Tips For Maintaining Your Pattern Imprinted Concrete

The popularity of pattern imprinted concrete has risen dramatically in recent years, largely thanks to its flexibility as a surface material. It can be perfectly suitable for both commercial surfacing and residential surfacing, catering to either a modern, traditional or more contemporary design aesthetic. When installed by reputable surfacing specialists, imprinted concrete can be very long lasting, and the surface type has the added bonus of being very low maintenance. Speaking of maintenance, the last thing you want after spending your hard-earned cash on your great looking imprinted concrete surface, is for it to start cracking and degrading. Even though the surface has a long lifespan, problems can still occur if it isn’t looked after. With this in mind, here are some simple maintenance tips to keep your pattern imprinted concrete in pristine condition.

Make sure it’s sealed properly at the start

Sealing occurs at the final stages of installing a pattern imprinted concrete surface, and is essentially the most important part of the process. It not only protects the colour of the concrete but sealing also helps to preserve the entire structural integrity of the surface. An experienced surfacing expert should always use a sealant suitable for the specific surface you’ve got. A reputable contractor should always consider crack control joints before work starts. This is especially important around certain weak points, for example when the driveway has to go around a drain or manhole. It won’t make any sense to have to break and re-patch the surface whenever there’s a problem with any underground services, like gas pipes. Properly positioned and cut crack control joints, will help to greatly minimise any cracking and other structural problems.

Re-seal the surface at regular intervals

The first sealing coat is of course very important, but it isn’t enough to maintain your pattern imprinted concrete indefinitely. Re-sealing your driveway is an integral part of the maintenance process, and it needs to be done at regular intervals, which means roughly every 3 to 5 years. What’s best for you will depend on a number of aspects of the installation. There are various maintenance benefits that come with the regular re-sealing if your pattern imprinted concrete surface, such as being able to stop any unwanted plant growth. Imprinted concrete doesn’t suffer nearly as much as other types of driveway surfaces in terms of plant growth, thanks to there being no natural joints present. However, there’s still a small chance for things like moss to grow into pores and for other plants to creep through weak points, leading to cracks. Re-sealing regularly will help to avoid any potentially damaging issues such as these.

Keep corrosive substances away from the concrete

Another important aspect of maintaining your pattern imprinted concrete is to avoid any prolonged exposure to corrosive substances. Your driveway is actually highly likely to come into contact with many substances that could cause damage to its surface over time. Substances such as oil, chemical de-icers and cleaners, along with grit and salt are quite commonly found on or close to many driveways. It’s best to always be aware of any damaging substances and chemicals that could effect your imprinted concrete, and take the necessary steps to keep them away from the surface of your driveway. Using sand to provide traction during the winter months is advisable, and be sure to quickly wash away any potentially harmful spills. If you’re looking to enhance your property’s appearance with pattern imprinted concrete, our highly experienced staff at Premier Surfacing are ready and waiting to provide you with this easily installed, weed free and low maintenance surface option. For more information, or for a free quotation please contact us today on 01952840838.