Pattern Imprinted Concrete, sometimes referred to as Stamped concrete is concrete that is patterned and/or textured or embossed to give it a brick, slate, flagstone, stone, tile or various other pattern or texture. Imprinted Concrete is generally used for driveways, patios and paths due to its beauty and durability.
Imprinted Concrete looks stunning when finished and is hard wearing, long lasting and almost maintenance free too, however to achieve this hard wearing, long lasting finish the contractor must go through a careful step by step process.
This is what sets apart the Professionals and the amateur types, sure an amateur can lay Pattern Imprinted concrete far quicker and to the untrained eye the results can look very similar upon completion, but after a few months the differences become very apparent.
Installing Concrete Driveway & Patios
Once the installer has surveyed the site and agreed the correct pattern and colour that compliments your surroundings or property type, your old driveway or patio is removed and the ground dug out, usually with a mechanical excavator for speed.
Hardcore is then added and evenly spread out before being compacted with a vibro plating machine to form a level, solid base on which to pour the concrete, allowing for a minimum depth of concrete of 100mm or 4 inch for driveways and 75 mm or 3 inch patios.
Hot summer days followed by cold nights over a short period of time are the main cause for most driveways cracking due to expansion and contraction. Imprinted Concrete is not just plain old concrete, it is concrete that has fibre reinforcement added to it making it 25-30% stronger than a standard concrete. The fibres in the concrete mesh together as the concrete cures giving it additional strength which prevents cracking and shrinking.
Once cured the primary colour layer is then added followed by a second colour powder to give it its desired shade and to prepare the concrete for the stamping stage, without the powder coating the stamp would go through the colour layer into the concrete rather than pushing the colour layer down. Once the concrete has almost cured – timing is essential – the chosen pattern is then carefully stamped into the concrete. The method used for stamping varies from contractor to contractor but the most common method is via a hand held stamping tool – usually a 50cm by 50cm board on a long pole – pressed down using bodyweight and carefully moved from place to place to give the desired interlocking effect.
With the stamping completed the concrete still needs sealing which is typically carried out the next day once the concrete has fully cured, during this time the concrete is cordoned off to prevent any one walking over it and ruining it.
During the sealing process an anti slip agent is also added forming a robust, long lasting anti-slip surface that will stay looking good for years to come.
Once complete the Pattern Imprinted Concrete should not we walked on for at least 24 hours and should not be driven on for around 4 days just to make sure everything has cured and set
Your driveway should stay looking good for years and is relatively maintenance free, however cleaning and resealing recommended every three to five years.
Learn more about pattern imprinted concrete by visiting https://www.patternimprint.com
