Imprinted concrete driveways.
Discussion
BoRED S2upid said:
eltax91 said:
Is your driveway sloped at all? The one thing I found with imprinted surfaces was they were near-lethal when wet.
This. And if it's icy forget about walking on it. 
Thanks for all the replies. My driveway slopes gently away from the house, so water pooling shouldn't be a problem. Also, the contractor offers three types of finish: gloss, satin and matt, and he reckons the latter two don't get slippery...but then again he would say that, wouldn't he!
Bought a house with it. Wasn't aware of it previously.
I think it's been down a few years and still looks decent. Nothing growing through. No subsidence. Looks tidy. I like it.
Haven't considered maintenance so probably something I should check out. Most it gets is a jetwash when I'm trying to clear piles of immovable snowfoam away.
I think it's been down a few years and still looks decent. Nothing growing through. No subsidence. Looks tidy. I like it.
Haven't considered maintenance so probably something I should check out. Most it gets is a jetwash when I'm trying to clear piles of immovable snowfoam away.
Aluminati said:
I doubt it. They are epically council.
I'd argue a lot less council than a sinking, moss covered block paved driveway which is what pretty much all the ones around me look like after a few months of being down. I've had my imprinted concrete drive down for 6 months now and it looks good, isn't any more slippery than any other kind of drive and doesn't look like showing any signs of wear at all. On a like for like basis I think they wear better than just about any other type of drive. I do like resin bound gravel ones, though.There are pros and cons to every type of driveway. Especially if you’re a petrolhead and work on cars.
We had the dilemma a few years ago for our largish driveway.
Almost went with imprinted concrete but a mate who has it said his wife has to reseal it every spring to keep it looking nice. If you drive cars on in the winter when the salt is on the roads it wears the sealer off fairly quickly.
It always cracks too apparently. My mate has one single crack across one section. It does look a bit fake too.
Main reason we didn’t go with it though, was the feeling I got from the main guy regarding levels, etc.
We went for tarmac with block paved edge and paths. Gets a touch soft in hot sunshine though so need to put a board down when jacking cars up.
Also moss. Lots of moss!
Oh and it’s the porous stuff the council planners preferred so it’s not as hard as say, a car park. Go lock to lock on the spot, especially in summer and the top chews up a bit.
We were warned of this before installation. I remember, wife doesn’t.
Block paving. Never again. Paths or driveways. Weeds are mental. We get this green leafy thing with leaves like plastic. They don’t even change colour when I flame thrower them.
Spent 2 days in summer wire brushing them and soaking path in Rosate30 before and after.
2 months later it was worse than ever. I’m actually scared of that path now.
House up for sale now and if we do another project (currently the top of our shortlist is one) I’d go bonded resin.
Classic gravel driveway looks but it doesn’t get dragged out onto the street and is quite solid for jacking cars up.
Resin is pricey though as it’s a tarmac driveway first then 25mm of the resin bound gravel on top.
So two installations really.
That’s my 2p anyway.
If I wasn’t into cars I’d dig it out myself, then MOT type one, rollered down, then some membrane and decorative gravel on top. By far the cheapest, looks nice, can rake it for weeds and any stains can be easily raked etc and fresh stone added.
No good for working on cars though.
We had the dilemma a few years ago for our largish driveway.
Almost went with imprinted concrete but a mate who has it said his wife has to reseal it every spring to keep it looking nice. If you drive cars on in the winter when the salt is on the roads it wears the sealer off fairly quickly.
It always cracks too apparently. My mate has one single crack across one section. It does look a bit fake too.
Main reason we didn’t go with it though, was the feeling I got from the main guy regarding levels, etc.
We went for tarmac with block paved edge and paths. Gets a touch soft in hot sunshine though so need to put a board down when jacking cars up.
Also moss. Lots of moss!
Oh and it’s the porous stuff the council planners preferred so it’s not as hard as say, a car park. Go lock to lock on the spot, especially in summer and the top chews up a bit.
We were warned of this before installation. I remember, wife doesn’t.
Block paving. Never again. Paths or driveways. Weeds are mental. We get this green leafy thing with leaves like plastic. They don’t even change colour when I flame thrower them.
Spent 2 days in summer wire brushing them and soaking path in Rosate30 before and after.
2 months later it was worse than ever. I’m actually scared of that path now.
House up for sale now and if we do another project (currently the top of our shortlist is one) I’d go bonded resin.
Classic gravel driveway looks but it doesn’t get dragged out onto the street and is quite solid for jacking cars up.
Resin is pricey though as it’s a tarmac driveway first then 25mm of the resin bound gravel on top.
So two installations really.
That’s my 2p anyway.
If I wasn’t into cars I’d dig it out myself, then MOT type one, rollered down, then some membrane and decorative gravel on top. By far the cheapest, looks nice, can rake it for weeds and any stains can be easily raked etc and fresh stone added.
No good for working on cars though.
JeffreyB said:
As an alternative you could consider a resin bound driveway. It can be laid over an existing Tarmac surface (as long as it is in good condition), it allows water to drain through it so there are no ponding issues, is a non-slip surface and is available in a variety of colours. If you aren't familiar with the technique a quick Google search will provide plenty of examples. Usual disclaimer I have no connection with anyone providing this service but I did have this kind of driveway laid at my previous house and it proved to be an excellent choice (now 6 years old and still as good as new).
Resin bonded or resin bound?I recall reading there was quite a difference.....but either way, everything I read suggests they are a proper nuisance to lay properly (need right conditions as well as skills!)
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Or just get proper tarmac?!
I suspect we will do this when ours finally annoys me enough.....tarmac, been down almost 30 years, looking a bit ropey, but then some neighbours re-did theirs a couple of years back and it looks almost as bad as ours already, so I keep putting it off: it is only the driveway LaurasOtherHalf said:
Or just get proper tarmac?!
Hey why didn’t I think of that? 
Planning stipulation. Conservation area. Village drainage system is a “combined” system and ancient. Overloaded already during heavy rain.
We had to have a porous surface if solid, plus aco drain at entrance to stop water running onto public highway.
Had it at my old place - no problems but was slippery when icy.
I resealed in once in the many years i had it using pics high solids sealer.
https://www.picsuk.com/all-sealers/
I resealed in once in the many years i had it using pics high solids sealer.
https://www.picsuk.com/all-sealers/
mikeiow said:
I suspect we will do this when ours finally annoys me enough.....tarmac, been down almost 30 years, looking a bit ropey, but then some neighbours re-did theirs a couple of years back and it looks almost as bad as ours already, so I keep putting it off: it is only the driveway
Good thing about tarmac is that if it’s been done properly you’ll have 50-75mm of base stuff then 25mm topping. When it gets ropey you can plane the top off and re-do that, much smaller job than if it was from scratch.
I dare say you may be able to put the resin down instead of tarmac, but that needs a porous tarmac base, so maybe not.
marky911 said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Or just get proper tarmac?!
Hey why didn’t I think of that? Planning stipulation. Conservation area. Village drainage system is a “combined” system and ancient. Overloaded already during heavy rain.
We had to have a porous surface if solid, plus aco drain at entrance to stop water running onto public highway.
As long as planning don’t need to know though it’s simple enough just to go for proper tarmac. grumpyscot said:
They're banned in our council area because they don't allow water soak-away.
a ) the huge issues we have nationally with run-off and flooding and sealed driveway
b ) the fact the 90% of installs are done to a poor standard with little or no soak-away
If you want a block paved driver, but down paving block! Cost effective, repairable, range of colours and styles.
Daniel
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff