This is my guide to concrete. Concrete may not seem like a very sexy subject to write about but I hope that by the time you reach the end of this blog, you will have been inspired to use concrete to improve your home. Concrete isn't just for driveways and walls. You can use concrete in a lot of pretty creative ways around your home. I discovered this when I hired a team of concrete contractors. They were really great guys and while they were completing work around my home they taught me lots of cool things about working with concrete. I hope you enjoy this blog!
Concrete is a popular material for driveway construction owing to its excellent strength and durability while requiring minimal upkeep. However, the plain-grey look of freshly poured concrete isn't the most aesthetically pleasing option available for modern driveways. Plus, the tyre marks and oil stains that remain on the concrete don't make the situation any better.
Fortunately, there are many different ways to improve the appearance of new concrete driveways. If you'd like to install a stunningly beautiful concrete driveway, check out the following decorative options available to you.
Stamped Concrete
Would you like to give your concrete driveway the exotic and luxurious look of natural paving materials? Concrete stamping involves imprinting freshly poured concrete with a pattern to resemble materials such as flagstone, slate and brick. This decorative option gives your driveway an authentic look and costs less than the paving materials it looks like.
Coloured Concrete
As you can tell from its name, coloured concrete involves adding a touch of colour to your driveway. There is a wide selection of colours for you to choose from, and it's also possible to customise the colour to blend in nicely with your home and landscape.
There are many different application techniques for coloured concrete. Staining concrete is one of the most widely used application methods. There are two main types of concrete stains: reactive and non-reactive. Reactive stains rely on their acid content to achieve the desired colour effect. Here, the acid present in the staining solutions acts as the colouring agents by reacting with the lime content of the concrete.
Non-reactive stains, on the other hand, don't have any chemicals. They rely on water-soluble colour pigments to impart colour to your concrete. Other application methods like integral colour require that you add the colour pigments to the concrete mix before it is poured.
Exposed Aggregate
Another way to give your new concrete driveway a beautiful look is to expose the aggregate that lies beneath the concrete surface. This reveals the natural beauty of the aggregate to give your concrete a unique look at a minimal cost. Although this is one of the oldest decorative options for concrete, many homeowners and concrete driveway contractors still love it because of its timeless and unmatched beauty.
With endless colours, patterns, textures and styles to choose from, making a decision on how to beautify your concrete driveway can be overwhelming. An experienced concrete driveway contractor can assist you in making such a huge decision.
Share8 August 2019
