Concrete driveways in Hertfordshire
Majestic Tree Care LTD lays concrete driveways, patios and paths in Hertfordshire. We also pour concrete bases for sheds, garages and similar structures.
Laid correctly, concrete is the hardest and most durable driveway surface. It is a reinforced slab over a compacted stone base, and it gives 20-30 years.
Types of concrete driveway
Standard concrete
Standard concrete is finished tamped, brushed or floated smooth. It is the same concrete, finished differently. A popular choice is a bull nose edge around the outside with a brushed finish in between, run in one direction.
Imprinted concrete
Imprinted concrete, also called stamped or patterned concrete, has colour and a pattern pressed into the top layer. Effects include cobble and imitation sandstone. London Cobble, European Fan and Ashlar Slate are popular patterns, and you see samples before work starts.
Imprinted concrete is a separate skill from laying standard concrete. Ask to see work from two or three years ago, not last week.
Exposed aggregate concrete
Here the stone is mixed into the concrete. As it cures, the top layer is gently hosed off to expose the stone underneath. A coarser stone gives a textured finish and a finer stone gives a finer one.
Build-up, joints and drainage
The build-up is a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base, 100-150mm deep, then a slab of around 100mm. Steel mesh or rebar goes in for extra support.
We plan expansion joints into the shuttering before the pour. The working rule is around 3 metres. A drive 3.5m wide can run without a joint across it, and a 6m wide drive needs one around the middle.
Concrete is impermeable, unlike resin bound, so all water must be handled on the surface. We set falls to run water into channel drains. Levels must be right first time, because once poured there is no second chance.
C25/30 is the minimum grade for a domestic drive. C30/37 is the common choice.
Timescales and use
An average concrete driveway takes 2 days of work, and roughly 3 days on site including striking the shuttering. You can walk on it after 24-48 hours. Quote 7 days before driving a car on it. Heavy vehicles wait 28 days.
We do not pour concrete in freezing temperatures. +5C is the practical minimum. Imprinted concrete cannot be sealed in rain, so sealing waits for dry weather.
Maintenance and repairs
Concrete is low maintenance and can be pressure washed to remove algae and moss staining.
Unlike block paving, a concrete repair always reads as a patch. The section is cut out, the edges kept clean and new concrete poured in and floated level.
Imprinted concrete on a slope gets very slippy, especially in winter and with a gloss sealer. We tell you about that at quotation stage, before you choose the finish. The colour also fades over time, and a UV sealer slows it.
A new concrete drive onto the road usually needs a dropped kerb as well. Our driveway services page lists every surface we lay.
For a concrete driveway in Hertfordshire, call us on 07427 673599.
