Our handcrafted concrete range has a top quality concrete paver look without the price tag that goes with these types of concrete pavers. Better still, you don’t have to pull out the weeds! Handcrafted concrete is used for patios, walkways, pathways and driveways.
Good site preparation lays the ground (pardon the pun!) for a high standard of concrete work and a result you’ll be happy with. At Panorama Concrete Adelaide, we’re known for our meticulous attention to detail and the extensive site preparation that we do to ensure a quality end result. We want happy customers and it’s always first and foremost about the preparation.
Here are the 22 steps we follow to a result that will have you beaming!
- When you begin a handcrafted concrete project, the first thing we do once you are totally satisfied and have signed your contract is to schedule your project for the earliest possible completion date.
- Your Concrete Consultant will then prepare a plan of the work to be done. Two copies of the plan will be sent to you.
We need you to check that everything on the plan meets your requirements. If they do, please sign and return one copy of the plan to our office. The other copy is for you to keep.
If you would like to make any additions or alterations, please note them in red pen on the copy of the plan to be returned to our office or phone your Consultant to discuss further.
If you have made changes to the plan we will contact you to confirm that the changes have been noted and will be actioned.
- From this point on our Work’s Manager will be handling your project. They will contact you to introduce themselves and to give you an idea of when your project will be placed on the schedule.
If you have any special events coming up, please discuss suitable dates for the concrete paving installation with them.
Preparing your site ready for the paving installation
- If Panorama is not preparing your site, your Consultant can give you our sheet “Tips for a Quality Site Preparation” to assist your Site Preparer with our requirements.
When your site has been prepared you will need to contact our Work’s Manager to confirm your site is ready for our concreting team.
- If Panorama is contracted to prepare your site, you will be contacted a day or two before our Site Preparer is due to discuss arrival times.
- On the day scheduled, your Site Preparer will arrive with a truck and bobcat.
- Preparing your site could involve some or all of the following tasks depending upon your situation and requirements:
- Arrangement of white ant treatment
- Removal of old concrete or pavers
- Removal of soil
- Introduction of rubble (fill)
- Removal of rubbish if required
- Removal and replacement of invert and water tables
- Checking that levels fall away correctly
- After the site preparation is finished, steel reinforcing will be delivered to your site which is required for the concrete pour.
Paving Installation
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- On the day prior to installation, we will telephone you to confirm that we will be on site early the next morning and give you the name of your concreter.
- We will also run through a check list of items including a confirmation of the patterns and colours you have chosen and other points you should know for your own convenience.
- On the big day of pouring, your concreters will arrive early. They will commence by installing all of the formwork for that day’s pour. The formwork ensures that we install 100mm of concrete in the shape you require.
- Once the area has been formed up we will ask you to have a look once again to make sure that everything is to your liking. We do this so that you will have a chance to give a final approval and make any minor adjustments.
- The best quality steel reinforcing is then cut to shape and placed.
- Your concrete with the colour mix you have chosen has already been ordered and will then arrive (we only use the highest quality concrete from Quality Assured Companies).
- The concrete is then placed into the formwork and trowelled to the flat non slip consistency required for Hand Crafted finishes.
- Before we leave the site our concrete team will clean up and remove any excess materials relating to our work.
- When the concrete has cured enough, we will be back to cut in the control joints. These will assist in minimising the incidence of concrete cracking which can be caused by ground movement and other elements outside of our control.
- Two or three days after pouring your concrete, we will return to mark out the size of the handcrafted pattern you have selected. The tiles sizes can be 400x400mms, 500x500mms or 600x600mms.
- After marking out the pattern we will ask you to check if everything is to your satisfaction.
- The paving will then be cut into the pattern size of your choice.
- After the pattern cutting has been completed, the concrete paving will be high pressure cleaned.
Sealing the concrete paving
- Sealing your concrete is the final step. Please keep in mind that on the day scheduled for sealing, if rain is predicted we may want to delay sealing the paving until drier weather prevails.
After the concrete has been sealed the surface will be touch dry in 1-2 hours but should not be walked on for 6-8 hours. If the paving is in a driveway it is best that vehicles are kept off it for 4 days.
Your Project is now completed and you will have the satisfaction of professional high quality concrete paving to increase the value of your property and enhance your lifestyle.
Concrete After Care
Now that your handcrafted concrete paving is installed and complete, there is very little maintenance required to keep it good condition. If you want to occasionally wash or clean it with a garden blower, this is usually sufficient.
Do you need to reseal your handcrafted concrete paving?
There are no firm rules about when or if your concrete will need to be resealed. Some of our customers prefer their concrete paving to weather into a natural look over time. If you prefer to keep your concrete looking more like new, a reseal may be needed every 2-3 years. You can do it yourself and we have sealers available with instructions, or we can do the concrete sealing for you.
Other Services Available
Panorama is an Adelaide concrete company that provides a one stop shop service. This means we look after all those additional jobs your project may need such as:
- Installation of storm water drains
- Installation of planter beds
- Installation of curbs & small retaining walls
- Installation of artificial turf
- Placement of moss rocks
- Installation of concrete steps
- Additional bobcat levelling and landscaping (while we are on site)
For more information about our concrete project management services, please click here.
Concrete Cracking
As our Concrete Consultants would have discussed with you already, hairline cracks occur in concrete. Our experience tells us that it is better to leave a crack alone rather than trying to repair it. Cracks will open slightly in summer and close in winter due to soil movement and temperature. If a crack is filled up in summer, the fill material can be forced upwards, and make the crack more noticeable in winter.
Panorama Concrete has been installing concrete paving since the early 1980s. If you walk past our older jobs most of them look in good condition. Probably all of them have a couple of hairline cracks somewhere but you won’t see them without looking for them. Unlike concrete pavers, over time handcrafted stamped concrete paving comes out ahead. You won’t ever get sunken pavers with weeds growing up through the pavers and you won’t notice cracks as much.
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Call Panorama Concrete for handcrafted saw-cut concrete paving to increase the value of your home
Handcrafted concrete is an upmarket and smooth finish for driveways and patios, without the weeds. Handcrafted finishes are ideal for driveways and patios in contemporary and traditional homes.
With more than 30 years’ exeprience laying concrete, we’re an Adelaide Concrete company that has perfected the art and craft of laying down concrete to last you a lifetime. Phone us on 08 8272 9611 to chat with a friendly consultant or send an email to enquiry@panoramaconcrete.com.au.
Related article: 8 Reasons Why Handcrafted Saw-Cut Concrete Is Better Than Concrete Pavers