How To Maintain Decorative Concrete Driveways

Concrete driveways by itself look dull with its grayish color. Maintenance will become an issue once unsightly cracks will appear in time, especially, if the work is poorly done. With decorative concrete driveways, minimal routine maintenance is all it takes over its lifetime. Both instances though are not really “maintenance-fee” in the true sense and here are some tips in preserving one’s decorative concrete driveway:

=> Choosing the right sealer is the key for any maintenance program. For those who know what they want and envision what they need, the “right” sealer is a balance of aesthetics, performance and budget. For a concrete driveway there are the acrylic sealers, polyurethanes, epoxies and penetrating resins.

=> Acrylic sealers is available in different forms – styrene acrylic which is susceptible to yellowing when exposed to direct sunlight  and the virgin or pure     acrylic resin which lasts longer with no yellowing. Polyurethanes or epoxies costs more and do not allow moisture vapor to move out of the concrete which causes fogging or hazing between the sealer and concrete. As for the penetrative sealers, these are made of specialty resins that penetrate into the concrete to form a barrier to water, oil and other contaminants.

=> Thorough cleaning of the concrete driveway, even decorative ones, has to be done at least once a year.

=> When stained, it is still good practice to remove oil, gasoline, grease and other spills immediately. Sealants do offer some kind of protection but if there is some slight discoloration, pressure washing and certain chemical cleaners will do the job. These generally fall into five categories:

1.pH – neutral cleaners – mild cleaning for unsealed concrete (outside or inside) and interior sealed concrete surface with no imbedded dirt

2.Acid cleaners (low pH) – to remove stains, dirt and contamination soluble in acidic solution

3.Alkaline cleaners (high pH) – also called “concrete degreasers” and often used to remove grease, oil and other hydrocarbon-based stains in concrete

4.Enzymatic cleaners – latest type of concrete cleaners that uses organic chemistry and active enzymes to break down or even digest stains and contamination that are starch-based, hydrocarbon-based and protein-based. Also known as “oxidation cleaners”.

5.Specialty cleaners – from its name, it targets specific types of contamination and may be a combination of two or more of the above type of cleaners. It is hard to find and does not always work under different environment conditions.

=> Use care when plowing or shoveling the driveway and avoid the use of anything metal when cleaning as this might scrape or scratch the surface.

=> Avoid using deicing chemicals which could damage the surface by forcing the thawing and refreezing of moisture. Those that contain ammonium nitrates and ammonium sulphates do more damage as they will attack the concrete chemically. Sodium chloride (rock salt) or calcium chloride are likely to do less damage but are destructive to vegetation and corrodes metal. A safer way is sand for better traction.

=> Avoid having heavy vehicles or large equipment on residential driveways as these are not made or expected to stand up to such load.

=> Periodic sealing remains the best way to protect decorative concrete driveways from moisture penetration, freeze/thaw conditions, color fading, stains, chemical spills, abrasion, etc.

Article Source: http://www.compensationsecrets.co.uk/