If you are to renovate your driveway to have something more attractive or refreshing to the eye, you might want to check out stamped concrete, which is considered to be among the best materials that you can have today.
According to Bill Whelchel, stamped concrete allows the homeowner to have different decorative designs on the surface of their driveways. It is also allowed to add some color and even texture so that you would be able to mimic the vintage looks of bricks and stones.
There are so many homeowners who decide to have stamped concrete in their driveways because the materials make their property look more attractive.
How it really works
You may be wondering how stamped concrete is installed. Basically, it is just pouring the slab into the area and then the contractors will imprint the desired designs while it is still wet. If you want, you can add some dyes to it.
Experts says that there is no fixed process when it comes to installing the stamped concrete because it can be different from one house to another. If you want things to go perfectly well, you would want to get the services of a contractor who is highly experienced int his kind of job.
The cracks that you will see
If they are done the right way, you can enjoy the stamped concrete still in its best condition for 20 or more years. However, you have to understand that there are some cracks that will eventually come out and they are at most the biggest problems that you can have.
The most experienced stamped concrete contractors would know how to deal with these cracks by controlling their direction. However, you have to be ready for the possibility of seeing large splits somewhere along your driveway.
You may wonder why there are cracks and the answer is that the earth always move and the fact that concrete is bound together, it will find it hard to move with it.
If you want to prevent it from cracking, you will want to make use of some sealer that you can buy from home improvement shops. Make sure that you are able to seal out the water when you are filling the pores.
Another benefit from using these sealers is that they are an effective way to maintain the shiny look of the concrete.
If you are located in areas where it is almost always sunny, you may want to slow down on using these sealers because they can have some negative effects on your driveway surface.
There are other ways to fix the crack and it is through the help of epoxy or caulk. But one of the greatest concerns that you will have is that it will be noticeable given that they have different colors from the concrete.
Experts say that if you encounter a crack in your concrete, it is already hard to mend it.