All outdoor living projects use some sort of masonry products. These can include bricks, concrete blocks, stone veneer, masonry cement, and much more. These materials are both visible and behind the scenes—and they can “make or break” a hardscape project. This is why we only source the best masonry supplies for our outdoor projects in Jefferson, NY.
Top quality is important, no matter the scope of your outdoor project, or your budget. It’s better to spend a little more upfront for quality than to deal with disappointments and repairs later on because of substandard materials.
Here is a brief list of supplies that you may need for an outdoor living project, and why it’s important to choose the best.
Concrete Blocks
These are used to construct retaining walls, privacy walls, pillars, and walls for outdoor structures such as outdoor kitchens. They are typically faced with more attractive natural stone or manufactured stone veneers. Concrete blocks come in three types: hollow (with one or more hollow cores, depending on their size); solid (when viewed as a cross section, solid blocks are less than 25% hollow; and fully solid (sometimes called stackable stones).
Hollow and solid concrete blocks are often faced with a stone veneer to enhance their appearance, while stackable stone blocks feature a rough, irregular face that can be left exposed. Hollow blocks are used in large or tall structures, and solid blocks are used under paving. While both hollow and solid concrete blocks are good quality, you want to make sure you’re getting the right type of concrete block for your project.
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Concrete and Mortar
There are several types of concrete and mortar available. It’s important to choose the products that are best suited for your project, because each product has unique characteristics and they are not interchangeable. Your results—the appearance and structural integrity of your project—depend on using the right type of concrete or mortar.
Aggregate/Substrate
Some paver projects fall apart because they are not constructed on top of the right substrate material. The right material—irregularly shaped stones of varying sizes—as well as proper compaction will ensure a long-lasting paver surface that doesn’t allow stones to shift or crack.
Masonry Reinforcements
Retaining walls often need extra structural support. Different types of reinforcement—rebar, reinforced concrete, mesh, and other types of reinforcement including geofabric all have different characteristics and uses.
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Concrete Pavers, Stone Veneer, and Jointing Compounds
These materials are often the most important visible parts of an outdoor project. As with anything, you get what you pay for, so opt for the highest quality you can afford. We use Unilock paver products, for their superior quality and large selection of products for any outdoor project, from driveways to retaining walls, patios, fireplaces, and much more. Unilock offers three different tiers of pavers, so you are sure to find the right product for any budget.
Given that there are so many products that play an important part both on the surface and beneath the surface of an outdoor living project—and each product is often highly specialized—it can be overwhelming to choose the right materials. Our highly trained installers recommend and use only the highest quality products as well as the right products for the job, to ensure a satisfactory and long-lasting end result for our clients.