The short version
Concrete usually costs less, has fewer joints for weeds and is simple to keep clean. Interlock gives you more patterns, and a section that sinks can be lifted and relaid. If you want a pattern without the joints, stamped concrete sits in between.
| What to compare | Concrete | Interlock |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | Usually less | Usually more |
| The surface | One solid slab with control joints | Hundreds of pavers on sand |
| Weeds | Few places to grow | Can grow in the joints |
| Settling | Stays one piece on a good base | Pavers can sink or shift |
| Repairs | Patches are hard to hide | Lift and relay the area |
| Upkeep | Wash it, and keep salt off in the first winter | Top up joint sand, pull weeds |
| Looks | Broom, exposed aggregate or stamped | Many shapes and colours |
What interlock is
Interlock, or interlocking pavers, are concrete bricks laid by hand on a bed of sand over a compacted gravel base. Sand in the joints locks them together, so the surface can flex a little instead of cracking.
What does interlock cost compared with concrete?
Interlock usually costs more than a broom-finish concrete driveway, because every paver is laid by hand. Prices vary a lot with the paver and the pattern, so get a written quote for your yard and check that the base and the old driveway removal are included.
For comparison, our concrete driveways run $8–$12 per sq ft for a broom finish, $11–$17 per sq ft for exposed aggregate and $14–$22 per sq ft for stamped, before HST, with the old driveway taken out. Patios run from $12–$16 per sq ft.
What a concrete driveway costs in Windsor →
Stamped concrete vs interlock
Stamped concrete gives you a pattern and colour without individual pavers, so there are no joints for weeds. It often comes in at or under the price of interlock. The trade-offs: it needs resealing every few years, it can be slippery when wet without a non-slip additive, and a crack can't be hidden by lifting a few bricks.
Stamped concrete and exposed aggregate →
Windsor winters and road salt
Freeze and thaw is hard on both. Water that gets under a surface freezes and lifts it. With interlock, that shows up as pavers shifting. With concrete, it's heaving or cracking. The fix is the same: a compacted base and a slope that carries water away.
Salt is hard on both too, because pavers are concrete as well. Skip de-icing salt on new concrete through its first winter, and use sand for grip.
Caring for a new concrete driveway →
Clay soil
A lot of Windsor sits on heavy clay that holds water and moves with the seasons. Either surface needs enough compacted base to spread the load and keep the clay from pushing it around. Ask any quote how deep the base is.
Weeds and joint sand
Joints are interlock's weak spot. Weeds, moss and ants all find them, and the sand washes out over time and needs topping up. Polymeric sand helps. Concrete has only its control joints to look after.
Repairs
This is where interlock wins. If a section sinks, or someone has to dig under it, the pavers come up and go back down. A concrete patch rarely matches the slab around it, so a badly failed section usually means replacing that slab.
Which one should you pick?
- Pick concrete if you want a solid, low-upkeep surface at a lower price.
- Pick stamped concrete if you want a pattern without the joints.
- Pick interlock if you love a particular paver look and don't mind some upkeep.
Our take
We pour concrete: broom finish, exposed aggregate and stamped. We'll come out, look at the ground and give you a written price the same day, so you can put it beside an interlock quote and decide.
Weighing up concrete?
Free on-site estimate anywhere in Windsor-Essex, with a written quote the same day. One-year warranty, fully insured and WSIB covered. Call or text 519-567-4724.
