Pavers or Poured Concrete for a Minnesota Patio?

Poured concrete is one piece. When the ground under it freezes and lifts, the slab lifts with it, and when the ground drops back, the slab does not always follow. That is where the crack comes from, and once it is there, it stays.

Interlocking pavers are hundreds of small pieces set dry on a compacted base. When the ground moves, the pavers move with it and settle back. If one ever does shift, it can be lifted and reset in an afternoon.

Pavers cost more up front. Over ten or twenty years, a patio you never have to replace usually costs less than the one you pour twice.

If you want the look of concrete without the cracking, ask about large-format pavers. They read as a clean modern surface and still behave like pavers underneath.