Crushed Concrete Driveway – How to Make Sure You Are Preparing the Area Properly

Crushed concrete refers to concrete made by mixing together aggregates (ones that are smaller than a solid). Aggregates are bits and pieces of broken and crushed down material such as crushed brick, stone, asphalt, crushed oyster shell and even tree roots. A layer of this material is mixed in with the crushed stone to form crushed concrete which is then used to make patios, walkways, driveways and more in various kinds of building projects. When any concrete construction, roadway, curb, parking lot or other building structure is demolished, this crushed concrete usually is immediately deposited into a landfill where it will be recycled into something else.

Not just any hardened aggregate can be used for making a crushed concrete driveway

The composition has to be precise; otherwise, cracks may occur later on causing considerable inconvenience and damage. Also, excessive slippage may also occur due to poor installation techniques which would further compromise the safety of the resultant driveway. Thus, you should always use only the best aggregate or cement mixture available for installing a crushed concrete driveway.

There are basically two ways in which you can go about installing a crushed concrete driveway. First, you can do it yourself by adding the crushed aggregates to the concrete mix using a hand mixer fitted with a roller. This is definitely the most straightforward way of doing things but the difficulty lies in actually gaining a very even and flat surface to work with while pouring the mixture onto the surface. Second, you can use a power sprayer or water jet to apply the crushed concrete into the hard surface. Although the end product may look like a very smooth driveway, you have to bear in mind that driveway surfaces are not smooth all the time.

Landscaping fabric

The best option in terms of convenience when installing crushed concrete driveway is to use a landscaping fabric that can serve as a retainer for the newly poured concrete. Such fabrics are usually designed to have a rough texture which is perfect for adding traction to a crushed concrete driveway. In fact, a large retainer combined with a concreted driveway surface will increase walking and standing comfort as well as add to the exterior appeal of your home. For such a purpose, you can either opt for a larger crushed concrete driveway that is lined with a white or light colored landscaping fabric or opt for a smaller retaining wall that has smaller textures and pattern. Whichever retainer design you opt for, you will be able to save a significant amount of money over the lifetime cost of installing such a retainer.

You can also install the crushed concrete driveway even without a retaining wall by driving a dump truck behind a house. Just drive the dump truck behind your house, making sure to fill the bed of the truck with gravel. Then proceed to line the bed of the dump truck with the crushed gravel while pouring the concrete mix onto the rear of the dump truck. You can line the bottom of the concrete with a weed barrier if you so desire. You can then set up your paving stake on the newly formed concrete retaining wall using wooden stakes.

One of the drawbacks of using a crushed concrete driveway is that they can get slippery when wet

This is due to the water content in the aggregate being less than optimum. However, once the weather starts to dry out (the water content in the aggregate will settle to a normal level), the aggregate can be driven wet with no fear of the wetness trickling down to the driveway. On days when you feel that driving over the aggregate might cause some damage to your car, simply stop and let the concrete dry out. The traction of the newly poured concrete will still hold your car firmly.

When using a crushed concrete driveway, it is essential that you use the right equipment. To start with, before starting to pour the concrete, make sure that you have the correct equipment for the job – the appropriate sized trowels, a wheelbarrow, and a construction fork. After the trowels are already in place and secured, the road to the driveway will need to be cleared. The distance from the footpath to the actual driveway entrance should be at least three feet to ensure stability. Once the path to the driveway is clear, you can then move forward with the concrete. If you are using a truck, the weight of the dump truck will also affect the positioning of the trowel and the formation of the pattern of the paving stones.

You always make sure that you contact the company that created it for you

It is important that when using recycled crushed concrete, you always make sure that you contact the company that created it for you. They will be able to offer you advice as to how to maintain the property, as well as any precautionary measures that they think you should take. This will help make sure that the quality of the finished product is maintained. If you decide to do the work yourself, make sure that you follow the instructions carefully and do not miss out any of the steps. Failure to pay attention to any details or directions may result in an unevenly finished surface, or worse yet, damage to your property.