Many people think that the one solution to their dark, stained and cracked driveway they have is to remove the damaged concrete and replace it. If you are faced with a similar situation, read on. We will discuss another solution to this problem that is more desirable – decorative concrete overlay.
Concrete Overlays are referred to by different terminologies by contractors. Concrete coating, resurfacing and decorative concrete are all the same thing. There are a wide range of different applications that can be installed such as slate textures, splatter textures, micro-topping, stampable overlays and epoxy/urethane coating.
These applications have special characteristics and advantages. To give an example, the best texture to be used for repairing your driveway is stampable overlay or splatter texture. You can’t, however, use epoxy coating for that purpose because of its lack of UV stability and sleek nature.
Most importantly, these coatings are very thin and therefore they use very less material but they are much stronger than the compressive strength of the concrete on which they are applied. Slate trowel texture and splatter texture are the most budget friendly ones. It’s up to the consumer to decide which one to go for on the basis of the look they want to achieve, the kind of damage they are trying to repair and the budget they have for the project.
There are various methods of colourization that can be used on all of the applications. The products based on polymer modified cement can either have color added integrally or can also be stained afterwards using staining techniques. There are a variety of different staining techniques to choose from. If you want your driveway to look like natural stone, go for stampable overlay. They will, however, cost you almost double the price of the previously mentioned.
The preparation phase is very important for all types of concrete overlays. If the cleaning process is not properly followed or previous coating is not removed, the overlay will fail. The hybrid polymers with an extremely strong bond strength are a part of the products that are applied on a well prepared substrate.
Apart from surface grinding or acid etch, the surface has to be thoroughly cleaned before being pressure washed with 3500 psi at the least. This process is very critical because it opens the pores of the concrete and allows the overlay to seep in and grab hold.
It’s very important to find the right person or company to get your resurfacing or coating done. You will find many individuals who are not properly trained in the techniques or don’t even have a license to be in the business. Many a time, you will have to call another contractor to fix the mistakes of the previous one. Most often, it’s the sheer lack of interest in doing the job right or not having proper equipments that causes such errors. This is why hiring experienced, dependable contractors such as ours is very important.
You may have the contractor running for the door if you ask for his business license number, workers comp paperwork and liability insurance information but do ask for it at the first meeting itself. Be an educated consumer because it will help you make the right choice at the time when you are receiving bids for the job. Also, ask the contractor about the type of equipment he has and how he plans to prepare the surface and the kind of products he is intending to use.
You can transform your ordinary concrete into an attractive and beautiful floor with decorative concrete which is also cost effective. So if you have beautification of your damaged concrete on your mind, go for decorative concrete.
