Driveway -made from pattern imprinted concrete

[CANDYPANDY]

Hi ,
can this type of work be undertaken on a diy basis and if so what are the cost savings achievable.
If not what would be a good price if carried out by a so called specialist company.
The area to be laid is about 70sq metres is currently covered with bloc paving and is on a fairly sloped plot.
Thanks for any advice
I

 

[breezer]

keep the block paving, looks nicer.

IF a block gets damaged easy to replce, concrete damaged, hmmmmmmmm

 

[Mikepeters]

the cement used for this is available as premixed, RMC and the likes .It's quite normal cement with fibreglass stands BUT the rubber pads used to create the shapes are not. And a set cost more than it's worth to get involved. Companies basically sell it for what they can get. Stories of adding a 'sealer' for an extra £90 that is actually milk in water' abound and there is a major factor on slopes.... WINTER the stuff is VERY slippy when wet or icy. Another unknown issue is that of sub-surface ground moisture. Since your house was built the surounding ground has been allowed to breath, get wet, dry out and stay moderately the same temperature and humidity. This effect the foundations ad the ground levels, water tables and sub-surface conditions. As pressed concrete is sealing off large areas of ground, the overall effect after a time, MAY effect all of these. Though block paving needs a small amount of maintainence... the overall look is better, the sub-surface effcets are minimal and if you need to do any work to gas,water or elecric supplies under the garden... no problems. PS I do not do drives.

 

[wapper1000]

You have some valid points Mike. If i may i would like to correct some inaccuracies.

The concrete is PIC (pattern imprinted concrete) mix. This 10mm aggregate, fibre re-enforced with air entrainment additive. The rubber stamps are very expensive but can be hired for £100 per set, per week. Please be warned... This is not a DIY job. (truly it's not!)

Some companies do sell for what they can get. This applies to any form of paving. For a professionally laid PIC driveway which should ALWAYS include a professionally prepared foundation the cost would be around the £60-£70 psm (depending on the size of the area to be covered). The smaller the area the more expensive psm. This is due to set-up costs being the same regardless of the area covered. (i.e plant hire, delivery charges, etc.)

Stories of sealer.... A professional grade acrylic sealer is recommended. (i use nothing but this) This should be included in the contract price. I have never heard of 'milk in water' as a sealer?

Slip hazard: This product can be slippy. But then so can tarmac, concrete or any other surface when icy. For a nominal fee a non slip agent can be added to the sealer. This gives the surface considerably more 'bite' which effectively makes it no more slippy to other surfaces mentioned.

Ground conditions.... We use typically 150-200mm of hardcore under a driveway which will absorb surface water and allow the water to gradually soak away. We disperse surface water over wide area's by ensuring it is falling in different directions. We always design decorative aggregate soakaways into our projects. This allows surface water to drain to land. It drains through the gravel soakaways where the hardcore absorbs it. The water then gradually permeates into the sub soil, therefore retaining 'healthy' ground conditions. This method of drainage also complies with planning legislation. It is a tried and tested effective way of dealing with drainage problems.

Patch repairs: Utility companies pay for the drive to be repaired if they need to excavate for new mains services. They use specialists contractors to do this work. In most cases the patch is virtually invisible once completed.

Maintenance: PIC is 'virtually' maintenance free. By this i mean if done professionally it will look like new for many years with very little attention from the owner. A re-seal is recommended every 3-5 years. This can be done easily DIY for a small cost (£70-100 for a 80sqm drive). It won't sink, Once sealed it will not harbour weeds, and is stain / oil repellent. there are many more benefits but i'm going on a bit now.....lol

As with any home improvement project the preference lies with the individual. There are pro's and cons for any product. I'm not about to highlight the cons of other forms of paving. That would be unethical. I am biased towards PIC. It's my livelyhood.

My top tip before selecting any contractor is simple. Go and look at multiple examples of their work. If in doubt speak to the homeowner. If they are thrilled with the work done for them they will be glad to talk to you. If they are not they will let you know too!!! It's your money you are investing in your future (it's adds value to your home). Invest it wisely.

here are some good examples of pic.....Thanks for reading my post.

Link removed

 

[woody2]

whats the best sealer to use and from where?

cheers

 

[wapper1000]

whats the best sealer to use and from where?

cheers

There are various suppliers. Use a search engine. Acrylic concrete sealer. 25 litre's will give yo what you need. I use Decorative Concrete UK. They will help you if you give them a buzz. Ask to speak to John. He will be able to give you some good advice.
Good luck

 

[anoakes]

I completly agree.....Pattern imprinted concrete is definatly not a diy job. My partner has been specilising in Pattern Imprinted concrete for over 15 years. And it takes time and experience to lay a perfect driveway. I would reccomend that you go throught a company.

Pattern concrete is definatly the best option tho. It looks amazing, easy to maintain, stronger, stain resistant and weed free.

If you wanted to have a chat with my partner then he would be more than happy to advise you.

My email is ******

Alenka

 

[EddieM]

PIC is fine if you live in a lego house in teletubby land!!

 

[tfish]

iv just had 65 sq mts done on my front drive 4 months ago. Its amazing. The ****** you read on here slagging of PC is from trolls who you can bet your life live in flats lololol

Its clean, looks good and I have bo "forgot" all about the drive i wont do anything to it for a couple of years when Ill reseal it.

I went for a dark grey slate look and it looks great agaisnt red brick.

So impressed i am getting another 65 mt put out back for patio area.

Only cons i could thik of, they got my garage door and next doors wall slightly dirty with the colouring and they have to cut it up quite a lot if your using it for parking but such is life, concrete needs to be broken or it will crack.

 

[noseall]

concrete needs to be broken or it will crack.

I've heard of expansion joints, but....

 

[jeds]

How about take up the blocks, top up the sand base, vibrate and relay blocks. MUCH cheaper option and better looking IMO.

 

[skenk]

Can you use sealer on old weedy block paving which just has sand as a mortar gaps? (removing the weeds first of course)

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Hows about we don't respond to a thread dug up by a spammer?