Building a house in Trinidad

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Looking for options for a driveway.

Was thinking of pavers.

But prefer the more modern look of poured concrete.
It’s an area 15ft x 30ft
Any suggestions?

[rspann]

Pavers nice but after a while you get some sinking due to water soaking the bedding and even some washing away. There is also the problem of grass growing between the joints. The nice thing about it is that it's reasonably priced now. Bestcrete has sale on their overstock I think. Using some other colours in patterns or random gives a nice effect.


Concrete is more permanent and if you decide to go that way ,use fibermesh reinforced concrete and proper compacting . You could powerfloat to avoid dusting and then use some non skid product for safety.

There is also clay pavers in many patterns and colours available with glazed and unglazed finishes ,as another option. My choice is always porcelain tiles so that it's easy to wash down, no staining with oil drops etc.

[rspann]

If you decide to go with the pavers , a good idea is to use a concrete bed , put the sand on it and also put a concrete border to avoid the sinking and movement.

[pugboy]

yeah it does still sink eventually
i have pavers and had real compact the sharp sand
still got tire tracks

[pugboy]

if you have the budget check creteart for nice stamped concrete

Looking for options for a driveway.

Was thinking of pavers.

But prefer the more modern look of poured concrete.
It’s an area 15ft x 30ft
Any suggestions?

[adnj]

If you decide to go with the pavers , a good idea is to use a concrete bed , put the sand on it and also put a concrete border to avoid the sinking and movement.

Pavers require some maintenance but they go in pretty quickly and can certainly be removed and reused if they settle, become damaged or you need to service a buried cable or pipe.

[rspann]

If I have to pass cable or pipe , I never pas it under concrete just like that. For cable I would lay a slightly bigger pipe so I can pull it without cutting the concrete. Water lines I run under the slipper drains or in a place I can dig without cutting concrete. Like a service corridor

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

yeah it does still sink eventually
i have pavers and had real compact the sharp sand
still got tire tracks

Do you just drive over it, or do you park the car on it?

[pugboy]

Yes, it was a covered 2 car port gazebo, also was not low level and subject to much wetting at all.
a corolla and almera used to park on it.

after year or two the tire areas sunk a bit.
Real headache to fix the pavers because they were slanted so hard to remove and when I packed back sand some would not fit unless I removed a huge area as the surrounding ones with slight slant did not allow them to be slid back in.
I had to cut some of the smaller to fit with a diamond blade.

It is actually holding out better now but as spann say, better to cast a lil concrete base below.
If you have to money the stamped concrete can look just like pavers and with proper rebar and concrete mix will be nice.
creteart a lil pricey though, I think $30-40 sq/ft

But I am sure soon other workmen will be getting the rubber stamp molds and doing similar work.

[carluva]

What are you looking for? Decorative or a clean finish? Since you looking at pavers, can i assume you can build up a floor up to 5" thicker?

What is the substrate? Concrete? Earth?

Looking for options for a driveway.

Was thinking of pavers.

But prefer the more modern look of poured concrete.
It’s an area 15ft x 30ft
Any suggestions?

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

What are you looking for? Decorative or a clean finish? Since you looking at pavers, can i assume you can build up a floor up to 5" thicker?

What is the substrate? Concrete? Earth?

I prefer a clean finish. There is concrete there right now, but it is pitted and spalling, no cracks though. I would prefer NOT to have to break it up (which I know is what I will have to do to use the pavers since it is currently flush with the garage (epoxy floor).

The Crete-Art horizontal overlay option looks more like what I'm looking for.
Has a modern look too, which I like.

From the crete art website

[rspann]

Pugboy say "if you have the money"......

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Pugboy say "if you have the money"......

well I have to get a quote first.

Can't see a micro-topping costing more than digging out the existing concrete, casting a border, compacting sand and installing pavers.

[carluva]

I had a similar issue Duane. I am looking for one of my previous posts but can't ATM.

Anyhow, do a screed mix on top the existing concrete. You can easily go as thin as 1.5" with a screed.

I did mines with Coosal's a few years ago. It was a sharp sand, 3/8" aggregate mix, with fiber reinforcement. I troweled finished but I will advise a power float finish. If your existing surface is sound(ish) it will need to be pressure washed, etched and then primed with a bonding agent prior to pouring the mix. If you have cracks, deal with those by channeling open the crack and then filling with an epoxy joint sealant. Once you are done with the pour, cut a few control cracks on the fresh floor.

The end result is a superb floor that can take the weight of vehicles, and with a finish that will be ideal for tiles, acid wash, epoxy or decorative concrete.

Crete art is nice but be prepared to fork out muy dinero. You can also check SCL as they have some decorative options.

Why don't you check the same guy who did the screed in your garage?

[carluva]

viewtopic.php?p=9992928#p9992928

Read from there... That's off your post.

[carluva]

You'll be surprised. Microtoppings have their uses. If the floor is in poor condition you should explore other options. If the floor is fairly sound but is dusting as you say and has minor imperfections, then maybe a microtopping would work.

Pugboy say "if you have the money"......

well I have to get a quote first.

Can't see a micro-topping costing more than digging out the existing concrete, casting a border, compacting sand and installing pavers.

[carluva]

Wait I now see that the floor in question is level with your garage. In that case, if you don't want to demolish, a microtopping is the way to go. It may be costly but still less than demolition.

[pugboy]

Be careful with some of them power float/screed fellas
They does throw plenty cement powder to get smooth finish and it scratches off easily after a while as it is basically raw cement with not structural sharp sand

[carluva]

Correct. There is a technique to finishing concrete. Most masons start to float by dusting concrete on the wet surface. That is wrong.

After a pour, the water from the concrete mixture floats to the top as the heavier solids begin to settle. The key to finishing is to wait for the water to absorb into the concrete and then begin the finishing process. Floating is about gently pushing down the solids and the allowing that rich concrete "cream" to come to the surface to provide a good finish. This is harder to work, so most masons either don't know as that is how they have been trained or too lazy to wait and spend the time to do the right thing.

Dusting cement is what causes spalling over time.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

I had a similar issue Duane. I am looking for one of my previous posts but can't ATM.

Anyhow, do a screed mix on top the existing concrete. You can easily go as thin as 1.5" with a screed.

I did mines with Coosal's a few years ago. It was a sharp sand, 3/8" aggregate mix, with fiber reinforcement. I troweled finished but I will advise a power float finish. If your existing surface is sound(ish) it will need to be pressure washed, etched and then primed with a bonding agent prior to pouring the mix. If you have cracks, deal with those by channeling open the crack and then filling with an epoxy joint sealant. Once you are done with the pour, cut a few control cracks on the fresh floor.

The end result is a superb floor that can take the weight of vehicles, and with a finish that will be ideal for tiles, acid wash, epoxy or decorative concrete.

Crete art is nice but be prepared to fork out muy dinero. You can also check SCL as they have some decorative options.

Why don't you check the same guy who did the screed in your garage?

I did this with the garage floor and the iSONEM screed,
Better I just use that and not apply the epoxy to it. I prefer the look of the raw concrete there.

[adnj]

Dusting cement is what causes spalling over time.

This is one of the causes. In the tropics, surface spall is nearly always caused by excess slump of the concrete to reduce the work to move it into place and to reduce the need to float after a screed.

[hong kong phooey]

Looking for options for a driveway.

Was thinking of pavers.

But prefer the more modern look of poured concrete.
It’s an area 15ft x 30ft
Any suggestions?

.
I would not recommend these pavers Unless you concrete below them first .
At first great but after 7 years plus , is pressure unless you reseal it, especially if they out in the open and you want to pressure wash it for moss, cleaning.
Although they lay the grass prevention mat there are small spaces between the pavers and after a while the sealer gets washed away (in my case)and grass seeds get in there and grow above the mat on the layer of leveling sand .
Its not a big issue to deal with it as you can spray the drive way with a weedicide to kill the roots every 6mts or so but thats an additional maintenance

[gt4tified]

Guys, its probably been asked already but I'm trying to decide between PVC windows and regular steel windows. What are the pros and cons? I've been hearing good and bad things about both but not sure what is fact from fiction. Help, please?

[matix]

Guys, its probably been asked already but I'm trying to decide between PVC windows and regular steel windows. What are the pros and cons? I've been hearing good and bad things about both but not sure what is fact from fiction. Help, please?

My preferences are the UPVC windows I believe they’re called.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Guys, its probably been asked already but I'm trying to decide between PVC windows and regular steel windows. What are the pros and cons? I've been hearing good and bad things about both but not sure what is fact from fiction. Help, please?

Steel today is not like steel long ago(I stand corrected) so prepare for extra maintenance costs...Most likely the windows would be exposed to the elements, so you're looking at painting them at regular intervals.I am yet to see anyone complain about PVC and aluminium windows though

[*KRONIK*]

Aye Shakes, yuh know any backhoe man in Grande boi?
Need a lot of land cleared

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Aye Shakes, yuh know any backhoe man in Grande boi?
Need a lot of land cleared

Dass with the hardware has one($1800 with the driver)...a guy after woody has one as well, same price...his name is rudy...Id get his number

[*KRONIK*]

Aye Shakes, yuh know any backhoe man in Grande boi?
Need a lot of land cleared

Dass with the hardware has one($1800 with the driver)...a guy after woody has one as well, same price...his name is rudy...Id get his number

I was planning to call Videsh to do the job if i didnt get anyone else, but he does be rel busy.

Rudy working for us now on a next job, but the dont have the backhoe now.


Lol

Grande too small yes

[pugboy]

Anybody have experience with granite counter that was badly stained?

Have a grey granite counter which was stained brown by spoilt fruit.
A guy tried sanding but to no avail.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Aye Shakes, yuh know any backhoe man in Grande boi?
Need a lot of land cleared

Dass with the hardware has one($1800 with the driver)...a guy after woody has one as well, same price...his name is rudy...Id get his number

I was planning to call Videsh to do the job if i didnt get anyone else, but he does be rel busy.

Rudy working for us now on a next job, but the dont have the backhoe now.


Lol

Grande too small yes

Videsh driver working SGRC and he has the backhoe home by him in wallenville....

Or you could check DG