cgksheff Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Make sure that you get them to specify exactly: - what thickness of compounded hardcore will go underneath, - what thickness of concrete will be going down, - will there be expansion cracks or do they just plan to run an angle-grinder through it, - will they permit you to delay a final portion of the payment for a period of, say 3 months, to see if any settlement cracks appear, - how will they remedy any cracks that do appear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoeshine Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Personally, I would not recommend these products, from personal experience. We had a driveway and garden area laid with this material, at substantial expense in 1990. Although expansion was allowed for in its construction, the driveway cracked (load bearing), and parts of the garden area non- load bearing) suffered in the same way. Spalling of the top surface (containing the coloured powder) during winter also left areas without colour...except grey of course......a nightmare. Although repairs were carried out by the contractor, they proved unsatisfactory. We replaced all of it 6 years later with appropriate block paving, which proved to be much better aesthetically and practically. One other problem is that when wet, they become very slippy. I know nowadays the contractor will tell you that a non-slip treatment will be applied, it just does not work. We moved here to our present home a very few years ago, to find our adjacent neighbour had "invested" in a similar drive material. He has required the contractor to return to patch up for spalling, colour fading and at the latest inspection he has found cracks in his drive. Hence my advice...........look at alternatives, rather than Printed Concrete. By the way, if you think the product may be better engineered these days....our product was a particular mix of concrete with fibre-glass additives, still the vogue, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arfer Mo Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hi... Just thinking of getting my driveway concreted with the patterned stuff and was wondering if anyone had it done and could give me a rough idea of costs - our drive would fit two cars comfortably side by side (with more room than the Crystal Peaks spaces to get out of!!)... Does that give an idea? Not a massive area...about 6metres/8metres (if my estimation of it is any good!) I have got a couple of companies coming round to have a look - just wanted an initial idea. Cheers. Do it yourselves, hire a mixer ,keep rigidly to the same mix, have a few short various lengths of 5 mm thick laths to rub in to the wet concrete as you go to make crazy pave patterns get a bit of advice , get stuck in and have fun with all the family , plus save a fortune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liose Posted April 4, 2006 Author Share Posted April 4, 2006 Thanks for that - particularly the pointers from CGKSheff and Shoeshine. Is it right that block paving could work out cheaper? My only worry with that is the weeds and dirt that gets in between! With regards to Authur Fearn...we have pretty much renovated the house over the past couple of years with family help and we are at the stage now where these are last little bits and it would be so much hassle to go through it...we just want to get it finished without leaving it from one weekend to the next or for the next holidays to come round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saxon Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Has anyone had one of these new type of drives where the concrete is patterned to look like something else (bricks, cobbles etc). Just wondering how much it costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyx Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 i`d be interested in this too, some of them look really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willman Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 give yourself between 1800 & 2500 depending upon the area of the drive. mine cost 1700 2 years ago - average semi with parking for two,next door neighbour paid 1850 last year for same. block paving - is almost double as a comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 There was another thread on here about this not so long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoeshine Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 This is the previous Thread.......may help you Patterned Concrete Drives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beamer Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 I have my front done in cobbled effect pattern concrete in brown,its brilliant and alot harder wearing than tar-mac, We are seriously thinking about having the drive done too, If your serious about having it done i have a friend that does it,he did ours,You are welcome to come and have a look at ours,before deciding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.