Property Ladder: Question about tonight's prog (Ch4)
 

Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Thanks,
Crag

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On 03 May 2005 20:37:04 GMT, Crag
gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:

Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Thanks,
Crag
Imprinted concrete..?

"Crag" gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote in message
...
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Several companies offer it, although I don't recall the trade name. You will
probably find one has done a demonstration area at a local garden centre. It
looks better from a distance than close up.

Colin Bignell

Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.
Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Not seen the show, but...

I bought something that sounds similar from Wickes (?) a few years ago -
you lay a thin base of concrete, then plonk the (roughly) 800m*800m
wobbly shaped "stone-effect" mould on, fill in the gaps, tamp the
concrete down, and remove.

The shaped concrete stays pretty much in the shape of the mould, and the
mould is designed to tesselate so you get some variation on pattern for
larger areas.

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On Tue, 3 May 2005 23:19:39 +0100, "nightjar"
wrote:


"Crag" gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote in message
...
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Several companies offer it, although I don't recall the trade name. You will
probably find one has done a demonstration area at a local garden centre. It
looks better from a distance than close up.

Colin Bignell


Like moaning about the costs adding up, well half a dozen blokes
swarming over a bit of concrete don't come cheap? :-)

£2000.00 for a drive...

Mark S.

Huge wrote:
Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk writes:

Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called ...


Crap, mainly.


All drive finishes have problems, one problem with concrete is visual,
that can be overcome, to some extent by moulds. The other problem is
having laid a large slab of concrete eventual settlement results in it
cracking. No way to stop that, it even happens to reinforced runways,
or the concrete motorways they "experimented" with, like the M6 just
South of Stafford.

Crag wrote:
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

This is OK *BUT*:

If you're using cement dye, it must be incorporated into the mix, not
be just a surface coating, else it *will* wear and look scabby;

If you need to dig up the drive to get at anything, it can be awkward.

Broadback wrote:
Crag gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk writes:

Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used
what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called ...

All drive finishes have problems, one problem with concrete is
visual,
that can be overcome, to some extent by moulds. The other problem is

having laid a large slab of concrete eventual settlement results in
it
cracking. No way to stop that, it even happens to reinforced
runways,
or the concrete motorways they "experimented" with, like the M6 just
South of Stafford.


I wonder if with these moulded patterns, the cracks would tend to occur
in the dips, where the crete is thinner and the cracks very much less
visible?

NT

Broadback wrote:
The other problem is
having laid a large slab of concrete eventual settlement results in it
cracking. No way to stop that, it even happens to reinforced runways,
or the concrete motorways they "experimented" with, like the M6 just
South of Stafford.

My mothers house which we sold last year,has a single slab of concrete
laid in 1963 IIRC, that is uncracked and unblemished, except for one
corner where a 30 tonner ran over it.

Concrete if properly laid does NOT crack and settle. This was 5" of
concrete laid by hand on about 4" of smacked down hardcore, and I
remember the builder watering it for three days after he had laid it to
'keep it setting right'

Concrete is one of teh most practical surfaces for anything but the
heaviest vehicles, and its not that expensive. Its just unbvelievebly UGLY.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Concrete is one of teh most practical surfaces for anything but the
heaviest vehicles, and its not that expensive. Its just unbvelievebly UGLY.

"Exposed aggregate finish". HTH.

Crag wrote:
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Imprinted concrete.

If you look on C4's Property Ladder microsite, they normally give you
the contact details for all suppliers used in the programme (might not
do in this case as it was a repeat).

David

In article , Crag
writes
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used what
looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Thanks,
Crag

It called pattern imprinted concrete, the concrete mix should include
polypropylene fibres which prevent cracking, a coloured dry shake is
sprinkled onto the wet surface of the concrete and then the mats are
pressed down onto the surface which gives the pattern, the mats are
coated with a stearate release agent, the surface is then sealed with a
low solids sealer, when done properly it looks great (albeit a little
false) but when its done badly... PIC has had a bad press in the last
few years because of cowboy franchise operations, it is a diyable thing
but the sets of mats are expensive to buy (2-300squids) you may be able
to hire them.
--
David

In article , Chris Bacon
writes
Crag wrote:
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used
what looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

This is OK *BUT*:

If you're using cement dye, it must be incorporated into the mix, not
be just a surface coating, else it *will* wear and look scabby;

Its not just a dye though, its a blend of pigment, cement and aggregate
that gives you a hard wearing surface

If you need to dig up the drive to get at anything, it can be awkward.

--
David

On Wed, 04 May 2005 22:51:57 GMT David
wrote in :

In article , Crag
writes
Lady from Macclesfield had a new concrete drive laid, but they used
what looked like big rubber moulds on it to make it look like paving.

Any idea what it is called and how to go about it?

Thanks,
Crag

It called pattern imprinted concrete, the concrete mix should include
polypropylene fibres which prevent cracking, a coloured dry shake is
sprinkled onto the wet surface of the concrete and then the mats are
pressed down onto the surface which gives the pattern, the mats are
coated with a stearate release agent, the surface is then sealed with
a low solids sealer, when done properly it looks great (albeit a
little false) but when its done badly... PIC has had a bad press in
the last few years because of cowboy franchise operations, it is a
diyable thing but the sets of mats are expensive to buy (2-300squids)
you may be able to hire them.


Excellent. Thanks all.

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