Practical advice from a Perth concreting crew with 20+ years on the tools. The stuff we'd tell our own family if they were getting concrete poured.
Decorative concrete has distinct advantages over other pavements. When given the correct care and maintenance, your new or resurfaced concrete will maintain its colour and appeal for years. Your decorative concrete is treated with an acrylic sealer to help produce an attractive surface that resists staining and weather — but the sealer needs periodic refresh to keep doing its job.
If your pavement looks 'faded', patchy or dull when dry but appears OK when wet — it's time to reseal. A simple test to determine if your pavement is due for resealing is to wet it. If the surface darkens and appears more consistent, then resealing may be required. Always reseal with the appropriate sealer to suit your decorative surface, applied only to properly prepared concrete.
Cleaning dirt from concrete is an easy but potentially time-consuming task. The best method is by using a power wash on low setting. Concrete can look faded due to age over time — but if the surface looks perfectly normal when wet, this means a reseal may be required rather than a deep clean.
If you've suffered an oil leak or petrol spill on your driveway or patio, the steps are simple. Small stains: although unsightly they can be removed with hot water, soap, a steel brush and a little elbow grease. Larger stains may require a tougher product — a concrete degreaser. Use protective gear (gloves, goggles, breathing mask) when handling stronger chemicals.
A common issue on driveways and inside the garage — but not difficult to remove. Use a concrete degreaser on the area and allow it to sit. Scrub with a stiff brush, then a power washer should lift the marks. Repeat the degreaser if marks remain. Avoid harsh acids which damage the sealer.
Whitening may occur from time to time due to moisture moving through the slab and depositing salts on the surface. Under normal circumstances it isn't common, but if it does happen, contact your applicator for assistance. A specialist efflorescence cleaner usually fixes it without damaging the decorative finish.
Most cracks are non-structural and best left alone — repairs are often difficult and unsightly. These cracks are unrelated to the decorative surface and are due to the nature of concrete itself. Structural cracking is normally wider than 1.5mm — if you see one of those, it should be assessed by a qualified structural engineer.
Free on-site consultation across Perth and the Mandurah corridor. We'll respond as soon as possible.