Concrete Driveways
Your driveway is the red carpet rug / entrance to your home... you want it to look beautiful and appealing. If your driveway is cracking or un-level, it can be a hazard to your loved ones and guests.
Better to get in touch with a professional who can provide you with a safe and attractive concrete driveway for your home.
Driveways are important not just for your vehicle but for the uplifting of your home. A good driveway gives the impression that the whole property is well-maintained.
There are two types of surfaces for driveways: smooth and rough. Both of these textures can be achieved by concrete.
Concrete driveways are low maintenance. We all know the material is inexpensive, durable, and one of the most—if not the most—practical to use for your driveway. It keeps weeds away and prolongs the life of your tires.
But still, some people tend to look for alternatives when offered concrete for their driveways. And there are a couple of reasons for this.
First, they think concrete is not aesthetically pleasing.
And second, they believe using concrete is not good for the environment.
The Many Possibilities with Concrete for Driveways
If you think that you’ll be stuck with the usual gray for your driveway, let us show you differently.
New technology has multiplied the design possibilities of concrete. Here are some designs you may want on your driveway. You can choose one, or create a design composed of a combination of these.
- Get beautiful stamped patterns
Geometric patterns and straight lines make for a clean-looking driveway. If your building’s design is elaborate, this might be a good design as it’s not too busy and would make your house the center of attention.
While your beautiful house may make people look up, an artistic stamped pattern on your driveway will have them craning their necks down. Stamped concrete can look expensive if you choose designs like slate, high-end stone, or marble coupled with realistic color. Even stamped wood is getting the spotlight lately for its beauty and realistic look.
The multi-dimensional effect is achieved by using different shades of color. Many appreciate the antique effect, while some want a replica of their favorite stone. When the project is done people won’t even think it’s just stamped concrete.
Aside from being affordable, this concrete stamping is easier and less time-consuming than laying the actual materials.
Just a little tip though, when stamping concrete for driveways, patterns should be those that don’t make the concrete too smooth as it will make the driveway slippery when wet.
- Put in the right colors
You can also put some colored lines or patterns that match your home so it looks like one solid unit. They can be done with acid stains, tinting the areas you want permanently.
Acid stains can come as light or as bold as you want them to be. Just tell us how strong you want the color to appear and we’ll apply the correct technique to attain it. And then we’ll seal it. Sealing concrete driveways is important not just to preserve the color but to waterproof them and extend their use.
A sprayed tri-color pattern can be applied by layer to get a subtle yet beautiful effect. You can choose a warm color combination that makes your home more inviting, or use an exciting color on a certain design or pattern.
Or how about randomly colored squares? Instead of the solid slab, a splash of color here and there makes for a playful, interesting driveway. Or choose a light, solid color that reflects sunlight as dark colors absorb heat. Some of our clients choose colors that will hide dirt and stains, as well as blend in well with their landscaping.
Color will always upgrade your curb appeal. Compare it with the usual concrete gray and you’ll see that it creates a world of difference—and at a very low cost at that!
- Stand out with different textures
Some homeowners design borders on their driveways by using different kinds of finishes—usually a combination of exposed aggregate and smooth concrete. While the driveway itself is a little rough to maximize traction, the other parts (such as banding or borders) are either smoother or have bigger materials (such as bigger pebbles) for aggregate. The contrast of textures defines the borders clearly. Adding color breathes life into the contrasting surfaces.
Exposed aggregate is a great choice for sloped driveways. It prevents even people from slipping during wet days. It also lowers the cost of concrete depending on how much of each material you used. But don’t worry, we know just enough to use not to affect the durability of your concrete driveways.
Beautify exposed aggregate even further by using boldly colored pebbles, silver or gold coins, broken safety glass, or even marbles. Your choice of odd or interesting materials makes your home even more personalized.
Engrave a personalized pattern
Engraved concrete involves staining the concrete with a color and then routing out a pattern. By doing so, the lines look like grout. The beauty of engraving is that any pattern can be done on it.
If you want a personalized engraved pattern on your existing concrete driveway, it can be done. It doesn’t have to be the whole driveway, but certain areas can be painted and engraved to accent it. Some even choose to have a mosaic theme. The designs become so eye-catching that they extend them up to their pathways and patios.
At Rochester Hills Concrete, we have tools that enable us to make very detailed patterns engraved on concrete surfaces up to ¼” deep. The depth ensures that the design doesn’t fade away even with constant contact with your vehicle’s wheels.
You can have logos, numbers, swirls, flowers, stars, medallions, and much, much more done right on your driveway. It can’t get any more personalized than that.
Get Your Free Concrete Driveway Quote Now!
You love the environment, and so do we.
While you may argue that although concrete is a necessity, it makes things look less natural. This isn’t necessarily so. You just have to look at it differently.
Although concrete is not an organic material, it can be reused.
For example, old concrete from buildings and structures can be crushed and reused as filling concrete for driveways. This is called recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). It’s truly beneficial as construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) are one of the main components of landfills. Records show it accounts for about 25% of all national waste.
By reusing some of this material, you are helping reduce the volume of our landfills and at the same time saving on costs. Crushed C&D waste is a lot cheaper than newly-mined gravel or crushed stones—which chip away at our natural resources.
The material also provides excellent drainage.
Rochester Hills Concrete has credible sources of high-quality aggregate. The material is pure concrete and nothing more. It is guaranteed to uphold the integrity of the driveway just like virgin material would.
Of course, any preferred design can still be applicable on your driveway as RCA is mostly used as a subbase.
Another kind of concrete that’s beneficial to both you and the environment is porous or pervious concrete. If your area is low-lying and prone to flooding, you might benefit the greatest from having this type of coarse material as it captures rainwater and melted snow, then returns them evenly to the ground, preventing standing water or black ice from forming on its surface.
It even catches pollutants such as engine oil, car fluids, preventing them from flowing towards storm drains.
Don’t worry about looks, as pervious concrete is easy to color and design. A concrete stain can be sprayed, a pattern can be metal-stamped, a light seal coat can be added, or it can be integrally colored.
Another eco-friendly and aesthetically pleasing option would be stone pavers for a driveway that you can play with in terms of design, color, and texture. We’ll discuss this more in our concrete paving section.
Entrust your business to one of the best concrete driveways contractors in the state. Rochester Hills Concrete uses the latest technology to create strong concrete driveways with beautiful designs that complement your home’s style.
And we don’t cut corners. While 4 inches is the standard thickness for pavements, we do the whole 6 inches to accommodate heavier vehicles. Subbases are prepared properly, the mix of the concrete is for strength, metal bars allow for appropriate concrete expansion, design techniques are always precise, and sealing is applied with longevity in mind.
We have fun working with concrete because not only do the structures we create benefit our clients, we also love designing them and creating something unique that lasts decades. When we come by their areas again, we are always proud of the work we’ve done and may even show them off to others.
Would you like to be one of our satisfied clients? Do you need a new driveway or you just you’re your old one repaired? Contact us at (248) 609-1630 and schedule a free in-home consultation today.
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You're not going to hit a ridiculously long phone menu when you call us. Your email isn't going to the inbox abyss, never to be seen or heard from again. With Rochester Hills Concrete, we provide the exceptional service we'd want to experience ourselves!
Rochester Hills Concrete
(248) 609-1630
