• Pavers can update your patio quickly.pavers image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
  
  Pavers can give your patio a fresh look without the expense of contractors or the mess of a concrete pour. If your site is properly prepared, your pavers can be installed in just a few hours, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy your home's new look. Make sure to spread a layer of sand before you install your pavers. This will give the pavers a surface that fills in under bumps and flaws, creating a level and stable patio.
  
  

Pave and Plant

• Leave open spaces around the edges of your patio so you can sink planter boxes down between your pavers to add a nicely finished look and spots of garden color. If your pavers are square or rectangular, choose square planters. For hexagonal pavers, choose hexagonal planters. Choose planters the same size as the natural open spaces left by the paving stones, rather than leaving an opening with a large gap between the pavers and the planters. If a gap is inevitable, fill it with decorative pebbles or sand.
  
  

Natural Stone

• Pavers that look like natural stone, whether they are actual stone or simply shaped concrete, go well with cedar furnishings and green plants. Fill gaps between the edges of these stones with sand to keep an even surface. Make sure to frame around the patio to keep the sand and stones in place, unless it is set below ground level so the tops of the stones are even with the surrounding ground. Add thick pads to the bottoms of your cedar furniture's legs to compensate for any unevenness in the stone surface. Decorate the area with ferns, gazing balls or small water fountains or waterfalls.
  
  

Color Mixing

• For any shape of concrete paver, try mixing up your colors a bit for dramatic effect. Pavers generally come in gray and red, and may also come in a sandy brown or black. Choose one color as your primary, then use one or two of the others as accents in a random pattern for a contemporary look, or in a regular pattern for a more classic feel. For example, a contemporary patio might use black pavers with a few red pavers scattered throughout as accents, while a classic design might use red pavers to frame the patio and create a pattern of lines across it, while the rest is filled in with gray pavers.