From a personal point of view and not just the point of view as someone involved with cobbles and stone flags I have never seen a better looking drive than a professionally laid cobble or stone flag driveway. When laid professionally and properly the effect this type of driveway can have on any property is immense, a driveway of this type can totally transform any home and the functionality and lifespan outweigh most other driveway surfaces.
A cobbled or stone flag driveway is often associated with large types of properties or homes of distinction but this doesn’t have to be the case, anybody can go out and buy an amount of reclaimed cobbles or stone flags to lay on any size of driveway and there are a large number of tradesman across the country that specialise in laying them for you.
In recent years there has been a surge in pressed concrete drives, this driveway gets its name because the installers use a range of special ‘stamping’ tools on freshly poured concrete to create a whole range of effects usually mimicking stone and cobble, but why go for imitation when you can easily have the real thing.
There is no doubting stamped concrete can initially achieve a look that is very similar to cobbles or stone flags but poor durability and difficulty when repairing can have a dramatic impact on the appearance and long term costs.
You can often expect to get 25 years lifespan from a cobbled or stone driveway if it is professionally installed and it is usually ready for traffic as soon as its laid, repairs can be carried out easily by replacing the cobbles or flags affected by cracks or sinking but compared with a concrete driveway it cannot usually be used for around 5 days and lifespan can usually be around 10 years, it can also be very hard from day one to match the colour or composition of the concrete if cracks and chips start to appear.
A stone or cobbled driveway will have more joints surface and more joints allow for rain and snow to drain away enhancing resistance against skids and glare at night, a concrete driveway has little in the form of joints and drainage systems.
To get the driveway you desire for your home you should always weigh up all options as different surfaces will work for different people and uses depending on the size of driveway but for a great looking, durable, long term solution cobbles or stone flags should seriously be viewed as an option.
For more information on laying cobbles and stone flags visit http://www.pavingexpert.com/
