Thread: imprinted concrete

I have a resin bound drive and pathway.
It has to be laid on a solid base and the best is over tarmac but not necessary.
The base has to have no movement at all and you need an edge to but up to otherwise it can break up there.
Two guys laid mine while one did the mixing,they both troubled it flat and must say they did a great job with all passers by admiring it.
When dry it shines but after a while goes dull.
Weeds do grow,but that is from seeds blown onto it and growing in the gaps.
It is very strong but wont take a car Jack you can lay a board for that.

I have seen some amazing imprinted concrete jobs. Trouble is, you don't know how long it's been down for. At the end of the day though, it's just concrete, so it cracking would always be down to bad prep, in appropriate relief cuts and basically shoddy work.
The process is sound. Just need reliable chaps

I have a resin bound driveway and am very pleased with it.

It's been down about 4 years and is still looking good (unlike the sandstone slabs I got laid in the back garden).

When getting quotes for it, make sure it is resin bound and not resin bonded, as the latter is less durable than the former. Also make sure whoever lays it are well experienced, as it'd be pretty easy to make the finish look crap if they don't know what they're doing.

The guys who did ours laid down MOT type 1 then tarmac and then the resin bound stones, with block edges. It's great as no weeds grow in it (a little moss in places) it's permeable so even with heavy rain it soaks straight through and is low to no maintenance.



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Mr Grumpy's take on driveways - may be of use...

Resin:
I can definitely see the attraction of resin drives and paths as they allow a very "sharp" and "high end" looking finish.
Being an eternal "glass half empty" soul, despite my best attempts to "lighten up", I am worried about the logevity of these products.
The fact that the resin high gloss finish relatively quickly fades even without mechanical wear suggests to me that like all polymers, even stabilised ones, it is slowly degrading due to UV and gradually oxidising.
All drive finishes weather and degrade. However, concrete blocks don't tend to become weaker and more brittle during a normal lifetime.
I have also seen numerous resin drives with cracks forming. To me this is not actually a reflection on the principle, but as has been mentioned, the unforgiving nature of the process. It requires excellent ground preparation using the right quantity and quality of substrate. Then the top surface itself needs to be of the right quality, the right mix and laid by people who know what they are doing. Given the explosion of companies offering the process that's a lot of variables and risk - as all will look stunning on day one. It's day 365 and onwards that worries me.
With increasing cost pressures the incentive to cut corners is huge and easily hidden. Even the resin manufacturers might not be immune.
There. Who said I'm not Mr Sunshine?

Imprinted concrete:
Every "printcrete" drive I have seen that is more than a few years old has been cracked.
Now I'm sure that using the right preparation, the right mix, keeping each section small enough for expansion and adding reinforcement could prevent most of this, but....

Block paving:
Common. Everyone's got it. We've got it.
I've even relaid it (the "professionals who first laid it didn't do it right).
I've dug it up to lay cables for outside lights.
And you simply can't tell because it's so forgiving.
I even made the drive larger to add a caravan space. By lifting, mixing the old and new blocks and relaying there is now way to tell it has changed.