Thread: Driveway surface

Well I had a great long reply and it got lost when a message came up saying server too busy Try once more.

The way I would approach it:

Start with first pour in the middle of the driveway. Add to both ends of this so you can prepare two areas during the week and pour them both on the weekend either a few hours each morning or both on same day.

Ensure you have 10mm ableflex between each pour to allow for thermal expansion.

Use plastic under each slab - it gives you more working time with the concrete and helps with strength gain and makes concrete a lot easier to place. Plastic come in 100m rolls.

Your dad should be good for helping with levelling the concrete as you screed it out. Put him on the square end shovel and if you ensure the concrete sits about 20mm up the leading face of the screed you will find concrete placement a breeze. Slab 3m wide - screed 4m long.

Broom finish across the slab - might seem obvious - but it is both easier as this is only 3m direction but also as it will assist with vehicle traction on driveway.

When reo is delivered get them to drop it off in a few locations - no one wants to carry a sheet of mesh 100m.

Get edge formwork such that it is long enough to fit the mesh without the mesh needing trimming - eg if mesh 6m long then edgeboard 6.1m long minimum. Use 90 x 60mm laminated formwork edgeboards as they are rigid and will need minimal fixing and will hold shape and not bulge

You may already know most of this - but someone else reading may learn something new. Or may disagree and teach me something new.

Originally Posted by silentC

My wife is going to hate you and she'll take it out on you when we come up to Brissy too.

How thick do ya reckon? The concretor says 100mm.

Just ran it by the missus and she actually thinks it's a good idea. Scarey...

Silent sounds as though you are going to be a very busy boy!
I would have serious second thoughts about getting any sort of roadbase in. My missus uncle has a property with a drive i would say sounds on par maybe even a little longer than yours and he got a bunch of contractors in were there for 4 days rolling and compacting it stood up quite well for about 2 years the problem was when it rained, and we have not had a great deal of that is the contractors did not put any grates across the drive let alone rubble trenches so the water had somewhere to go... If you can go concrete that would be the way to go but Teejay is that really the price of concrete? sounds awfully cheap to me and oh yeah dont forget the reo

Come on Silent Concreting is not that bad I would rather dig a trench or concrete than paint anyday

You do realise Silent you wont save any money because your wife has already got what you will save spent on something and thats probably why she thinks it is a good idea.

PS silent duck whilst your at the hardware store next check out the ranges of stencils and oxide colours go the hole hog it is easy throw the stencil on while the crete is wet roll it in with a sponge roller on extendable handle and throw the oxide in pull the stencil up later on in the arvo and blow off excess with leaf blower

Originally Posted by silentC

How thick do ya reckon? The concretor says 100mm.

Just ran it by the missus and she actually thinks it's a good idea. Scarey...

If you are using reo then 90 mm (same as forming boards) should be plenty adequate. It really depends on what you are going to drive on it and what the substrate underneath is. We commonly pour 75mm with no reo here in Perth for domestic driveways but we have nice hollow sand as a substrate that does not expand or contract.

If you have the drive graded dead level so that 90mm is consistent so you don't have hollows that are 130mm and rises that are only 60mm, use reo, expansion foam between the pours and put line joints in the panels to allow for further movement you should have a pretty solid driveway.

Originally Posted by patty

PS silent duck whilst your at the hardware store next check out the ranges of stencils and oxide colours go the hole hog it is easy throw the stencil on while the crete is wet roll it in with a sponge roller on extendable handle and throw the oxide in pull the stencil up later on in the arvo and blow off excess with leaf blower

Not my taste but is popular with some - problem is oxides fade and wash out over time.

Another option is exposed agg is easy too, spray a sugar solution over the concrete once you have screeded off (stops the concrete going off) then high pressure the surface off after an hour or so (depends on weather) no need to broom off as it gives a rough non slip surface. Depending on the rock source the concrete company uses this can look very good. It is all the rage here at the moment and you order the concrete pre-coloured and with certain stone colouring to suit your taste. Alternatively you seed the surface with a rock colour or type you like by tossing the rock onto the surrface of the concrete once it is screeded level and then trowel it in. Once you wash the fines off the surface all the seeded rock becomes exposed. Interestingly this was very popular in the 1960 and 70's and has made a big comeback. On residential jobs we seal the concrete to enhance the colour of the rock as it gives it that permanent wet look.

Originally Posted by silentC

How thick do ya reckon? The concretor says 100mm.

That's what I would use

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'll stick with the broom finish if I go that way, I don't need to make it any more work than it already is. Did I mention I hate concreting?

Everything TeeJay says is true and good!

EXCEPT the bit about doing it yourself.

Now that you are emotionally committed to concrete, lie down for a bit, and think about how sore you back will be.... it's a 100 metre long driveway for crying out loud!!

Think of how long it will take to finish Rory's cupboard in between physio sessions. THINK MAN, THINK!!

And if you think about it, you're already committed to spending $9k, so it's gone, poof!, out of the equation. All you have to do is save 8, and you can have a chap do it!

Crickey, you could easily spend that on xrays!

P

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

All you have to do is save 8, and you can have a chap do it!

Wouldn't it be better to get a bloke to do it? A chap would keep taking breaks for a gin and tonic and as for the endless whinging about getting his trousers dirty.......!

All you have to do is save 8

Oh, that's all I have to do? You make it sound so easy!

I look at it this way - my back is already stuffed, so I might as well get what use out of it I can before the vertebraes fuse and I can no longer bend over. And what better way than to spend the next month of Sundays stretched out over a trowel?

Besides, I've got the old bloke to do the heavy lifting (see I already have a chap of sorts. A bit battered and worse for wear but he does alright for an old fella).

And did I mention we need a new washing machine, about another 40 square metres of concreting done around the place, the house painted, a roller door on the storage room, a deck built out the front, ...

You get the point

My drive is about 70 meters in length and was finished in hot mix. The house was about 13 years old when we bought it 5 years ago so its been in use for 18 years. Its edged in bricks, cemented in at right angle to the drive. Looks good and will last a lot of years yet. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a drive, It gets pretty heavy use with four vehicles and has stood up really well.
Had a concrete drive in Sydney before we moved up here and even though it was reinforced and 100mm thick, it still cracked after a while and looked unsightly. Best drive I had was also in Sydney, concreted and then paved but was only a short drive so wasn't too costly.Wouldn't be practical over the distance you are talking about.
I'm like you Silent, hate concreting and have never been real happy with my results.
Over such a long drive you need to get it right otherwise it will look awful.If you decide to go that route though, get a quote for the bigger loads, mini skip is the dearest way to buy it and the difference in price is quite significant.