Few materials really stand out as most of them have their flaws that require money and time to be fixed. When you get something done, you need to focus not only on the short-term, but to get the bigger picture too and see if that thing will be useful in the following years as well. This applies especially to massive works such as paving.
Toronto has an ever-changing climate with hot summers, cold winters and an important amount of precipitation. So the outdoor paving must be very durable otherwise you'll have to repair or change it way too soon. This won't only mean an initial bad investment but even more money out of your pocket.
That's why it's important to get the best price per value. Asphalt for example is the cheapest one with average prices ranging between $2 and $2.5 per square foot. But it has a very poor longevity, needs to be sealed annually and its performance is overall very low. And let's face it, first and foremost asphalt looks terrible. It's not customizable at all, making parts of your home look like city streets and it looks very cheap. The dull look and low durability makes it totally worthless for paving.
Authentic materials like stone, brick or wood look good, but they are pricy and bring many issues such as mold and dust within the joints that make them full of germs if you don't spend lots of money to have them professionally cleaned. They also have to be individually placed and the installation takes quite a long time. Even if each piece is placed by hand, they are still interlocking and there are spaces between them. Those spaces can make them shift, you can trip over pieces and hurt yourself. Not to mention how dangerous that is for children who always run around.
If we consider the advantages and disadvantages of all these flooring solutions, only one stands out: stamped concrete Toronto. It's one of the most durable materials, it's made of a single block and it's weather-resistant, making it perfect for the Toronto climate too. It's also incredibly customizable. You can create basically each combination and design you want and build a true work of art.
If you like original surfaces, you can even make it look like weathered wood, medieval cobblestone or new bricks. Its versatility is really that remarkable. And all this comes more inexpensive than you've thought, being almost four times cheaper than natural stone.
Check out the designs available online. This material constructs beauty for such a low price. If you consider paving your Toronto home, just think which design would match the surroundings. In case you need indoor pavement, stamped concrete can do the trick there too.
