Is Concrete Driveway Worth It?
Concrete is material for paving that is neither cheap nor expensive. It is in the middle for a good reason.
Some would say that concrete is a boring material, not that appealing, and presents only in a flat, and not worth the money.
When you look closely, they could be right, but the quality of concrete surpasses other surfaces when it comes to functionality and longevity.
Let us dig further into how you can benefit from a concrete driveway.
The Real Value of Concrete as a Surface for Driveways
Concrete is a very common material used in paving. It is mistakenly known as cement, but it’s not. Cement is just a part of the concrete component, and this composite material has gained popularity over other materials such as tarmac.
When you choose to use concrete for your driveway or patio projects, you can have options on decorative surfaces to play with.
One of Bristol Driveway’s Fantastic Offer
Concrete paving is one of the fantastic services Bristol Driveway and Patio Pro offers. We do concrete paving for your patios, decks, walkways, and driveways.
Concrete as a material is a highly durable surface. If properly cured, it will last for many years.
The main downside of concrete is when it cracks. Small slits lead to cracks because of heavy pressure or heavy traffic. This means that the component is substandard. With poor installation, concrete will prematurely fail.
Installation
Some homeowners would love to pour concrete and build their driveway with their effort to save. However, concrete installation requires the expertise of an experienced contractor. This is to ensure that the driveway paved with cement will achieve the desired finish and quality.
Concrete is a slurry mixture during preparation. Concrete hardens quickly, so timing is crucial in mixing.
The materials involved and the quality of workmanship implemented in building a driveway made of concrete will dictate the end product’s stability and appeal.
Follow the steps for a perfect installation:
- Check if there is adequate drainage for water run-off
- Prepare the base
- Remove unwanted presence of thrusting objects (protruding pipes, unrooted tree, tree roots)
- Install rebar
- Pour the sufficient amount of cement mix
- Check for interlocking joints
- Cure thereafter
- Cover while wet
Advantages of concrete paving:
- Slabs of concrete are highly durable
- Low maintenance
- Great for large and wide areas of paving
- More durable and appealing than gravel and tarmac
- Can last for 25 to 50 years
- Can bear vehicle traffic for many years
- Can withstand all kinds of weather
Bristol Driveway contractors are dedicated and hardworking people, and they are the people to build your concrete driveway.
Although right now people love hacks and DIYs, they install them by themselves. But nothing beats the works of professionals and skilled people. The job is more manageable and efficient.
Before they begin your driveway, our contractor and installers will inspect your place. The job can be done in a couple of days, but it has to be handled by experts.
They will check if planning permissions are required in your place.
Concrete driveways involve excavation, ground levelling, compacting, laying steel bars, pouring of gravel and sand prior to concrete, and applying finishing touches.
Before excavating, installers ensure the ground is free of grass and that the foundation is stable.
Concrete requires curing so that it can achieve complete hardness after a couple of days. It is important that nothing will intervene during the curing process.
This is done by covering the surface by spraying water on the surface or dampening it from time to time to allow curing time.
A fully functional concrete driveway will take a full month to dry.
A quick look at concreting a surface:
- Installers remove excess concrete and level the topmost surface using a scree
- They sweep the top surface lightly when there is no other decorative option; this adds friction to the surface
- Seal the surface using a sealant
- Place joints for protection against cracks
- Sloping is critical for water runoff
- Continuous curing by sprinkling and covering with plastic sheet
Advantages of a concrete driveway:
- Sturdy
- Low maintenance
- Cost-efficient
- Can be customised (using block pavers)
Concrete driveways generally last for around 20 to 50 years, depending on how reinforced the base is and how many cars you will be parking.
To ensure lifelong benefits from a concrete driveway, talk to our representatives here at Bristol driveways. Theoretically, it seems installation is DIY friendly but it requires hard labour, in which professional installation is the only solution. Call us for more details: 0117 290 0395.
