Install a Pattern Imprinted Concrete Driveway

1. The driveway, path or patio that is going to have the pattern imprinted concrete applied to must be properly prepared before any concrete can can be poured onto the project. This means excavating the existing surface to an average depth of around 200mm or 8 inch. Digging machines such as mini diggers are used where hand digging would be to time consuming. The old surface material such as tarmac and old concrete and any debris will be removed by the contractors. The waste, dug out material sub base that is taken up from the driveway or patio should be removed from the site the same day if possible to give space and safety to the project.
2. Weedkilling of the whole area will now take place. You can use either a liquid weedkiller for the killing of any weeds or preferbly a ground fabric layer will be added to the area to be concreted. This stops any future weeds from growing up below the surface.
3. The required amount of hardcore stone or MOT stone, dependant upon the sub base and soil that has been excavated, will be spread across the area that is going to have the concrete laid before being compacted with a compavting machine. You should aim to have at least 100mm or 4 inches of stone base laid onto the sub soil base. This will form a level, solid ground base on which to pour the concrete.
4. If you are laying edging stones to the driveway or patio this is when they should be fixed with concrete into place. There are many designs and styles of kerbing that you could use to compiment pattern imprinted concrete but they must be set in place befor you pour the concrete onto the driveway or patio. You dont necessarily have to use edging stone on a concrete driveway but you must use some form of edging to restrain the concrete from spreading during the laying process. In most cases, a strong disposable timber edge can be used to keep the concrete in place while the concrete is setting.
5. Any manhole covers, recessed lids, drainage channels and steps should not also be set in place at the correct levels of the finished concrete.



6. When all the preparation is complete and you are satisfied with the drains,edges and steps the concrete can be laid. A specially produced concrete, with fibre reenforced concrete, will be delivered to site and poured into the driveway or patio working area. The concrete needs to be poured to a minimum depth of 100mm or 8 inch for a domestic driveway and 75mm or 3 inch for a patio or pathway. Unlike paving blocks and paving slabs, where you need a far more substantial preparation, the strength of the pattern imprinted concrete is in the concrete mix itself, not in the sub base underneath the concrete. Block paving and slab paving are prone to sinking if not prepared correctly but this is not the case with Pattern Imprinted Concrete. When the concrete slab sets, the fibres mixed within the concrete will mesh together to give the slab far greater strength when set hard. Once a sealer has been applied, the concrete will be between 20 and 30% harder than a standard concrete paving blocks and flag paving.
7. Once the concrete has been poured the next process is to level and tamp down the concrete. Shovels, and concrete rakes spread the concrete and then the surface is floated smooth. The levels of the concrete are laid in such a way that surface water drains to all gulleys.
8. The next proces is to add the colours to the concrete installation. The main colour of your choice and the release agent, which is usually a darker colour are added to the surface concrete. These two colours will give an authentic, two tone look to the concrete. The colouring agents come in powder form and are spread across the concrete surface by hand or small container. The first colour surface hardener, is used to colour the concrete itself. Once this colour has been spread on the surface of the driveway or patio, the concrete is floated agian which forces the color into the surface of the concrete floor. The imprinting of the concrete surface can now start.
9. Textured mats with your chosen pattern will be used to imprint the pattern into the concrete. The moulded rubber mats lock with each other to ensure a uniform pattern is imprinted across the concrete. Start to imprint the concrete with the rubber mats at an edge or corner of the driveway or patio and work across the concrete surface, stand on the mats as you move across the concrete to avoid stepping on the still damp concrete. This will be imprinting the floor at the same time. Make sure as you lift each printing mat that the pattern is imprinted correctly. If you need you can use a tamper to imprint the pattern into the concrete at a slightly deeper depth by taping the mat slightly with a weighted tamper.
10. When you have completed the printing process, the whole concrete area should be secured overnight with any means possible to avoid anyone walking on the surface of the Pattern Imprinted Concrete.
11. The following day depending on the weather conditions and how well the concrete has set, the completed driveway and surrounding area need to be washed off with detergeants, a release agent remover and a power pressure washer. When the concrete surface has been washed off, you then need to fit crack control joints or better known as expansion joints. These are cut into the surface of concrete. These cuts are one of the most important parts of laying a pattern imprinted concrete. These joints allow the concrete to expand and contract with the air temperature and stop the concrete from cracking at a later date. The joints that are cut should if possible, be cut along the printed pattern that has been imprinted into the concrete so that the joints in the concrete are not as noticeable.
12. The imprinted concrete now needs to be inspected for unwanted marks and blemishes to the surface of the driveway or patio. repair any marks that you are not happy with on the concrete. Also check now to see if the driveway or patio has dried sufficiently, when you are confident that the pattern imprinted concrete has dried sufficiently you are ready to apply a sealant onto the surface of the concrete. Remember that a concrete sealer will need to be applied on a dry day with at least 24 hours of dry weather after the concrete sealer has been applied.
13. Apply the sealer with a bush, roller or sprayer according to the sealer manufactures application instructions to the concrete. Always apply two coats of sealer. Usually with a concrete driveway, the sealer used on a concrete driveway is in most cases, an acrylic sealer. A polyurethane sealer is used on concrete but in 99% of pattern imprinted concrete installations an acrylic sealer is applied to the concrete. A sealer not only protects the surface of the concrete but will bring the concrete driveway or patio to life, enhancing the true colours that were applied earlier  You can add an anti-slip agent to the sealer to give extra grip on the surface of the concrete if you wish. A good quality sealer will give 3-5 years of use, depending on how well the concrete is used.

There you have it . You have now successfully installed a Pattern Imprinted Concrete driveway, path or patio.
Remember. To keep the pattern imprinted concrete protected you will need to reseal the surface of the concrete every few years with a new concrete sealer. This is very important as the sealer not only protects against weeds but stops the colour in the concrete from being worn away.