Time for another issue of Everything For The Home, the newsletter that keeps you in touch with the latest information about products for your home, courtesy of www.HomeStyleChoices.com.

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What's In This Newsletter

Speak Up! A Call For Content You'd Like To See

Patio Pavers That Mimic Real Stone

Product Focus - Crocodile Skin Countertops??

What's New At HomeStyleChoices.com

Speak Up! A Call For Content You'd Like To See

Since the inception of this newsletter it's been exclusively yours truly drumming up the ideas for its content. I try to touch a range of subjects that I think might be pertinent for someone considering some home improvement or even a brand new home for that matter.

But when you come right down to it, there's no way I can know specifically what you want to read, learn and know about when it comes to choices for your home. So, bright-boy here got the brilliant idea -- "Why don't you ask them?" (Keep in mind, I never professed to being a Rhodes Scholar).

So what is it you want to know about? What issues foil you when you think about upgrading your home? Are there product choices you have questions about? How can this newsletter be something that'll be of more value to you? What color are your shoes? (Just wanted to see if you're still paying attention with all these questions).

My disclaimer will be that I probably won't be able to get to all questions, depending on the volume, but I'll look for common themes and do my best to incorporate subject matter that will satisfy the majority. In reality, the more subject matter I have that I know you want more information about, the better I can serve you. I might not get to your request in the next month's issue but that doesn't mean it won't ever make a future mailing.

So think about it. The intent of this newsletter, as with HomeStyleChoices.com itself, is to provide value. Information that can help, clarify or enlighten. If you have a question or a topic you'd like to see in a future issue of Everything For The Home, suggest it to me by dropping me a quick email at [email protected].

Patio Pavers That Mimic Real Stone

The onset of spring with summer just around the corner (at least up here in the northern hemisphere) naturally beckons us to get outdoors. Having a space outside to enjoy a glass of wine or an early breakfast makes it even more inviting. Patios are a traditional spot to do this and their beauty lies in their flexibility -- they can be as small or large and as simple or elaborate as you'd like.

There's no right or wrong material for a patio surface; you could even call a small patch of grass your patio if you wanted. But having a material that's separate from the grass is usually what sets the patio apart from the rest of the lawn. A concrete slab will do the trick but it's usually not visually appealing. That's how the idea of patio pavers came into being.

For the unfamiliar, patio pavers are manufactured bricks made from either concrete or clay that are used to make patio surfaces. Pavers are made in a variety of shapes and sizes, offering a wide range of visual and textural flexibility in designing your patio surface.

Pavers aren't new and you can easily find some at any home improvement store or garden center. But like just about every other home product out there, there's a pretty wide range of choices available and the big-box stores don't always carry the ones that offer greater visual variety.

If you think pavers that look like bricks aren't your cup of tea there are other options. My own preference is a patio surface that looks like stone or cobblestone and there are pavers that meet these criteria.

A real stone patio, made from flagstone for example, makes a beautiful surface. But they're typically more expensive and more difficult to build than one using pre-made pavers. The quarrying and processing associated with flagstone is what drives the higher cost. What makes them more difficult to install is their non-uniform thickness. Achieving a relatively flat patio surface requires more attention and effort with the bed beneath the stones due to that non-uniformity. Pavers on the other hand have a consistent thickness negating the need to dig deeper or fill in as necessary to keep the patio surface flat.

Pavers are a great way to add visual interest to mundane concrete patio slabs too. In many cases the pavers can be applied directly over the concrete. Use of thinset mortar can be used around the perimeter to adhere the pavers to the concrete and lock in the remaining pieces.

Pavers made to mimic the look of flagstone and cobblestone are available from a number of different manufacturers. Depending on the product, you might be able to find some available at retail stores or garden centers. Otherwise you'll probably need to consult with a local masonry distributor in your area.

For the look of flagstone there is a product made by Techo-Bloc called (no surprise) "Flagstone". These pavers have the irregularly shaped edges typical of pieces of flagstone. They also have deep grooves in them that once filled with paver sand (a specific type of sand that acts as a grout between the paver stones) makes one paver block look like it's several separate flagstone pieces. They're offered in 3 color tones from light beige to gray. You can read more at the Techo-Bloc website.

One point about faux flagstone pavers: there will be some level of pattern repeat. That's inevitable with any type of man-made product that's constrained by a limited range of producible shapes. But that doesn't mean you'll end up with a glaring checkerboard pattern. Most of these pavers are designed to be positioned to minimize the perception of a repeat pattern. If you go looking for it, you might eventually see it. But to the casual observer, it's probably not going to be noticed.

Another nice example of flagstone pavers comes courtesy of Belgard Hardscapes. The "Arbel" and "Mega-Arbel" products within their Natural collection offer two different sizes. Their "Old World" pavers, also part of the Natural collection, do a good job representing the cobblestones found in old Europe.

Besides flagstones and cobblestones, there are other pavers that provide the look of real stone. Rather than the irregular edges associated with flagstone you can get large square pavers that have the surface texture of stone but with a more uniform appearance. Some manufacturers like Techo-Bloc call these particular pavers "slabs", a nod to their larger size.

The point here is that there's a wide range of choices available among patio pavers and a bit of browsing will bear that out. These products can be used for other purposes too like driveways, walkways, garden paths or whatever else your imagination can dream up.

Some other sources of pavers include:

• Unilock - I like the look of their Courtstone cobblestone pavers
• Anchor - makers of pavers and retaining wall products
• Oaks Concrete Products - their flagstone pavers look a bit too much like puzzle pieces to me
• Permacon - based in Montreal, Canada with another good lineup of attractive pavers

All of the aforementioned makers have a dealer locator function on their website that allows you to find the closest distributor (Permacon limits theirs to only Canadian postal codes).

Product Focus - Alligator & Lace Countertops

What do lace, crocodile skin and countertops have in common? Well, nothing really. That is, unless you're talking about CaesarStone engineered stone. The latest offering of their quartz-based countertop and surfacing material is called Motivo and sports either a faux crocodile skin or lace relief surface.

The unique part about CaesarStone's Motivo is that it's the first quartz-based engineered stone material that incorporates texture. Until now all the engineered stone products made by the likes of Cambria and Silestone have been smooth surfaces.

Mind you, CaesarStone is targeting more than countertops for this product, which probably makes sense since these two patterns are a bit on the unique side. Applications beyond countertops include wall cladding, table tops and similar furniture ideas.

From a basic practicality standpoint using Motivo Lace for a countertop doesn't seem to make much sense, considering the texture (I'm curious as to how easily it can be wiped clean) and the color -- white.

And as for the Crocodile pattern, black might be easier to incorporate into a larger countertop space from a decorating perspective but a wide expanse of an animal skin print might be a bit much.

Regardless of what you think is practical or not these two products offer another tool in the design and style toolbox. If you're looking for a vanity top to couple with a vessel sink and want the combination to make a style statement, Crocodile or Lace from CaesarStone might be the option you're looking for.

You can see some photos of the Motivo surfacing products at the CaesarStone website.

What's New At HomeStyleChoices.com

Here's what's new at the website:

The Latest Blog Entries
(You can see them here at the Home Design Blog page)

A House Or A Museum
Do we design the renovated spaces in our home to be lived in or more like a museum? My kids provide their perspective on our own remodel which causes one to pause a bit and think about the product choices we make.

Remodeling Tip #1 - Planning Is Key
In the first of a series of blog posts I look at how the planning process is one of the cornerstones of a successful home remodel.

Remodeling Tip #2 - Your Relationship With Your Contractor Is Everything
This second tip discusses how choosing the right contractor or builder, someone you can work with, is a necessary ingredient.

New Home Windows With An iPhone App
Marvin Windows introduced a new application for the Apple iPhone that helps you visualize new Marvin windows on your home. Is it worth it? The jury is split.

Remodeling Tip #3 - Prep For Spending More Than You Anticipated
You should anticipate spending more than you budgeted for your remodel, whether it's because of unforeseen surprises or changes you make along the way.

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Robert Levesque
Founder & Publisher
HomeStyleChoices.com

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