Concrete flag advice

[Pineapple44]

Hi All,
I am hoping you can help.
We are having some concrete paving slabs laid for our drive, and we are unsure if the quality of them is right.
Although many have been chipped, what we are finding that the main problem is on what appears to be staining on them.
Many of the slabs have strap mark on them, which havent gone after a week of being laid, but on some there are also grooves in the concrete where they have been sitting.
Also, other flags, I understand are still 'wet' as the edging in a darker colour, but also in the centre there is a what looks like a grease stain in the middle.
Will this 'grease' stain go?. Is this normal?. If so how long should we wait for it to fade?.
Thanks alot in advance for any help/advice you can give.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Where did you buy the paving flags from, it sounds very much like they are concrete and concrete has a curing time.
If they are sent out and strapped before they have cured, it will have an adverse effect on them.
Quite often package marks and damage will be caused as the concrete is still green and soft.
Before doing anything to them, contact your supplier. So you can either replace or remedy your problem to a satisfactory end.
As soon as you do anything to them, they may try to push the blame on to your actions.

 

[^woody^]

If you want a perfect, nice even-shade drive, then you would pour it in plastic and polish it to a shine

The slabs will weather, chip, go mouldy, get dirty, have tyre and oil/grease stains, and efflores in no time

The banding marks will take months to fade, the centre mark will form a salt stain and again may take months to disappear

With slabs on a drive, the main concern should be that they are bedded properly so as not to crack as you drive on them

 

[Pineapple44]

Hi to you both!.
The slabs were supplied by Jewson’s, but made by Eaton’s.
I am guessing from your replies, that we will just have to wait it out for the marks etc to go?, and there is nothing we can do about it.
We are also concerned that we can see the stones, especially around the edges where some are already chipped.

Our contractors are still working on the drive, and although they have been very understanding with our worries, we really just dont know what to do!.
They have advised us that the marks will eventually go, although they are saying it could take years!, and that w wont see the chips when the sand goes down.

Are we being totally unrealistic to expect evenly coloured slabs to go down, without seeing the stones/marks/chips etc?.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Pineapple44]

And, sorry yes, they are concrete flags....!!

 

[r896neo]

If they are already laid there is not much you can do. If they are very bad you or your contractor should have made a decision on whether or not to accept them before being laid because even if you could get the supplier/ manufacture to take them back now they certainly won't be obliged to pay for the lifting and relaying.

Furthermore i would be worried if your contractor is using sand for Joints on anything other than very small block paviours.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I have found in the past to remove stains that have been made by packaging, a power washer often helps, with direct usage around the make/stain.