Concrete Driveway

joeyvicks

Hello,

my first post on the forum and looking for a bit of advice to smarten up the driveway in our new home.
It is a concrete driveway that i'm not too keen on but cannot afford to have block paving or such like and was wondering what options i have in terms of either painting or screeding the concrete to make it look more attractive and if anyone on here has done any similar work on their home?

ormus

what color did you have in mind?

joeyvicks

not thought of a colour just wanted to know what options i have and how easy it is to carry out the work. Hoping to do something with it in the spring time

SailorSam

Isn't screeding normally done on internal floors ?
Wouldn't a thin screed break up with the weight of the car ?

skiTTish

Edge it and cover with a layer of gravel ?

joeyvicks

yeah that sounds like a decent option bit of an edge restrainst with pea gravel. What sort of thickness would the gravel have to be?
Anyone able to guess a rough cost per m2 for gravel?

ormus

coverage rates for gravels are typically 15-20 m² per tonne at 35mm thick.

usual method is to lay at least 25mm, and up to say 40/50mm.

the cost? 50/70 quid per tonne.

shegar

Hi ive had pea shingle drives in the past and really would not recommend them , it will be high maintenance , sweeping it to keep the shingle spread evenly , plus shingle ending up on the path , children and shingle together are a nightmare , they cant resist kicking it about. :mad:

Since my husband became disabled and uses a wheelchair there is no way you can push a chair on shingle , we had ours blocked paved , the best solutions for us , :)weve put a few nice large flower pots on it and it always looks clean and presentable for the front of a house. Easy maintenance.

But its again personal choice to what you want, yes pea shingle is cheap and easy to do yourself but as I say its high maintenance.

ormus

horses for courses.
a gravel drive is not the best idea for wheelchair users. high upkeep? not really. a bit of a clean up every so often. its no big deal.
and they do look nice.

you must do it right though. deep enough (minimum 25mm) and edgings are pretty well essential.

iamcornholio

joeyvicks wrote: »

Hello,

It is a concrete driveway ... what options ... of either painting or screeding the concrete to make it look more attractive

You have no options. Screed or paint just wont stick and wont last five minutes.

One possible solution may be a resin bonded gravel surface, where fine stone is stuck down to the concrete.

The existing surface needs to be in good condition though, and if so this may be a cheaper and better solution than replacing it and will look quite nice - without the pain and trouble of a normal gravel drive