When selecting the type of material for your patio, begin by thinking about the look you are trying to achieve.

Do you like the strong structural look of a concrete slab? The traditional feel of red brick? The upscale look of limestone or bluestone? Once you begin to investigate, you’ll find a variety of options.

Concrete

Concrete is available in many colors and patterns, both in a poured form or as pavers that look like brick. You can have charcoals or brick reds, taupes or natural stone colors. There is no limit because of the variety of pigment available.

Concrete pavers typically can be installed for $6 to $8 a square foot. One approach is to select light colored pavers – grays and off-whites—that have been mixed with darker colors, such as charcoal. This adds an interesting contrast and creates a more unique patio design.

Concrete also can be stamped with tools to create a look that mirrors the more expensive brick and natural stones. There are granite, slate, and other stone designs, for example.

Selecting Brick – New or Aged?

While red brick is a popular option, there also are other colors to consider. Brown tones. Cream tones. Multi-colored bricks.

Some renovators, particularly in old homes, want the patio to blend with the overall design of the house. Adding a stark concrete slab to a Victorian house just won’t work. One solution is to find aged bricks that are “reclaimed” from old streets or by using new bricks and installing them with one-inch spaces between them and allowing grass to poke through as if it has moved into the patio over time.

The cost to install a brick patio is $10 to $15 per square foot, but could be higher when using “reclaimed” bricks.

Stones

Bluestone  -- despite its name -- is available in several colors, from yellow to purple. Bluestone typically is sold in 12-inch by 12-inch or 18-inch by 18-inch sections and is considered a more formal looking material than flagstone.

Flagstone has a rougher surface than bluestone and typically has white or tan color variations. It is cut in geometric shapes that are all aligned together to fit the area.

Bluestone and flagstone are priced from $15 to $18 per square foot, but there are more expensive types of each. Bluestone that actually is blue would be priced around $18 per square foot, as it is more difficult to find. Granite, which is more dense than bluestone, is at the high end of the spectrum, priced at $30 per square foot.