Painted driveway questions
 

I'm curious to know more about painted driveways. I like the look but is it purely for aesthetic reasons folks have it done or are there other reasons to do it? What upkeep is required? How much do they typically charge to paint a driveway?

Painted driveways need periodic sealing and then seem to eventually fade anyway. I suggest you drive through the 7 - 12 year old neighborhoods to see what happens if not carefully maintained; or how most of them fade anyway (especially certain colors), how yesterday's hot trendy fad designs have become tacky and out of date, how the wrong color or bold pattern detracts from the house, etc. Above all, keep in mind an eventual resale, probably no one wants your initials, or the cute painting of your dogs, etc. so keep your design simple and tasteful..
Before you paint, think long and plan carefully. A lot can go wrong fast.
Cost is by the square foot so final price depends on the length and width of the drive and how fancy you get.
Research your potential painter. It seems to me that most of the driveway painters of a few years ago are no longer around; probably for good reasons! I suggest getting "4 to 6 year ago" references to see how their work and the material they apply really holds up!
Sprayed colored textured concrete seems to be the in thing today. Pretty expensive but so far it seems to hold color better than paint - with the proper annual sealing.
Pavers is also hot. But, The Villages paver applications are really only laying thin veneer bricks on a hard concrete base. All kinds of problems with that application. Real pavers are 4 to 6 inches thick and are laid in a soft bedding of sand or true-pack material for proper load dispersal, drainage and stabilization.

I agree about some do detract from the home. Go to the villages preowned web site and look at the pictures many drives to look at and wonder what were they thinking:confused:

slippery when wet
 

My 85 YO father slipped 2 times after a rain. I have spun tires backing in the garage during a rain.:22yikes:

Driveway applications are done usually for appearance reasons since the concrete used in these Florida driveways easily discolors and stains from almost everything; water leaves a rusty stain look, especially when the eaves drain onto the driveway, tires leave a black appearance, iron fertilizer leaves rust spots, etc. I tried the pavers in my first home and they are nice but problems often occur with edge pieces coming loose, cracks, etc. In my current home, I opted for the decorative concrete coating driveway which is absolutely beautiful and is sealed for lasting durability. All driveways must be sealed whether you opt for paint, pavers or coatings, but the concrete coatings lasts for a lifetime if properly sealed every 2-3 years ($100 max) and is far superior in appearance in my opinion and experience. Ram Custom Design did my driveway.

Textured driveway paintin
 

Hello. We would like to have our driveway painted to cover stains that seem impossible to remove. We like the textured look and don't want a slippery material. Does anyone have any suggestions for contractors and the approx. price? Thanks so much.

We had several quotes on painting our driveway and ended up going with the most expensive, since they were by far the best, and had great references over several years. I knocked on doors whenever i found a design i loved and they were always designed by the same company. Ram Custom Design is in a class by themselves and Carlos is a true artist.He also provides a maintenance program to keep your driveway looking as good as new, years down the road.There are sooooooooooo many scam artist trying to get their foothold in TV, it's nice to deal with a company that is customer service based, still has an adherence to a code of values, and has pride in their workmanship .Just remember if the deal sounds too good to be true............IT IS !!!!!

I agree with you. But I must be the other only person in TV who thinks this way.


I have seen only two or three driveways I truly, TRULY loved.

And...you don't have to have them done. Nothing bad is gonna happen to your driveway.

driveway
 

You will love the liquid concrete work application done by Florida Deck. I would never paint again.

Thank you for the suggestions, I will call both Ram Custom Design and Florida Deck to get some ideas and quotes.

I had my driveway painted at our first retirement home. We sold it and moved to The Villages. Maybe there is something new but I can tell you that the "old" way it was done (even sealing it every year or two) it faded out. This hot Florida sun will fade most anything and everything after a few years. Your roof that may be 25 year shingles will last about half that----if your lucky. Personally, I pass on a decorative driveway. Anything under roof where it doesn't get the direct sun is okay if that is your preference.

Pavers
 

Has anyone had bad luck with the pavers on driveways? They sure look great and seem like they would wear well. I'd love to have your comments as I am preparing to have that done to my driveway.

Never could understand this painting of the driveway.

Click on the link 'garage floors' in post above to see WHY we did ours.

Fred or Hank told me not expect to seal for about 7 years. They explained why (stain they use, blah, blah), but I was not paying too close of attention .

I check it every year. Two plus years old and looks like the day it was done to my eye. I have also seen driveways almost 4 years old that look the same.

Personal preference, I'd say. Kinda like why some people like certain cars and others don't, for example.

Bill :)

ainted driveways
 

I have never known anyone that was satisfied with driveway paint after a few years. Gas, oil and many other chemicals that drip from autos will destroy the finish.

I strongly recomment the liquid concrete application that I presently have on my driveway. Nothing mars the surface. I would strongly if the liquid concrete is chosen, you choose Florida Deck to apply the coating.
352-348-21150 or 352-561-0612

And I agree too. So there are three of us. I'm going to have pressure washing only, as needed.

We had our current driveway painted 5 years ago and it still looks as good as the day it was done. I have not seen another driveway that I like better. All tire tracks, dirt etc. just wash right off with the hose, no scrubbing. We haven't had to reseal it yet and it hasn't faded. The fellow that did it was "Larry," an independent contractor. He is out of business now due to bad health and aging, but we had him do the driveway at our first house and it still looks good, too. Must just be the good work that "Larry" did.

Please try to show us a picture. You scroll down and go to attachments and then find a picture on your computer and then press upload. It used to work for me, but the last time I tried it, I had to download a picture of my bottlebrush plants to my album on here. So I hope you can get it to work because we would love to see a picture.

Beware of Ron Carnes d.b.a Decorative Concrete Patterns
 

Keep away from this contractor. He is not dependable, did not do the job as contracted. He wanted money up front, but did not complete the job to our satisfaction. He oversprayed the paint onto decorative stones, bushes and on the aluminum trim on the lanai. He wanted more money to correct what he did wrong. When we refused, he walked away.
BEWARE!!!! :mad:

driveway paint
 

First "DON"T PAINT YOUR DRIVEWAY" !!!!!!!!!!!! There is a much better product being used, it is called liquid concrete. My first application was paint. I now have the liquid concrete, no comparison. Florida Deck does a fantastic job doing this work.

We just used Amy Newsom to paint our lanai, and I know she paints garages and driveways as well. She's reasonable, does great work and is wonderful to work with. Send me a message and I'll be glad to give you her telephone number

If you want a money pit go ahead and have your drive painted..We spent $7k to have ours done and it looks great as long as you have it maintained annually..Pavers are a better alternative..

Paint or stain on the garage floor which is best. And for the garage is it stain or epoxy. I am concerned about the garage becoming slippery when wet. Any input helpful.

was your driveway painted- and what did you have done to your garage was it stain or epoxy paint

can you please supply AMY's phone number- thanks

I agree with Gracie. Plus I think we northerners find the painting or coating of driveways detrimental to the ability of the snow plow to do its job!

just stay away from a guy named Wade, Vanilla Concrete. Ripped us off for $300 and yes we went to the sherriff.

Also, I think we are more used to the "frost heave" design.....
Hubby has to "seal" the blacktop every summer.........

Up here we know that all the labor that might lovingly go into a brick path or walkway is wasted........once winter arrives.....and the sub zero temps set in.

Truthfully, I have never seen such beautiful driveways, whether pavers or painted, in my life......as we did in The Villages. Very attractive.
Something to look forward to.......