# Flagstone or pavers?



## Tail_Pincher (Jul 5, 2011)

Looking to give the backyard a facelift with a new patio and I'm debating which to go with. Flagstone looks better but isn't going to last as long but pavers are cheaper.

Thoughts?

And any recommendations for a contractor in the Houston area who is good at this kind of thing?


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Tail_Pincher said:


> Flagstone looks better but isn't going to last as long but pavers are cheaper.
> 
> Thoughts?


What makes you think that flagstone won't last as long as pavers??? Did you know that a properly installed flagstone road will last thousands of years??? The blocks that were used to build the pyramids were transported from the quarries over roads built of flagstone...

Have you considered doing it yourself??? It's not that hard & will cost a fifth of what someone will charge you. Here is one I did about 20 yrs ago when we lived in Katy.


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## Gfish (Aug 31, 2009)

Pavers will give you a more solid look and surface for furniture. Flagstone will work also as long as you put the pieces close enough together.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

Tail_Pincher said:


> ?
> 
> And any recommendations for a contractor in the Houston area who is good at this kind of thing?


Call Mark with 
http://www.houstonhardscape.com

He does some amazing work so he will not be the cheapest... But I have not heard of one complaint


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Post a picture of yours Bryan, I'm sure Pincher would like to see it.


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## txjustin (Jun 3, 2009)

I did stamped concrete in my backyard. I started a thread on it a while back in the DIY forum...


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

That project came out excellent, Justin! First rate job!!!


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## BretE (Jan 24, 2008)

w_r_ranch said:


> What makes you think that flagstone won't last as long as pavers??? Did you know that a properly installed flagstone road will last thousands of years??? The blocks that were used to build the pyramids were transported from the quarries over roads built of flagstone...
> 
> Have you considered doing it yourself??? It's not that hard & will cost a fifth of what someone will charge you. Here is one I did about 20 yrs ago when we lived in Katy.


WR, that looks great....I know that ain't easy as it looks....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

One advantage of pavers is if you change you want to change the design you can easily rearrange the pavers. I have seen some flagstone where the grout did look very good but maybe it was a poor installation. The above example looks great.


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## Tail_Pincher (Jul 5, 2011)

I thought about doing it myself and that was initially the plan. After thinking it through and talking with a couple people I decided it was best to let an expert do it. It's in an odd spot in the yard and it's not done right it's going to drain my entire yard right to my back door.

Thanks for the feedback fellas!


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Brete said:


> WR, that looks great....I know that ain't easy as it looks....


Actually it wasn't too bad, Brete. The 2 most difficult things that I still remember about this project was moving the stone from the driveway into the backyard (hotter than he77 in August, LOL!) & cutting through the periodic veins of silica/quartz in the flagstone itself (THAT stuff is really hard). Splitting & then cutting the sandstone to shape was pretty easy with a diamond blade. The rock was called 'Texas Rosewood' & had a wood-grain pattern to it.

Nowadays many stone yards sell flagstone that is already split to a uniform thickness & have finished edges much like thick tile. :cheers:


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Flagstone is absolutely beautiful for backyard patio until the darn gumbo soil moves. Next door neighbor had one and by the fourth year it cracked. He ended up building a wood deck on top of it. From that experience he drilled 3' into ground for deck posts to ensure his deck would not move. So far it has been ok for three years now. His little storage house about 50' away, however, sunk and is no longer level. I am holding my breadth on my concrete patio, which I spent a lot of watering around its perimeter to hopefully avoid the sinking. My water bill is high but it is still a lot less expensive than a new patio.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Proper installation is the key... for the base, start with 6-8" of compacted bank sand then cover it with a heavyweight woven cloth barrier, then add a 6" layer of compacted gravel (3" at a time). Then top that with 1" of course bedding sand before laying the flagstone.
It will not crack, move or heave. 

As with any job, the prep work determines the final product.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Your method does not use concrete base. You use sand and that flexes with ground movement. Flagstone floats on top of the foundation and if it moves you simply reset them. 

His was done on top of a concrete foundation, 6" with steel screen and rebar reinforcement. The whole thing was supposed to be monolithic and would float when ground moves.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Houses have monolithic concrete foundations too & that is why there are so many foundation repair businesses around... Eventually all concrete structures will crack, sooner or later, it's just the nature of the beast.


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## jamesvaughan (Apr 29, 2012)

Go with a dark grey color because if don't like to power wash all the time thats the color it all ends up turning to. If you use crushed gravel joints then power washing can be hazardous.


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