Welcome to my concrete blog. My name is Helen, and I hate stumbling over old and broken concrete. It makes a home, business or even a whole neighborhood look old and unkempt. To make the world a more beautiful place, I have decided to create this blog. In it, I plan to post everything I have learned about concrete over the years. I plan to include everything from maintenance schedules to upkeep tips to simple repairs to financial risks of broken concrete. If you have a patch of concrete anywhere on your property, I hope you enjoy the information in this blog and learn something new from it.
A concrete slab driveway is extremely strong, and it can be built to withstand the weight of large trucks if needed. Concrete has other benefits besides being functional, however. It can be treated with various methods to make it highly decorative as well. Additionally, these can be combined on one surface. Read on to discover more.
Smooth, Brushed, and Saw-cut Options
If you want something simple and plain, you can install a grey concrete slab driveway. This neutral base will flatter many kerb views, but it may not be the best option for some heritage home styles. You can give the driveway an interesting texture by installing brushed concrete instead. After the contractors pour the slab and before the cement sets, they brush it to create lines on the surface. These indents will make the driveway less slippery as well.
Concrete has so many different options that you can choose one technique and pair it with another. For example, do you like the look of stone pavers? This look can be created with concrete. Hardened cement can be cut into diamonds or squares with a saw, which will combine perfectly with a roughened brush texture.
Colours
Other techniques the contractors can use relate to colour. Most natural stones don't feature a uniform pale grey hue like concrete, but you can opt to lay coloured concrete. You could choose the shades found in slate, bluestone or travertine. Because natural stones feature a blend of colours, the contractors will layer different colouring methods using pigments, dyes and stains. Alternatively, you could lay down a driveway that is the colour of red earth. The colours can also be combined with brush treatments and saw cutting.
Juxtaposition
Rather than layering concrete treatments on top of each other for a combined effect, you can juxtapose different decorative concrete looks against each other. Doing so will make your driveway unique and personal.
One way to think about doing this is to contrast a smooth area with a textured one. For example, you could lay the driveway mainly in exposed aggregate, which is concrete with the top cement removed to reveal stones and pebbles. Exposed aggregate is highly textured, and you could juxtapose it against a smooth border of concrete that is saw-cut into squares. The small, busy pebbles will stand out against the simple squares on the border.
But you don't have to stick with a contrasting border; you can section up a concrete driveway in any way you like, as it's so customisable. For example, break it up into horizontal bands of different colours and textures. The boundaries of each part can be straight or curved, whichever suits your house's architecture and the kerb view. Your contractors can provide further ideas for a driveway installation.
Contact a company like PMC Concrete for more information.
Share19 June 2023
