Concrete Driveway
In recent years, concrete has advanced significantly and now comes in a broad variety of textures, hues, and patterns. This implies that it could play a significant role in your landscape plan (as it usually goes on the driveway).
Benefits of a Concrete Driveway
Concrete is an excellent driveway material.
Concrete driveways are long-lasting and have long been a dependable option for homeowners. Concrete is strong and lasts for at least 30 years without needing extensive surface care.
Like many other expensive investments, concrete is less expensive in the long run. Driveways made of concrete increase the appeal and value of your house. They may be customized with a variety of colours for a distinctive style, and they require little maintenance to endure for years.
Concrete offers more visual options
Concrete is a lighter tint than asphalt, which is dark grey or black. Concrete may be coloured or stained, whereas asphalt cannot. If you decide to dye concrete rather than asphalt, you have a wider range of colour options.
Since concrete hasa high level of intrinsic durability and cannot be easily damaged by items, it makes a great choice for a flooring surface. When finished with the right pattern or colour, it also provides a wonderful aesthetic for both your house and place of business.
Concrete driveway textures
By selecting the traditional broom finish, you may create a classic cobblestone or tile effect, or you can get creative and use pattern stamped concrete to make it look like marble, slate, tile, etc. For a textured appearance, paint the concrete with a brush and stamp designs into it.
If you want to match the colour scheme of your home, replicate the appearance of brick or another pattern, or just add a little interest to your main doorway, choose concrete. If you want a sleek aesthetic that matches the street, asphalt is an excellent option.
Your concrete paving might look better by having patterns stamped into it. The driveway is essentially made of cast-in-place concrete
that has been coloured and stamped with a design supposed to resemble brick, stone, or other pavement designs. Among other possibilities, bromide and swirl are textured finishes.
Concrete driveway staining
You can also select acid stained concrete. There are a lot of options when it comes to colours and styles, for example, you can go for a marble-look or earth tone browns or reddish browns.
Your concrete driveway will outlast alternative materials. It provides a service for many years without requiring much maintenance and could last up to thirty years before needing to be replaced. Plus, it will require repair and refinishing much less frequently than other driveway materials such as asphalt or gravel.
Concrete driveways will boost re-sale value
New concrete walking paths and a driveway will enhance curb appeal, draw potential buyers, and raise resale value. A positive first impression can increase the value of your home by 5% to 10%.
Potential buyers can virtually see your front door from your driveway and sidewalks. It’s crucial that your house is in excellent shape in order to leave a favourable impression on potential guests.
People will be turned off if your driveway is asphalted or full of cracks whereas the driveways of the other homes in your neighbourhood have gorgeous concrete ones.
Concrete driveways are easier to shovel in the winter
For Canadian homeowners, shoveling snow is a constant source of worry. Wintertime living certainly has its drawbacks, and sifting through stones, gravel, or mud with a shovel isn’t always enjoyable. A smooth concrete driveway gives a better surface for snow removal with a plow and makes shovelling snow go more smoothly.
For those of us who live in the great white north, this is a major benefit.
Concrete is easier on the environment
Interestingly, concrete is a green building material as is made of powdered rock that has been treated with water and ground. It can also be produced from recycled components. Concrete construction and upkeep are less damaging to the environment than asphalt, which means if you have an old concrete driveway that needs to be replaced, its materials may be recycled into concrete aggregate.
Typical Concrete Driveway Size
Throughout North America, many urban cities have residential property lots with similar features. This makes it easy to determine traditional driveway sizes. While it is true that older homes generally allow one car or truck to be placed on them, many newer homes now account for an additional car – yet what remains true is the dimensions for a single car.
Traditional concrete driveways
Rear parking is the most convenient entrance, but not always possible for a two or more car garage. If you have a long enough distance from your street to the garage, a single-car driveway is sufficient. If space is available, extra parking or a turn-around area can be included.
For all seasons it is recommended that non-reinforced 4 inches of pavement is often enough. Larger vehicles will require at least 5 inches of thickness and to eliminate standing water on the driveway it should be sloped towards the street a minimum of one percent, or 1/8 inch per foot, for proper drainage.
Concrete Driveway Curing
The phase of curing is sometimes overlooked and thought to be the simplest, yet it may actually be the most crucial.
Long-term structural soundness and durability of your concrete are greatly enhanced by proper concrete curing. Don’t mistake the concrete’s first appearance as its paler colour just means that it is curing and this generally lasts for 3–7 days.
There are numerous ways to cure concrete, such as covering it with plastic sheets, continuously misting it with water, or using a specific curing ingredient. Following the finishing activities, curing should start as soon as practical. Procedures for curing might need to be changed in regions with lower temperatures.
Aftercare
Concrete driveways have a lot of benefits, including durability and ease of maintenance. To make them endure longer using a premium sealer over the surface ensures that the concrete is shielded by the sealer from two things: collecting moisture and being harmed by repeated freeze/thaw cycles.
Concrete Driveway Sealing
While there are foundations and sealers with many brands, here are some examples: There are liquid, acrylic-based copolymers and appear transparent, acting as a film over the surface. This type of product has been on the market for years and is widely used because it provides great value for money.
Chemically reactive substances known as penetrating sealers permeate deeply into the concrete. They provide the finest defence against moisture infiltration, negating the need for additional precautions like installing a high-efficiency ventilation system or varying the roofing materials. Sealers come in a wide variety of varieties and can be sprayed with a brush, roller, or low-pressure airless sprayer.
Summary
Concrete is not only practical and long-lasting, but it is also adaptable and may be utilized to drastically alter the appearance of a building. It is also a very economical choice.
Concrete can be used to mimic the appearance of brick, tile, slate, or stone. This appearance, also referred to as “exposed aggregate,” is becoming more and more common for concrete driveway designs.
If the classic style is not what you want, there are other options that are accessible and offer cost savings due to the plainer appearance. Regardless of any style selected, curb appearance will immediately increase but will hold it’s charm longer with a sealer.