How to Make Your Landscaping Job Standout with Creative Use of Brick

If you are rubbing your hands with anticipation at the thought of landscaping your new space, your mind may be brimming with so many ideas already. Yet when it comes to the "hard" features, have you even considered some artistic and practical use of the humble brick? You'd be surprised at what you can achieve by being different. Why is this a better option?

Why Bricks Are Such a Good Choice

For their size, bricks are incredibly strong and are consequently ideal when it comes to setting down a path or a decorative driveway for your home. These bricks are compressed by filling individual moulds and then shaking vigourously to get rid of any air. This will better distribute the content of the brick and makes it incredibly strong.

When you lay down a structure with these products, you will have a tremendous degree of flexibility, as well. You'll use a large number of brick pavers as opposed to simply laying down a bed of cement and with the latter option you could encounter problems with weather and settlement. It's likely that a cement driveway or path could develop cracks because the base underneath will shift, or water could collect below and create a heaving motion, leading to further cracks. However, these individual brick pavers will only move a little, but always stay intact. Furthermore, water can pass directly down in between them and this leads to much more efficient drainage.

Getting Ready

Remember, preparation is everything if you're going to achieve the best outcome. You have to make sure that the surface beneath is well compacted and create a mixture of tiny rocks and fine particles, so that the sub base will be very solid. There should be no voids when it is finished and ready to accept the brickwork and it's best to put a layer of sand on top of this compacted mix, so that it's easier to lay your brakes with some uniformity.

Building the Yellow Brick Road

Once you are happy with the base, your creative mind can be let loose. It's amazing how many different patterns and themes you can replicate, simply by choosing bricks of different colour and consistency. Just be sure that you provide whoever is going to be laying your brakes with a very clear picture of what you want, so that they share in your vision and can bring it to life.

Finally, don't forget the edges and the all-important process of grouting between the pavers. Once all is set, you will need to seal the surface to keep the grout within and provide you with your finished product.

Time for Action

If your mind is now full of ideas, get in touch with a landscaping expert to convert it into a reality.