Aesthetically Designing Your Concrete Driveway

Aesthetics is never a left behind terminology in building a concrete driveway. Your driveway should be the most inviting portion of your residence because driveways are the ones that give the first impressions of your home. The aesthetics of your concrete driveway lies on the elaborate designs you can incorporate onto it. That makes concrete the best material used for driveway installation because homeowners have more opportunities to enhance the profile and character of their driveways using the flexible designing that decorative concrete offers. 

Asphalt driveways have disadvantages compared to concrete driveways. The adhesive material in asphalt driveways is called tar. Tar is less expensive than cement but it is softer. Tar degrades easily and diminishing such disadvantage is costly. Nowadays, sealants and integral coloring are added to asphalt driveways to deviate from their plain blank but reliance to such coloring limits the promotion of aesthetics.

             How can homeowners establish aesthetics in a concrete driveway, making designing in concrete driveway unique?

             Multiple finishes can be applied to concrete driveways. Acrylic cement coatings aid a lot in achieving such finishes. One type of finishing can be done on the surface of the driveway and another type can be applied on the borders. Driveways with two-type finishes have a contrasting and supplementing effect. A patterned border is interesting. Borders improve the look of concrete driveway by giving depth and dimensions and adding colors would make it more elegant.

            The control joints of your driveway are also very useful in designing it. Control joints are functional line markings used to prevent random cracks. Control joints can be used to divide large driveways or by placing them in such a way that they would have a pattern.

    

 Stamped concrete aprons are also pertinent in designing a concrete driveway. These are poured areas that connect your driveway to the road. Stamped concrete aprons are placed on the first several feet of the driveway and you have lots of options for its design pattern and engravings.

            These and other ways too many to mention them all here enhance the aesthetic character of your concrete driveway. Hire a contractor who will help you have the most beautiful and elegant driveway a homeowner can have.

A Simple Test That Leads To A Beautiful Driveway

Simplicity is beauty. Decorative concrete as a trend in paving and architectural works has created beautiful driveways coated and sealed by acrylic cement coatings and sealers. These projects were indeed have simple beginnings. There are simple things done in driveway installation that give beautiful results. One of which is a simple test of the workability of a fresh concrete.

             Shrinkage cracking, dilapidation, spalling and other problems occur if you have a driveway that has poor strength. A concrete driveway should have a high compressive strength. Compressive strength is the capacity of concrete to carry a load. Normally, the strength of concrete for a residential driveway should be 3000 to 4000 pounds per square unit (psi). Homeowners should be aware that there are times that the strength of concrete can be compromised by wrong cement mix, poor workmanship and most importantly by not testing the materials used for installing their driveways.

We are going to discuss here one of the mostly used test that measures the strength and workability of a freshly poured concrete in driveway installation. This test is known as slump test. The word itself gives you an idea of how the test is done. The bare meaning of the word slump is to become less or to fall or sink suddenly. 

Slump test determines how wet or how stiff the fresh concrete is just by measuring how low or high it slumps a way from a given point or height. Very simple, isn't it? Slump test determines the workability and the flow of concrete when it is not yet in its solid taste. This is done to know if you’re using a weak or strong concrete for your driveway because the material that you test is the same material that would dry and harden and would form your concrete driveway.

             Before we show how slump test is done, let us first learn how inches of slump affect a given psi of concrete. An inch of slump decreases the concrete by 500 psi. If you won't do a slump test, just imagine how much strength may be removed from the ideal driveway you want. For example, if you ordered a concrete with a 6 inch slump but what was delivered to you is a concrete with 8 inch slump and let us say that the specified psi for your driveway is 3500, you'll end up having a concrete with just 2500 psi. What will you expect with that? You will have a driveway below the minimum strength and you will have a lot of headaches repairing the damages the will result.

 Slump test is done by filling in a hollow cone mould with a sample of the freshly poured concrete. The height of the cone is 1 foot and its top internal diameter is 4 inches while the bottom internal diameter is 8 inches. The cone is lifted vertically upwards and slump is measured. The normal slump is 4 to 6 inches or 50 to 90 millimeters. This means these numbers show that the fresh concrete of your driveway has medium workability. Concrete that has either too low or too high slumps has poor workability. This is an indication that the concrete doesn't stop flowing or too difficult to use.

             In order for homeowners to have a beautiful driveway, simple tests like slump test shouldn't be forgotten.

The Value of Consistency In Concrete Driveway Installation

Consistency is a primary requirement in installing a concrete driveway. In construction industry, consistency refers to the degree of density or firmness of the fundamental material used which is concrete. Consistency should govern driveway installation because without it, the end result would be a driveway of poor quality.

 

When consistency is observed in driveway installation, this means that the specified concrete is the one that your contractor will work on the site or that the specified concrete mixed on site will not lose the qualities it must have when it is pre-mixed. The strength of concrete used for driveways is between 3000 to 4000 psi. Psi means pounds per square inch and it is a unit of pressure or stress. 

   

            There are conditions that affect the required psi or strength for concrete driveways. Among them are mortar loss, too much pressure on the mortar, water cement ratio and air content. Mostly, water cement ratio is the primary reason why concrete driveways experience random cracking and shrinkage, as the strength of concrete used for driveway is compromised.

            Water cement ratio influences the workability of fresh concrete. If the water cement ratio is higher, this means there is too much water in the mix. The strength of concrete driveway is dependent on the volume of the freshly mixed concrete used for it during the initial steps of its installation. The addition of water affects the volume of the concrete by decreasing its compressive strength.

            Another factor that influences the consistency and workability of concrete is its air content. Considering the air content of the concrete you ordered is a must, especially if you install a driveway in cold climates. The air content suggested to maintain the strength of concrete is 5 to 7%. Air entrainment is done by adding admixtures to fresh concrete that entrains air by forming very small air bubbles. During a freeze-thraw cycle, moisture that didn't enter the concrete would expand in those air bubbles or air pockets. Air entrainment prevents the concrete getting pressure from moisture and improves the integrity of concrete.

             However, the air content of pre-mixed concrete or cement can be changed during the transportation of material and if gets too much moisture even before it is delivered to the site, not to mention how improper cement water ratio may further affect it. 

            Bottom line is you must hire a contractor that would give you the quality material needed for your concrete driveway and that this material is properly prepared during the installation process.

Cohesive Transition and Continuity in Driveway Designing

              Cohesive transition and continuity in landscaping is achieved when areas and spaces are utilized to show that there is a distinction between and among the parts of the environment but they are connected to each other giving the impression harmony. This landscaping idea is very much applicable for driveways which surrounding environment has transitional spaces like a gate, front door, lawn and the adjoining road. 

  Constructing a driveway is not installing a concrete path that isn't related to the surrounding landscape and environment. Actually, expert and credible contractors would give you a lot of suggestions as to how your concrete driveway can be designed to blend with other spaces and areas within your residence. The following are some of the common techniques so that your driveway would obtain a smooth transition and continuity.

Staining and engraving a concrete driveway is best used in making focal points. Focal points are designs that are usually seen on the intersecting points of driveway. These can be custom logos, compasses, names, addresses or shapes. Focal points well for transitional spaces because they give a strong and defined statement as you move to another portion of the property or driveway. 

Designing the boundaries of your driveway is another way to achieve smooth transition and continuity. Driveway boundaries are the edges of your driveway on opposite sides. They separate driveway and lawn or whatever elements located near the driveway. Raised edges are designed to protect the driveway from erosion and they are higher than the driveway. Traditional hedges, picket fencing and stone walls can also be used as edges but because of versatility of concrete, curb concrete edges are of great choice. The professional look that curb concrete edges provide is a product of stamped concrete. A variety of patterns are stamped onto concrete curb edges to unite the driveway with other spaces. 

 

            There could be no other transition trick as effective as incorporating repeated patterns to the driveway itself. Again, this is achieved through stamped concrete. Continuity is created in stamped concrete driveways because of color combinations and you can lay out different lines and shapes depending on the features of the surrounding landscape.

             Build your concrete driveway thinking about transition, continuity and seamless connections!

Driveway Soil Types: The Key For A Stable Driveway Base

The condition of the base soil is a major consideration in laying out a driveway. This is one of the first things that contractors put in mind in concrete driveway installation. This is due to the fact that not all areas in United States or anywhere else have the same type of soil. For example, the type of soil you can find in the valleys of Colorado and coastal plains of Los Angeles is different from the type of soil in the hills of the Southern areas. The latter have subsurface soil layers that restrict water flow and root penetration while the former have expansive soils that crack when they dry. Knowing the condition of soil would determine how your driveways should be constructed.

          The condition of soil underneath a driveway would surely affect the quality and performance of your concrete driveway. If soil condition is not properly addressed or considered during driveway planning and design, issues related to leveling, cracking and structural damages may occur. The capacity of a driveway to support traffic is heavily dependent to the condition of soil.

          Generally, the type of soil used for driveways is classified into three: on-site, caliche and aggregate. On-site soil is the soil that is found just right there lying on the path where you will install your concrete driveway. Clay and loam are examples of an on-site soil. Sand, gravel and nitrate particles belong to the second type of driveway soil which is caliche soil. Nitrate particles are made of lime or calcium carbonate. Caliche soils are clumps or layers of cream to white colored soils and they become dusty. Aggregates, the third type, are made up loose aggregation of minerals, gravel and crushed rocks. 

          Now, let us describe the characteristics of each soil types, there influence to the performance and quality of a driveway and some remedies that can be done to cope with characteristics. Clay and loamy soils retain water since they are soft. As an effect, they can move under concrete driveway, leading to cracking. Some homeowners see excavation as the only solution here and replace the soil with crushed rocks, but this is not always the last resort. A Geotechnical fabric can be placed between on-site soils and crushed rocks to have a firmer driveway base. 

   

          Sand and gravel are considered the ideal soils for concrete driveway because they can be compacted easily, drain water quickly and prepared easily. They don't also allow root penetration or plant growth, things that can settle the base and damage the driveway. Although caliche soils are dusty, this can be remedied by spraying them with emulsions.  Aggregates like crushed rocks are usually placed as toppings to the sub base soil. They are applied in two inches thick atop a native soil.

          The key to a driveway with good performance and easy to maintain is the condition of the soil being used as its base. Making amendments to soil or even just by being aware about what type of soil it is would give you a driveway with a strong, solid and stable base.