At Compact surfacing we are committed to providing a quality service and customer care is at the heart of our business from initial survey through to completion.
Our professional surveyors will spend as much time as is needed in advising you to ensure you reach the best decision.... for you.
Once you place your order, a fixed installation date is agreed and the work is carried out in one visit.
Although every Pattern Imprinted Concrete installation is different and techniques employed can vary according to site and ground conditions, the weather on the day (especially temperature and humidity) and the size and design of the job, there are standard procedures which we normally adopt in every installation. This ensures that we maintain the quality and consistency of our work to reduce the chance of any future problems with your driveway and patio.
The following procedures are generally adopted in all of our Pattern Imprinted Concrete installations but if they are not, there is probably a very good reason for your particular installation – speak to the foreman on site if you have any queries.
- Installation of Pattern Imprinted Concrete is dependent on weather conditions but we will keep you advised of any changes in the schedule if your job is affected.
- We aim to keep every site clean and tidy but excavation and the laying of concrete is inherently a dirty and dusty job. We will keep access to your property as clear as possible and we will also clean up after ourselves prior to leaving – that includes neighbouring properties and the pavement and road if affected.
- The ground works will be prepared and the stone sub-base compacted to the correct tolerance to create a firm base for the concrete, in order to reduce the chance of the concrete cracking.
- All concrete is delivered to the site ready mixed, by an accredited QSRMC supplier to maintain quality. It has at least 320 kg of cement per cubic metre (with up to 400 kg in winter), is fibre reinforced, has an air entraining agent and is laid at least 100 mm thick – this recommended specification ensures durability and resistance to frost. Large installations and commercial sites may have more than 100 mm of concrete installed.
- The colour surface hardener, antique release agent, sealants and other consumable products are among the best available on the market, to ensure a quality appearance and durable finish. Colour surface hardener is applied liberally in order to provide a consistent colour and a hard wearing surface – high use areas may have extra hardener applied if required.
- Release agent powder is left on the new surface for a few days to help the concrete to cure and so be more durable. It is cleaned off with a proprietary wash solution to reveal the intended colour of the imprinted concrete, with an antique effect creating the desired appearance. However, because every installation is different, there may be slight colour differences between your finished surface and samples and photographs used to reach your decision – at least we're honest!
- The new driveway or patio is washed again with a mild acid solution prior to being sealed with an acrylic solvent based sealer – not water based. Gloss or matt sealer is applied to protect the surface, often with added micro-polyethylene particles to aid grip and provide skid resistance on steps and slopes.
- Potential cracking of concrete is a subject not tackled by some companies and denied or ignored by others. The fact remains that concrete can crack – normally caused by contraction – and no installer can guarantee against it. There are however, many ways of dealing with and minimising the problem. A solid foundation with properly prepared ground works, thick enough fibre reinforced, good quality concrete and minimising slab sizes with crack control joints (properly known as contraction joints), all help to deal with the problem. In some cases we may recommend concrete more than 100 mm thick, which will also help. Compact Surfacing does not ignore the potential problem of cracking – we promise to deal with it, and explain to you how and why.
- The complex procedures involved in excavating your driveway and laying pattern imprinted concrete can always provide opportunity for things to go wrong – we believe that it's the way problems are dealt with, to minimise any impact, that is the measure of a company's commitment to customer care. With a trading record going back to 1975, we're as conscientious now as at any time during the past 35 years.
