History

• Pavers have been in existence for thousands of years. The first roads covered in segmented paving stones were built in 5,000 BC by the Minoans. The Romans were famous for their paved roads around 2,000 years ago. Covering over 51,000 miles, it was at the time the most elaborate road system in the world. Pavers began to see regular use again during World War II, when blocks of various sizes, shapes and colors became common.
  
  

Materials

• Originally pavers were made of stone which workers cut and shaped by hand. This was an incredibly labor-intensive process, often carried out by slaves and indentured servants. Some modern pavers are still shaped from stone, but most are made of concrete. The concrete is cast out of molds, allowing the rapid production of intricate, interlocking forms. These molded pavers are all exactly the same.
  
  

Styles

• Rectangular brick and round cobblestone are two traditional styles of pavers that are still in use today. Other common shapes include square, hexigonal, L-shaped and triangular. Different paver manufacturers all have their own names for custom paver shapes, which are often joined together in an elaborate mosaic. Pavers are sometimes left the color of the cement, but people often dye or stain them.
  
  

Faux Pavers

• Faux pavers transform solid concrete slabs into much more visually interesting floors. You can paint faux pavers onto the concrete by first painting on a grout color. You then apply painter's tape to the grout areas to protect them from the next several coats of paint, which provide the paver colors. Once the paint has dried you remove the tape, creating the illusion of a floor that has been assembled out of hundreds of individual stones.