Stamped Concrete Vs Painted Driveway

[33 RPM]

Have a concrete driveway already, but it needs to be enlarged, on both sides

im being told that if i do stamped concrete over the old and new part, that the new part will subside , maybe only a little in spots , but enough to crack the stamped concrete.

Any thoughts ?

Or would i be better just painting the whole driveway with a purpose made concrete paint

Any experiences with either appreciated...

[VocalNeal]

You are correct that it is almost impossible to match old and new concrete. 

To apply epoxy concrete paint you need to thoroughly clean and etch the original as well as the new. You need much more thinner than paint. 80/20 for the first coat.  

For me it would all depend on cost. It is after all only somewhere to park the car.

[sometimewoodworker]

12 minutes ago, 33 RPM said:

Have a concrete driveway already, but it needs to be enlarged, on both sides

im being told that if i do stamped concrete over the old and new part, that the new part will subside , maybe only a little in spots , but enough to crack the stamped concrete.

Any thoughts ?

It certainly is possible to tie the new part of the concrete firmly into the existing drive as long as you tie the 2 parts together strongly enough and the existing concrete is thick enough.

 

Having said that you can virtually guarantee that there will be movement horizontally between the two and that it is not a cheap thing to do properly. You may also find it difficult to find a really competent group to do the install, along with the possibility that the current drive substructure is less good than it should be.

[Kwasaki]

Width extension of old concrete with new can be done.

 

Best make sure extentions have rebar ties in and increase thickness than that of the original.

 

The extension foundations preparation will need good compacted ground. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

6 hours ago, 33 RPM said:

Stamped Concrete Vs Painted Driveway

 

Any thoughts ?

I reckon finding a good tradesman that will do the best job is the question. 

 

If you hire Dodgy Dave or his brother Somchai it's going to look atrocious whatever you get done. 

 

 

 

[Mark Nothing]

My condo building with colored, stamped concrete for about 12 car parking spaces decided to just use regular concrete pour to repair the driveway after the city jackhamered out a section to install underground pipes.  The contrast between the stamped concrete and regular grey concrete was much nicer than I expected.  Almost like a pedestrian sidewalk between the road and the condo parking lot.

 

My condo building painted the stamped concrete parking lot according to the correct procedures and the result was weak.  It looked unprofessional, but improved.  And after a couple of years the paint lifted up in heavily trafficked areas.  Stamped concrete only looks good for a few years, then the decay and maintenance begins.   The maintenance free ease of regular grey concrete seems easier.

 

Good luck on your project.

[Tropposurfer]

with any older slabs if you wish to extend them: What is often done in Oz is you drill into the sides of the existing slab and concrete epoxy reo bar (12mm is standard @ no less than 100mm deep, at say every 200mm or 300mm spacings) into these holes then lay your new section with reo mesh (on top of these horizontal bars) and wire the mesh to the bars then pour your new sections this locks the two sections together.

If you float and wood trowel, then broom the surface well you'll hardly see the difference between the two sections - especially if you pressure clean the old slab before laying the new section.

As for completing a uniform look its persona preference. I love the natural texture of what we in Oz call 'Pebblecrete'.

Its a small multicoloured aggregate mixed with an epoxy resin (comes ready mixed in 25 litre buckets) and is troweled onto the existing concrete slab (for large surfaces you can use a long handled rubber edged screed type method to apply).

Its beauty to me is that it looks very natural, is non slip, looks beautiful, is not glare producing, light in colour so it doesn't absorb suns heat like dark tar or dark painted surfaces, is tough as guts, easy to clean every now and then with a pressure cleaner, takes wheel traffic well, and does not need to be recoated for at least a decade if the concrete its applied to is cleaned decently before application.

Personally I loathe concrete stencils and pressure made concrete patterning cause they always look so faux and cheap (despite sometimes costing a lot!).

Pebblecrete is a far more elegant and stylish solution.

The reo bar connection idea works every time. I know cause I have laid dozens and dozens of connecting slabs in my time long back as a builder. 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Tropposurfer

[33 RPM]

Thanks for all your replies

yes the challenge of finding a "quality tradesman " is a major concern

the original driveway is pretty ordinary

Tropposurfer, im also from Aus and quite familiar with the method of extending a concrete slab, done it quite a few times with great results, because it was done properly.

in Melbourne we have Pebblemix, it would be the perfect solution, but alas nothing like that here.

the patterns of the stamped concrete are rather garish at best, but there is one that resembles pitted bassalt which looks quite nice.

its either that or painted

yes its only a driveway, but its on show, so to speak...

[Grusa]

Given the low cost of labour here, and not knowing the areas involved, might it not be cheaper and easier to dig up the whole lot and start again, with a proper standard of reinforcement, etc., and whatever finish you choose? 

So far as I have seen a hydraulic jackhammer on a JCB or similar machine will destroy the lot in no time. 

[DefaultName]

If you're extending by the same amount on both sides, I'd be inclined to leave the existing as is, and extend with contrasting strips.

[Kwasaki]

14 hours ago, 33 RPM said:

Thanks for all your replies

yes the challenge of finding a "quality tradesman " is a major concern

the original driveway is pretty ordinary

Tropposurfer, im also from Aus and quite familiar with the method of extending a concrete slab, done it quite a few times with great results, because it was done properly.

in Melbourne we have Pebblemix, it would be the perfect solution, but alas nothing like that here.

the patterns of the stamped concrete are rather garish at best, but there is one that resembles pitted bassalt which looks quite nice.

its either that or painted

yes its only a driveway, but its on show, so to speak...

Pebblemix is available here in Thailand seen it used many a time around swimming pools for one example.

[33 RPM]

I think thats called "sandwash " ??

 

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, DefaultName said:

If you're extending by the same amount on both sides, I'd be inclined to leave the existing as is, and extend with contrasting strips.

I think we have a winner...

[bbko]

Another option besides painting or stamping is staining.  This company specializes in concrete flooring, they have lots of youtube vids and sell on Lazada,  also available for doing the work.

 

https://www.stamped-tools.com/?fbclid=IwAR1deNrjPw_MXVJkU0svqop89pvdf2EH1Jc-_RMSzaSJvRn1P8Eq8ITzCsc

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMNFGTWVXk7C7OtvXTOP-A