How to Create a Stylish & Beautiful Concrete Driveway

Concrete is a popular and enduring driveway choice for many homeowners. It's hard-wearing, weatherproof, and long-lasting. It can also be a little drab and boring for some people. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can dramatically improve the appearance of your concrete driveway.

Exposed aggregate

Aggregate is basically small rocks that are incorporated into the cement when it's being mixed up. Bluestone and gravel are the traditional aggregates used in concrete, but neither of these provide any colour or contrast in a driveway's appearance.

Using a brightly coloured aggregate is a great way to make concrete come alive. You can use coloured rocks and stones, recycled glass pieces, shells, and even broken mirror shards to create a brilliant and sparkling effect in your driveway. Talk to resources like Dromana Concrete Products to learn more about your options.

Concrete paint

Painting your concrete driveway is a dramatic yet cost effective way to create an eye-catching feature. The colour you choose is limited only by your taste and imagination. Make sure you choose a purpose made and all-weather concrete paint that contains the polymers needed for the paint to properly adhere to the concrete's surface.

This type of concrete treatment will require you to repaint it periodically to keep it looking good. However, this has its benefits as it means that you will be able to change the colour if you repaint your house or are bored with the current driveway colour. Concrete paint is also great because it protects your driveway from the rigours of the environment, such as moisture and heat, which will extend the life of the concrete.

Concrete stamps

Concrete stamps are a way of creating the illusion of a more complex, and more expensive, surface on your driveway. You can choose from pavers, stone tiles, mosaic patterns, and more. After the concrete is laid and partially set, the pattern is inlaid into the surface of the concrete using rubber stamps.

While it is possible to do this yourself, it can be a little tricky to get the pattern right if you haven't done it before. You also need to work quickly to get the entire surface stamped before the concrete begins to set further. For these reasons, it's best to use an experienced concrete contractor if you want a uniform and polished end product.

A concrete driveway will probably never be considered a work of art. However, by using one the above techniques you will certainly end up with a more aesthetically pleasing result than if you decided on a plain and boring concrete surface.