Finishing Off My Driveway (Sandwash Vs. Bitumen Vs. Other)

[GiantFan]

Hi All,

My builder did a bit of a runner. Didn't finish off my driveway before moving on to another job. He has no money, so I need to finish it off myself.

He did put in a rough concrete driveway, but the plan was to put a top finish coat to make it look "nice" once the other houses were finished. He called it a stampled concrete that could be coloured and textured. At this point, I just want to finish it off as cost effectively as possible.

The driveway is approx. 250 square meters in area and fairly flat for 2/3 rds of it. 1/3 is at an angle of 15 degrees or so. Not sure if this is an issue or not.

Anybody have any experience and any advise?

Many Thanks.

[PattayaPhom]

Although sandwash looks nice when new, it dosnt wear well at all...gets dirty and cracks everywhere. Block paving looks good for years, cant remember the cost per block but wasnt expensive.

[LivinginKata]

Give the sandwash idea a miss. Cracks and looks dirty very quickly. I would think just some sort of finished concrete top coat would be best.

[Hugh Jarse]

Better still lay some matt finish, grooved tiles.They,last longer , aesthetically more pleasing and very low maintenance.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Hugh Jarse

[hansgruber]

http://www.kenzai.co.th/npl_gallery.html

I used these tiles for the driveway on a previous home but 250sqm of driveway is huge. Not sure about your budget but i got this for 1100 baht per sqm installed.

Looks fantastic.

[Valentine]

Have heard that story so many times. The builder does not finish the job because run out of money that has already been paid for the job or has under quoted in order to get the job hoping to get some "extras'.

The stamped concrete would likely be the best option but I am not sure if it stands the test of time & to me looks a little old hat. Although there are pitfalls in using sandwash it is the cheapest option but needs to be sectioned off so if one section cracks then it can be replaced without having to redo a huge area. Vixol works pretty well for cleaning sandwash. Putting an additive, such as Sika Latex, in the sandwash mix may help it to stop cracking & should definitely put a waterproof sealer on top. A lot of the cracking in sandwash is more due to the concrete base than anything else.

[stevehaigh]

i've seen a company that does stamped concrete somewhere but can't remember where, sorry, but i am sure there is a place on the island can do it for you, and probably the cheapest long lasting option

[KarenBravo]

My sand-wash drive-way still looks good after 11 years. Yes, there are a few small cracks and it needs a good pressure washing at the end of each rainy season.

[steelepulse]

Agree with Valentine and KB on the sandwash, but it has to be done right.

[britpop]

whether it's sandwash, concrete, tar based product, what they don't understand here is it needs a solid foundation, as in hardcore, i'm starting to go round and look for the most ridiculous building methods.

In my business the ceiling comes through via water damage, so we called the owner, the shower rooms of the apartments upstairs where leaking, please picture this, the so called engineer is using wall putty to seal the floor as a grout and using a stick to apply it, so at that point i flipped, so he then went off to buy grout, the shower rooms where white, yes he buys brown grout, smears it all over the floor and goes, so now we have grout on top of wall putty that in places is 5-10mm thick, at that point i should have just cleaned the floor and done it for him, so the next day i pop my head in one of the apartment shower rooms, the grout had set like stone as it does, it had not been cleaned off, it was a total disaster, now at this point mr owner turns up, i was like a owner with a dog, rubbing his nose in it, explained about the wall putty and he could see the mess with grout that by the way wasn't waterproof, yes he saved 10 baht!!!!!, so now do i fix the hole in the ceiling knowing it will leak again, so i have a Thai maintenance engineer in there looking at the apartment showers to verify the job is a bodge up and told the owner you made the hole, you fix it, could you imaging if the same engineer turned up, he's available and a specialist in driveways, a wall putty driveway, OMG

Edited November 3, 2012 by britpop

[transam]

Had mine tiled. Tiles were l think 200 bht a mitre and laying 80 bht, l provided the sand and cement. That was 5 years ago and still looks great.

[bunta71]

Here is my infamous "broom finish" on my driveway apron. Had the worst concrete I have ever seen delivered...water and gravel...a little cement for appearance sake and also a little sand. But since I did it myself it has proper grade, proper re-inforcement and is a consistent 4" thick. My dog watched. Always watching and never any help...

Edited November 8, 2012 by bunta71

[petercallen]

Our sandwash looks good we used a high pressure water cleaner to get it back to its original condition

and then sealed it with a clear waterproof finish

[GiantFan]

Our sandwash looks good we used a high pressure water cleaner to get it back to its original condition

and then sealed it with a clear waterproof finish

I have a balcony that needs pressure washing 2x a year and is about to be redone (by me). That clear waterproof finish sounds like the deal Peter. Can you give me the details. I may have seen it up the Bypass Road before Kehin (HomeMart or HomePro). Maybe made by Sika?

[LivinginKata]

We tried the clear waterproof treatment. Can't remember the price per sq m, but was not so cheap. Maybe the guys that did our place did not use the right chemical but I can tell you it needed cleaned after 6 months. Personally I would never put in sandwash ever again. We need to pressure clean at least twice a year.

[harrry]

Here is my infamous "broom finish" on my driveway apron. Had the worst concrete I have ever seen delivered...water and gravel...a little cement for appearance sake and also a little sand. But since I did it myself it has proper grade, proper re-inforcement and is a consistent 4" thick. My dog watched. Always watching and never any help...

but did you let him sign the job with his paws?

[transam]

If you have the cash, tile it with non slip tiles. Do it and forget it.

[Old Croc]

When I did renovations at my place I covered large areas with sand wash and covered the carport and driveway with non slip tiles.

Less than a year later the sandwash has many fine cracks, in which mold grows, and it always looks grubby. (I'm planning to pressure clean and seal it soon).

The tiles will look good for a long time.

[petercallen]

Our sandwash looks good we used a high pressure water cleaner to get it back to its original condition

and then sealed it with a clear waterproof finish

I have a balcony that needs pressure washing 2x a year and is about to be redone (by me). That clear waterproof finish sounds like the deal Peter. Can you give me the details. I may have seen it up the Bypass Road before Kehin (HomeMart or HomePro). Maybe made by Sika?

No problem,the first cans we bought are called Big Guard and cost 680 baht at Sang Chai on the bypass road

We have bought the last few cans at Rawai Hardware TOA-100 water repellent gloss at 520 baht a can

The cans hold 1 American gallon or 3.785 litres

High gloss and non-yellowing

Water and dirt resistant

Excellent Durability against UV and harsh weather

My wife finished doing it last week we will have to wait and see how long it lasts but it looks good

[bunta71]

Here is my infamous "broom finish" on my driveway apron. Had the worst concrete I have ever seen delivered...water and gravel...a little cement for appearance sake and also a little sand. But since I did it myself it has proper grade, proper re-inforcement and is a consistent 4" thick. My dog watched. Always watching and never any help...

but did you let him sign the job with his paws?

He did try to put his foot down every time I tried cutting corners but I stood my ground...