Concrete is ideal for paving all home areas, such as driveways and patios. You can decorate it in various ways, and concrete resists foot traffic and copes with external weather. Here are two decorative types that may suit your property.
Seamless Stamped Concrete
One is seamless stamped concrete. A cement mixture is fluid when it's poured in place, and it only hardens gradually. At a point in the curing process, the paving can be moulded and shaped by pressing textured mats on top. Often, stamps that mimic pavers are used. But instead, you could choose seamless mats that don't feature faux joint lines.
These seamless stamps come in textures to emulate substances like stone, thatch and pebbles. If you choose rock, the paving will imitate a continuous cliff face more than pavers. Other texture options may include cracked mud and a rock-salt finish.
Contractors can apply seamless stamps quicker than ones that mimic pavers, as they don't need to line up each mat so precisely. So you'll save on installation costs. In any case, they can create joints by other means, such as scoring. This involves cutting shapes into hard concrete with a saw. Scored concrete is more personal, as the lines don't need to follow a manufactured stamp design.
Exposed Aggregate
Another domestic concreting option to consider is exposed aggregate, which features colourful pebbles. With this surface, you choose the hue and quantity of aggregate to add to the cement. If you add a lot, the concrete can resemble a gravel surface. However, the stones will be firmly embedded in the cement, unlike actual gravel. Alternatively, you could add fewer small rock pieces so you can see smooth cement in between the pebbles.
You can also control the colour palette of exposed aggregate as you mix and match whatever coloured stones you want to include. You could combine red, tan and white pebbles. Or blend black, navy and cream. Contractors can also add colour to the cement to match the stones or contrast against them.
Another way to alter the exposed aggregate's appearance is to reveal the aggregates to a greater or lesser extent. The concrete will feel bumpier if they protrude more or smoother if the stones stick out less. The contractors can create either type of look depending on your preferences. If you're laying exposed aggregate for a pool deck, bear in mind that rounded river pebbles will be more comfortable for bare feet to walk over.
For more information, contact a local domestic concreting company.
Share31 May 2022
We have had a space out by the back of the shop for parking since the shop opened. But we noticed that fewer and fewer customers were using it and more customers mentioned the lack of parking in our area. It turned out that they didn't like parking on the back, unsealed lot as this made their shoes muddy and their car dirty. We used a concrete contractor to come and seal the carpark as well as mark out defined parking bays. The customers love it and we have noticed an increase in business. This site talks about how small businesses can create parking spaces with concreting to improve their customer experience.
