Houstons source for info on custom decorative concrete, drivewayS, patios, Stamped/patterned concrete, admixtures for concrete. Also offer links to other related resources

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Concrete Driveway Houston, Houston Concrete Driveways, Concrete Driveway, Houston Driveways, Houston Driveway

Concrete Driveway Houston, Houston Concrete Driveways, Concrete Driveway, Houston Driveways, Houston Driveway
Your driveway is your welcome mat, the pathway to your home. It may be a broad expanse or curved and
winding, disappearing among the shrubbery or a straight shot to a waiting garage. Whatever the profile, your
driveway presents landscaping opportunities to enhance your home and its character. While you must
consider the drainage you will need, the stability of your soil, and the freeze and thaw cycles in your region,
there are many materials and techniques available to help you create a driveway that goes a step beyond
asphalt to accent.Bricks may be among the simplest of all paving and patio materials to work with. They
come in standard sizes and regular forms, they are manufactured in a variety of colors, and they present a
non-slip surface for cars and people. Bricks, like flagstone, cobblestone, or pavers, should be laid in a stable
bed of stone topped with bedding sand. Creative homeowners can devise geometric patterns that repeat
along the length of the driveway. For older and historic homes, try copying a pattern from photos of historic
places. For local interest, look to area foundries for the bricks they produce. Some demolition companies
also sell old bricks that are perfect for quaint older structures. There are distinct advantages to using brick,
as they can be replaced when damaged. For a more permanent set, the bricks can be laid in a concrete
/sand bed and allowed to set up from below as well as between the bricks.

Concrete driveway
Concrete is far more versatile and aesthetic than people give it credit for. It can be colored, shaped, given
surface contours and textures, or even embedded with stone or aggregates to give it a composite look.
Quikcrete sells shape grids that allow you to create a decorative pattern on your walk or drive as simply as
pouring concrete. They also feature color mix that you can add directly to the concrete. Some homeowners
may opt to create preformed concete pavers using molds. These can be lined with a layer of crushed stone,
shell, or aggregate prior to the pour. Once the mold is removed, your pavers will have a pebbled surface.
Concrete drives can also be stamped or imprinted with a pattern to look like stone, cobble, or brick. How you
brush or finish the concrete once poured determines how slippery and uniform the surface of your driveway
will be. Take into account the activities that go on before deciding upon the surface of your driveway.
Basketball is easier on a smooth surface, while walking to the mailbox or bringing your car up an incline is
easier on a less slick surface.
Stamped Stone concrete
Stamped concrete Stone driveways are very handsome and easy to maintain. Depending on the look you
desire, you can create a driveway with any color stone from white to dark grey and black. Visit a stone shop,
quarry, or landscape yard to see the available colors and sizes of stone. Ask which are local and which can
be mixed and matched to give a varied, more colorful look. Beware of round stones, as they tend to roll away
from high spots. Good driveway stones should be angular so that they will stay put. Smaller stones may work
their way through larger ones and into the bedding soil below. Whatever stone you choose, be prepared to
restone every year or so to maintain the surface. Stone gives excellent drainage and a beautiful look for the
home. Think twice before building a white gravel drive, however, because a stone driveway is virtually
impossible to clean.

Driveway pavers
Interlocking pavers are smart and elegant. They are manufactured to withstand weight and weather. They
are laid in bedding sand just as flagstone, cobblestone, and brick, but they interlock to provide a perfect,
stable fit. Stamped concrete pavers however provides a much more durable driveway, no cracks for weeds
to push through and zero maintainence. They come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, textures, and
designs. With pavers homeowners can create a rustic or period look quite easily. Pavers are wonderful for
intricate designs and difficult applications. They are easy to maintain and, like other applications that give
onto a bedding layer, provide excellent drainage for your driveway.

The truly lyrical driveway in our mind's eye is still the dirt drive with the grass between the tracks. This type of
driveway is especially well suited to a rustic or country home. The key to this look is to maintain the grass
between the tracks and along the sides of the drive. Provide good drainage to the sides of the tracks as well
since compressed earth may encourage pooling. Another option for the two-track drive, is to lay strips of
concrete where the tire tracks lay, while maintaining the grass and plantings between and to the sides of the
tracks.

Stone and brick concrete stamped driveways
Have fun with your driveway and allow it to develop a style of its own. Mixing stamped concrete stones
together, stones and concrete, concrete and stamped pavers is a great way to achieve the look you want.
Entryways might require concrete. A basketball area could be surfaced in smooth concrete while the rest of
the drive is done in decorative pavers or brick. Whatever your choice, before deciding to lay down a
driveway, look at the possibilities. Your driveway is, after all, the first glimpse of your personality that visitors
will see.

Custom decorative concrete
Driveways pools or concrete patios for all South east Texas including Houston, Katy, Spring, humble, spring
branch, Sugarland, Bellaire, the woodlands, Bunkerhill, katy, Huffman, Atascocita, lake houston, kingwood,
friendswood, pearland, fresno, stafford, manvil, alvin, richmond, meyerland, montrose, heights, rosenburg,
memorial, clearlake, Webster, Kema, Seabrook, missouri city, bunkerhill village, piney point village, spring
valley, jersey village, south houston, north houston, jacinto city, cypress, bellaire and surrounding areas with
a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures to choose from!...

Colors and patterns
Stamped concrete is often chosen to blend with other stone or tile elements at the residence. Complex
designs incorporating steps, courtyards, and fountains can be achieved. Stamped concrete can also be
blended with other decorative concrete elements such as exposed aggregate finishes and acid-etch staining.
It wasn’t long ago when deciding on a driveway material was easy: asphalt or concrete. Today, the concrete
choice has expanded to include a multitude of decorative concrete options.

While plain gray concrete is still the most often installed, but We at Concreteforever.com believe that this
ancient art compliments real estate property and enhances the beauty...click on the link below that says:"
Houston Custom Masonry Pools, decks and Patios" to read more about this ancient art and painstaking step
by step process:


Don’t feel left out if you already have a driveway. The concrete industry has rapidly developed many
decorative products that can be applied to existing plain gray driveways and transform them into stunning
show piece entry ways for your home. Please click on the below links for an in depth comprehensive review




Texas Service Areas:
Katy, Houston, North Houston, South Houston, East Houston, West Houston, Northwest Houston, Southwest
Houston, Bunker hill, Bellaire, Missouri City, Sienna Plantation, Tomball, Lake Houston, Woodlands, The
Woodlands, Kingwood, Cypress, Jersey Village, Beaumont, Spring, Conroe, Huntsville, Pasadena, Bryan,
Humble, College Station, Galveston, Katy, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Port Arthur, Sugar Land, Tennessee
Colony, Baytown, Magnolia, Orange, Palestine, Pearland, Texas City, Alvin, Bay City, Angleton, Brenham,
Cleveland, Freeport , Montrose, Webster, Clear Lake and Baytown


ConcreteForever.com



ConcreteForever.com
ConcreteForever.com
Free Virtual Driveway Design Tool
Cost Considerations of Stamped Concrete

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Engineering a
Concrete
Driveway or
Patio

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