You might see a paver color that you really like, only to realize that it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of your home’s exterior. In these situations, ask yourself what you can change, even if it’s something as simple as painting your shutters or replacing a door.

Are you in the market for new backyard pavers? Yardville Supply also has a Houzz page that showcases ideas by Belgard and Cambridge for backyard pavers and pool surrounds.  Pay a visit to Yardville Supply’s 10,000 square-foot Outdoor Paver Gallery. We carry pavers from leading brands like Belgard, and Cambridge Pavingstones. Our Outdoor Paver Gallery is very helpful in the selection process for choosing colors, textures, sizes, patterns, borders,  fireplaces, lighting and more. Plus, if you visit at night, you can see the effect of landscape lighting on the pavers and walls.