Although most people are familiar with the way it looks, “crazy paving” is still not an international household term. In essence, crazy paving is a certain paving style which incorporates irregularly sized paving stones arranged in a haphazard manner. Crazy paving is said to have originated in ancient Rome.
However, it is becoming increasingly popular in the UK when it comes to designing one’s garden, or even public pavements. Many people assume that despite its visual appeal, crazy paving is a cheap, easy alternative to regular paving. This is because irregularly-sized concrete flags can be obtained at cheaper prices than regularly-sized paving stones, and sometimes for free. This is not necessarily true. In reality, crazy paving requires a lot of skill to master, because the irregularly-sized paving stones must be arranged so as to minimise the gaps between them. Sure, these gaps can be filled with mortar, but this not only reduces the aesthetic appeal but also reduces the strength of the paving work. Despite the skill required for well-laid crazy paving and the potentially high labour cost, the outcome is surely worth it. However, there are a variety of different materials which can be used and designs that can be implemented. Here are some great crazy paving ideas:
- Apply crazy paving as a feature wall: Who said that crazy paving is limited to flooring? Well, it isn’t, and it can act as a funky design if you decide to apply it as a feature wall. If this is in a private home, it will work great in a garden, or in a room with a glass ceiling, as you’ll really get an “outdoor life” feel. If you plan to do this as a business, it may be a good idea to implement in an office block lobby, which would make a change to the regular monotone colour scheme present in most office blocks. Although it is much more difficult to do, crazy paving also looks fantastic on pillars.
- Mix up the materials used: Crazy paving can be made out of a wide range of materials, so rather than sticking to one material, try mixing up a few. For instance, use slate, quartzite, and other stones to create your flooring or patio. This will create an abundance of colours, which, if chosen correctly, will look very aesthetically pleasing. However, doing so is likely to cost you more than using broken concrete flags, as other materials are likely to be more expensive.
- Bathroom flooring: When crazy paving comes to one’s mind, their immediate thought usually associates it with a garden, a patio, or something else outdoors. However, crazy paving also tends to look fantastic in bathrooms, especially when done using light-coloured stones.
Before ordering crazy paving work to be done in your house, make sure that the contractor is reputable because you’ll want to ensure that it is well-laid. If you are interested in getting such work done in your house, workplace or elsewhere, be sure to check out crazy paving for more information.
