6 Walkway Ideas to Boost Curb Appeal

Walkway bricks bring a warm, rustic feel to this gorgeous garden walkway with arches and pink roses in full bloom.

Is it time for a new paved walkway in your life? 

In this post, we’ll talk about some of the most popular walkway ideas for your home to add greater function and value to your property. A well-planned walkway design can make a huge difference in the feel of your yard and home, welcoming and delighting your family and guests.

Topics we’ll cover include:

• What is a walkway exactly? 

• What paving materials are best for walkways?

• Why a concrete walkway is the most popular walkway pavement  

• 6 unique walkway ideas to add some pizzazz to your home

Ready to have a paved walkway installed in the Columbia, SC area? We can help.

At Boots On Enterprises, we can handle all of your paving needs — residential and commercial — including driveways, patios, pool decks, sidewalks, walkways, parking lots, and all kinds of hardscaping. We do asphalt, concrete, and paver installation. And we can construct retaining walls and garden walls.

Why use us for your paving needs? Not only can we take care of pavement repair and installation, but we can also take care of all your landscaping needs, as well.

Big or small, we do it all!

Contact us today for a FREE estimate.

Phone: 803-521-4978

Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com

A white gravel walkway in a park surrounded by landscaping beds, grass, and autumn trees.

What is a walkway exactly?

The meaning of walkway generally includes any footpath or engineered surface designed for walking or wheelchairs that people use to move from one place to another that is not a road, driveway, or parking lot.

Walkways are often raised a bit off the ground level. You can find them beside roads in subdivisions, in parks, near businesses, and almost anywhere where people need to travel over an area and want to avoid walking in the grass or dirt.

The term walkway involves sidewalks but also includes stairs, and ramps where pedestrians walk outside.

A stone walkway meandering through a well-manicured lawn.

What are the best types of walkway materials to use?

Any type of paving material can work for building a walkway. Each one has its pros and cons. And each has its own beauty and sense of style.

Here are the most popular walkway materials:

• Asphalt

• Stamped asphalt walkway

• Stained asphalt walkway

• Concrete

• Stamped concrete walkway

• Stained concrete walkway

• Gravel

• Crusher run

• Pea gravel

• River rock (¾-1 and ½ inch)

• Pavers

• Brick

• Concrete

• Cobblestone

• Grass and paver

• Stone

• Stone

• Bluestone

• Flagstone

• Granite

• Limestone

• Sandstone

• Slate 

• Travertine

• Stepping stones

• Concrete pads

• Pavers

• Rubber

• Stone

• Tiles

A concrete walkway to front door from the driveway in front of a brick home by Boots On Enterprises.

Why a poured concrete walkway is the most popular walkway pavement

Concrete walkways are, by far, the most common type of walkways. The biggest reason? A concrete walkway cost is generally quite a bit less than other types of walkway paving materials and it’s got a lot of great qualities.

Pros of concrete walkways

• Strong and can last for decades

• Less expensive than most materials

• Can match any type of home

• Low maintenance

• Cracks and damaged areas can be repaired

• A consistent, flat surface so easy to walk on or push a stroller/wheelchair on

• Can be reinforced with rebar to be stronger

• Can upgrade to stained and/or stamped concrete

Cons of concrete walkways

• May eventually crack

• Needs to be resealed every 1-3 years

• May need to address drainage issues in low-lying areas

6 walkway ideas to consider to add some pizzazz to your home

Simple concrete is the most common material used for walkways. But if you want to get a bit fancier than that, we’ve got some more interesting options below. We’ll also go over the pros and cons of each type of walkway.

A bordered herringbone brick walkway pattern makes this delightful front walkway a pleasure to walk on.

1. Brick walkway

Brick walkways are some of the most charming and nostalgic. They immediately add warmth and character to your home and can work with almost any type of architecture or style.

Pros of brick walkways

• Durable and strong, unlikely to crack or scuff

• Beautiful

• Low maintenance — can sweep and wash off with a hose

• Many color options

• Different finishes/textures are available - like weathered

• Lots of gorgeous brick walkway patterns to choose from

• Painting is also an option

• Long-lasting

• Easy to replace single bricks if one is damaged (if you keep some extras)

Cons of brick walkways

• Need to be pressure washed now and then

• Best to seal them every year or two to keep them weatherproof

• Bricks can sink or become uneven and may need to be re-set over time

• More expensive than concrete, asphalt, or concrete pavers

• Could have issues with weeds between the pavers if no mortar is used

• Can get hot in the sun

Brick patterns for walkways

Some of the most popular brick patterns for walkways include

• Basketweave

• Herringbone

• Mosaic

• Running bond

• Stack bond

A stunning flagstone walkway and stairs near a stone wall and landscaping plants.

2. Flagstone Walkway

Flagstone walkways look incredible and give a high-end appeal, and can fit a modern or rustic atmosphere.

They can come as rectangular-shaped pavers or as naturally shaped stone.

Pros of flagstone walkways

• Gorgeous aesthetic

• Several color options are available

• Durable — can last for centuries

• No expanding/contracting with temperature extremes

• Easy to replace one stone if needed

• Don’t have to use grout or mortar but you can use it to avoid settling/shifting

• Doesn’t crack easily

• Easy to sweep or hose off

Cons of flagstone walkways

• Needs to be sealed every so often

• Very heavy to work with

• Pricier than many other options

• If no mortar, may need to be releveled if it shifts

• Can get hot in the sun

• Could be slippery when wet

Other natural stone walkways are also fantastic options.

A gravel walkway bordered by a traditional English garden and landscaping in the spring.

3. Gravel Walkway

Gravel walkways bring a lot of whimsy to the party. They can be a rather economical option but some are so fancy that they are a more high-end choice.

To get the best out of a gravel walkway or driveway, it can be helpful to have some type of interlocking system in place beneath the gravel to help it stay in place.

Pros of gravel walkways

• Can be very affordable

• Drains easily

• Can be made from recycled materials 

• Many sizes, shapes, and colors are available

• Can be very pretty

• Lots of design options 

• Can mix with other materials for a special look

Cons of gravel walkways

• Can be painful for bare feet

• Messy

• Trickier to walk on

• Difficult to push strollers or wheelchairs on

• Unstable

• Will need to add more gravel every few years

• Not generally as luxurious as pavers and stone

• Difficult to clean

• Weeds can grow through unless special preparations are made before installation

• Small stones could wash away if certain precautions are not taken

A concrete paver walkway leads to a home in a yard in winter — installed by Boots On Enterprises.

4. Paver walkway

You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to pavers from cobblestone and stone pavers to concrete pavers and even bricks — they can all fall under the “paver” category.

What is a paver walkway?

A paver walkway is one that is made of small (4-inch to 18-inch) stones or blocks called “pavers.” Pavers are made of natural stone, concrete, brick, or tile and are sometimes interlocking. 

They create an incredibly strong and flexible pavement that often outperforms poured concrete or asphalt and looks quite beautiful.

Many times, when people talk about walkway pavers, they mean concrete pavers. But you can see the other sections about brick and stone (flagstone) in this post, as well.

Pros of paver walkways

• Don’t crack as easily as concrete

• Stronger than poured concrete or asphalt

• Concrete pavers are less expensive than stone or brick

• Beautiful

• Many shapes, sizes, colors, and materials are available

• Lots of patterns to choose from

• Easy to sweep and pressure wash

• Low-maintenance

• Many are interlocking

• Easy to replace a damaged one

• Many are slip-resistant (be sure to check as it varies depending on the material)

Cons of paver walkways

• Higher cost than simple poured concrete or asphalt

• If not addressed during installation, may have weed growth between pavers

• Blocks may sink

• May want to seal every few years

• May need to refresh the polymeric sand every 5 years or so

Which pavers don’t get hot?

Light-colored concrete pavers, travertine pavers, and marble pavers can provide a lot of beauty without burning your feet on a sunny summer day.

If you have a concrete walkway or concrete paver walkway, you can also have the surface painted with cool paint to keep the temperature down and keep everyone’s feet happy.

A stamped concrete walkway curves around a landscaped area in a yard.

5. Stamped concrete walkway

Stamped concrete walkways blend the best of the two worlds of poured concrete and pavers. The idea is that you can get the beauty of pavers with a lower cost, and often lower maintenance.

Pros of stamped concrete walkways

• A lot more beautiful than plain concrete

• Long-lasting (about 25-50 years)

• Many colors, textures, and finishes are available

• No weed growth between the “pavers”

• Lots of design flexibility

• More affordable than pavers or stone, generally

• Easy-to-fill cracks

• Low-maintenance

Cons of stamped concrete walkways

• Can crack more easily than pavers (important to have control joints)

• Could be more difficult to repair than pavers

• Needs to be sealed every 1-3 years

• Colors could fade, especially if not sealed frequently enough

• Stone and pavers can last a lot longer 

A stepping stone path surrounded by smooth river rocks creates a welcoming way to enjoy this garden.

6. Stepping stone walkway

Using stepping stones and river rocks, pea gravel, or crushed stone, you can create whimsical garden walkways that truly capture the imagination of all who visit your home.

Line each side of the garden path with lush plants and flowers for a magical escape in your own backyard.

Pros of stepping stone walkways

• Very durable

• Lots of stylistic options

• Many colors, shapes, and materials are available

• Less expensive than doing a full stone walkway, generally

• Less likely to crack than concrete

• Don’t need as much material as other types of walkways

• More nostalgic

Cons of stepping stone walkways

• Can be quite heavy

• Weeds can grow between them

• May need to be re-leveled

A natural stone walkway with pine straw mulch on each side by Boots On Enterprises.

Ready for a brand new walkway or interested in walkway repair in the Columbia, SC area?

At Boots On Enterprises, we handle all types of paving installation and repair including asphalt, concrete, pavers, stone, gravel, and more. We also do seal coating and concrete painting. We can provide stamped and stained concrete services. And we can take care of all of your landscaping needs, as well.

So whether you just need a little pavement repair or want to redo your entire yard and hardscaping, we’ve got you covered.

Contact us today for a FREE estimate.

Phone: 803-521-4978

Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com

Next-day and same-week service is available.