Paver Patterns That Hold Up in Pinellas: Herringbone, Running Bond, Ashlar

Pattern is not just a catalog photo. On a St. Pete Beach or Pinellas lot the pattern is part of how the field locks when a tire turns or a storm sheet-flows across the stones. The wrong pattern on a driveway looks fine the week it is installed and starts to creep at the edge the first time a truck turns in the rain.

PaverForge Hardscapes picks pattern with the use of the field, not just the color of the house. A driveway that takes cars gets a different lock than a patio that takes chairs. A walkway that has to snake around an AC pad gets a different joint than a wide rear field.

What each pattern is for

• Herringbone: best lock for driveways and anything a tire turns on

• Running bond: clean on walkways and long, narrow runs

• Ashlar or modular: good on patios when the mix is planned, sloppy when it is not

• Stacked bond: looks sharp, needs a serious edge or it walks

Herringbone puts a joint against the direction of travel. That is why we use it on most St. Pete Beach driveways and aprons. Running bond is faster to lay and looks right on a walk. Ashlar works on a patio when the units are a real modular set, not four random sizes dumped in a pile. Stacked bond is a design choice we will do on a patio with a hard edge. We will not put it on a driveway and pretend the edge restraint will save it.

Pattern does not fix a thin base

A herringbone field on two inches of sand will still rut. Pattern is the lock between stones. Base is what keeps the whole field from moving. Quotes from PaverForge price both. If a homeowner wants a decorative pattern on a driveway, we say yes and we still spec the base for vehicles.

If you want to see a pattern on your lot before we order stone, we can run a 3D layout. Call 727-490-9798 or book the walk at paverforge.com.