Benefits of an Exposed Aggregate Driveway
Concrete is excellent for driveways since it's strong enough to support vehicles and withstand wear and tear. However, you may prefer something more ornamental than a grey slab. Instead, you could consider exposed aggregate, which offers numerous benefits.
Picturesque
Exposed aggregate provides an appealing driveway. It's filled with various coloured pebbles and crushed stones that you can mix to create different designs. For example, combine black, blue, and cream rocks. You could, alternatively, use reds, yellows, and browns to create a warmer look. Contractors can also add pigments to the cement mix in which the stones are embedded. Thus, you're in charge of the driveway's colour as you can pick the pigments and aggregates. You can echo surrounding colours, such as those on the outside walls of your home and in the garden.
Texture
If you have a sloping or steep driveway, it must have good traction to not be slippery. Exposed aggregate helps to provide a good grip with its textured surface. You can customise the texture by selecting specific sizes and shapes of aggregates. For example, pick rounded river pebbles, which will produce a smoother surface than angular crushed stones. You can also control how much the aggregates protrude. Contractors can wash away more or less cement to make the surface bumpier or more even. They can also apply a sealant that has a non-slip additive to improve the driveway's safety.
Low-maintenance and Long-Lasting
Exposed aggregate pavements are long-lasting and low-maintenance. All the driveway will need is a sealer applied every couple of years or as advised by your concrete contractor. A sealant forms a non-porous surface that makes paving less permeable. This barrier will help prevent the driveway from becoming stained from dirt or oil spills. A sealant can also bring out the lustre of stones and pebbles.
Attractive Design Options
The advantage of exposed aggregate concrete is that it presents a natural appearance, consisting of organic stones and pebbles. As well, this versatile paving can harmonise with other decorative concrete. For example, you might construct a stamped border of faux-slate tiles and fill the middle part of the driveway with exposed aggregate's colourful stones and pebbles. This paving is ideal for a front driveway that needs to harmonise with plants and trees. You can even create the appearance of a gravel driveway by adding extra aggregates so that barely any cement is visible between the stones. However, an exposed aggregate faux-gravel driveway will be more stable than an actual gravel surface.