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How do I Choose the Best Brick Walkway?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

There are three key factors to consider when you are trying to choose the best brick walkway: budget, intended use, and aesthetics. The first step when you are trying to choose the best brick walkway is to set your budget. Figure out how much money you can spend in total, factor in the cost of labor, and then you can determine what kinds of bricks are in your price range. Of course, if you plan on installing the walkway yourself, you won't have to factor in labor costs.

Once you have your budget squared away, think about how exactly you are going to use the walkway. Will it be in a high-traffic area or will it only get occasional use? Will it have to withstand a great deal of pressure from heavy lawn equipment, or do you plan on using it exclusively as a pedestrian path? Once you answer these questions, you can decide how strong you need the bricks to be.

Woman posing
Woman posing

Finally, consider what aesthetic elements are important to you. If the brick walkway will be purely utilitarian, then you may not have to worry about this final consideration. However, if you plan on installing a walkway that will lead to the front door of your home or wind through your garden, you will want to choose a brick that complements the area.

There are many colors of brick to choose from, so be sure to consider whether you want the walkway to blend in to its surroundings, stand out boldly, or if you'd prefer something in between. To choose the best brick walkway, don't forget to consider the shape and scale of the bricks in addition to the color. The size of the bricks will create a texture within the walkway.

Having considered these three criteria, take a trip to your local home supply store or put in a call to a trusted contractor to being the process. Either a sales representative at the store or your contractor will help you make the next steps to choose the best brick walkway. Be sure to review different types of bricks to consider your color options. You may also want to look into different patterns that you can create within the walkway.

It is a good idea to take brick samples to the location of your future walkway to make sure that you pick the right color. Also, you may want to look at the brick in different lights to see how it looks at different times of the day. Having done all of this, you should easily be able to choose the best brick walkway for your project.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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