Pros and Cons of Tumbled Pavers

There’s nothing quite like pulling into your driveway at the end of a hard day and being greeted by pristine landscaping, complete with an elegant walkway of tumbled paving tiles leading to your front door. 

But it’s not only the aesthetic appeal that you love: it’s also the value and the functionality that your tumbled pavers add to your home. The sophisticated, Old-World feel that pavers provide can increase your property's resale price and create an inviting space for entertaining.

However, that doesn’t mean that tumbled pavers don’t have their downside, from installation costs to maintenance. That’s why it’s important to understand the pros and cons of tumbled pavers before installing them on your property.

The Pros of Tumbled Pavers

Tumbled pavers have lots of benefits to recommend them.

Look and style

By far, one of the biggest pros of tumbled pavers is just the incomparable look of them. If you want a high-end look for your home’s exterior, then tumbled pavers are the way to go. And because they come in a seemingly endless variety of styles, you can design your pavers for any style you want, even if you’re simply looking to liven up your walkway.

Functionality

Another benefit of tumbled pavers is how functional they are. You can use tumbled pavers in your landscape in a way that meets your family’s particular needs. You might use them, for instance, to build a functional paved driveway and sidewalk or to install a dedicated outdoor living space for entertaining guests or just relaxing at home.

Increasing Your Home’s Value and Curb Appeal

Landscaping your home’s exterior with tumbled pavers isn’t just going to significantly improve your overall curb appeal, but it will also increase your property values. After all, when you add pavers, you’re making your home’s exteriors more attractive and making them more functional. 

With a paved patio, you’re giving potential buyers additional living space—and that’s never a bad thing.

Cons of Tumbled Pavers

Despite tumbled pavers’ many advantages, there are a few downsides.

Costs 

Many other home projects are more costly than installing tumbled pavers, especially if you do it yourself. But that doesn’t mean that the project is cheap. 

Expect to pay as little as $2,400 to as much as $7,000 on the high end for tumbled pavers, according to HomeAdvisor. Labor alone may cost as much as $80 per hour.

If you’re a seasoned DIY, paver installation may be a project you can tackle yourself, but the materials can still be pretty costly. In fact, the cost of materials for a patio constructed of tumbled pavers averages around $100 per square foot.

Installation

Installing tumbled pavers isn’t a terribly difficult project for the experienced DIYer, but it’s not exactly simple either. If you’re doing it yourself, you’ll need at least a full day and several materials that you might not have just lying around the garage, such as a plate compactor or maybe even a skid steer.

Maintenance

Tumbled pavers are quite easy to maintain, but they’re not maintenance-free. To maintain your pavers, you’ll want to sweep and rinse them daily and clean them at least once a month, depending on the amount of dirt and debris that has accumulated.

In addition to regularly cleaning your pavers, you may choose to seal your pavers every couple of years to protect them against the elements. 

And the maintenance doesn’t end there. You’ll also need to ensure that your gravel and subsoil have not shifted or eroded, that weeds and grasses haven’t caused your pavers to shift or become uneven, and that your pavers haven’t been broken or chipped, which could lead to trip and fall hazards. 

When you notice issues like these, you’re going to want to repair or replace your tiles or call in a professional for help.