Application to cover concrete driveway
 

I would like to know what is your preferred application to cover your concrete driveway and walkway to your front door. We are finally ready to have this done but I'm not sure which product is the best way to go.

My top choice is stamped concrete. What is your experience with this product if this is the application you chose to cover your driveway and walkway? My main concern.....is stamped concrete slippery when wet, especially with certain foot wear. Is it slippery when wet when barefoot? I'm hoping it is not porous and is easy to clean. That is another concern with this application.

Pavers are also a consideration and my second choice. I am concerned about how porous they are. Do pavers stain easily and how easy or difficult is it to keep pavers clean?

I'm prepared to keep up with maintenance of which ever application we choose. I fully expect all applications will require some upkeep to maintain a nice appearance.

I welcome any feedback for other applications besides my top two that I mentioned.

Thank you for your input.

Driveway
 

We used Go concrete and really like it. It's not slippery when wet. They provided some addresses so we could see "real work" and even ones that were in process. Hope that helps.

I believe this is the company that did a driveway on my block not too long ago. The job is really nice. Did you have concrete overlay done over your existing concrete driveway?

Yes they do. In my opinion, Go Concrete does a great job and the driveway looks great....much better than just a painted driveway.

Also, I have recently seen a great looking and not slippery driveway done by "Concrete Texture and Design" from Fruitland Park. It is a husband and wife team. Their number is 352-636-0274. That driveway was simply amazing.

Those are about the only two options I would consider.

While many like pavers, they are not without their problems. I have seen many very expensive paver driveways that were not done well and have resulted in drainage problems, etc.

Hope that helps!

Frank

My preferred method is to just leave the bare concrete alone. I recently viewed a house for sale that had several sections of stamped concrete that had separated from the concrete underneath and needed to be repaired. I have also seen paved driveways with many cracks in the pavers.

We had pavers laid immediately we purchased, I love ours but I would not recommend them. Our driveway and walk looks great, but pavers do crack and it is almost impossible to find someone who wants to work on them. In our case my other half does our pavers every year or sometimes more often when needed. Our pavers have not stained, but you have to maintain them regularly.

I would add that as a "walker" I see many driveways that are decorated with the owner's choice - i.e. team emblems, animals, pictures. This is fine while you own the house, but not so good when you come to sell the property! IMHO if you intend to decorate the driveway, make it a generic decoration.

In 2011 Stone Creations did all the concrete at our house, including the lanai, using stamped overlay. Prior to our decision friends had them do their driveway and it turned out to be slippery when wet, resulting in a couple broken ribs. So they called the contractor back to reapply the sealer with more grit. When they did ours, my husband made sure they used enough grit to make it nonskid. Three years later the concrete overlay was intact but the color and sealer had deteriorated. By that time Stone Creations' reputation had plummeted, as the resealing work they were doing on existing jobs was pitiful. So we hired Go Concrete to recolor and reseal in 2014.

The stamped overlay is still intact on all the surfaces. But on the driveway, which is exposed to the afternoon sun, the color again has faded and needs to be reapplied and resealed. The lanai, being mostly in the shade, has never had to be recolored. Apparently, no matter what treatment is applied to concrete it needs resealing from time to time and reapplying the color is not complicated.

Sometime after resealing, there was a crack in the concrete "gutter" on the street and it took out a small chunk of the driveway. Go Concrete came and repaired it very reasonably. We were very happy with them.

All in all, we are satisfied with the stamped overlay and would do it again.

Do you have the thin pavers? I have seen many thin pavers with cracks. For driveways, thick pavers are a better choice. We have thick pavers and have no issues.

Yes
 

We had a painted driveway, but it faded quickly, which is why we went with the overlay. They need to remove the old paint and then put the new on. They used grinders but had "vacums" to pull up the dust.

I've seen 3 homes with Chattahoochee river rock over top of the cement. Looks fabulous and very durable, just about maintenance free.

I have had all except for pavers. I now have the liquid concrete. The best ever. Never shows tire marks and lasts for years.

How would you define "Liquid Concrete"?

Choice concrete did my pool deck and it looks beautiful. Solved the small cracks problem with the stamped concrete. Much more reasonable than pavers.

Add water to cement and wallah, you have liquid concrete, a semi-liquid slurry.

Yes thin, at the time we had ours done they were only making the thin pavers, within a year or so they were producing thick pavers. My neighbor has the thick pavers and nothing has ever needed to be done with them and they look very elegant.