You may be looking to turn a single car driveway into a double, or perhaps adding room for more car storage or a place for an RV. But you’re concerned with whether or not the new concrete portion of the driveway will match the older concrete. This article will discuss your options.
Yes, all concrete fades as it dries and cures, and certainly after years of sun and weather exposure it fades more. However, if you are hoping a new concrete addition to your old concrete driveway will match, most contractors will tell you the answer is no. Simply put, the lifetime of the original concrete driveway cannot be matched without the same amount of aging. Your younger brother will always be your younger brother, the same goes with concrete. But that doesn’t mean the new addition to the driveway will not look good.
A first-rate concrete contractor is not going to stick you with a patch-worked, mismatched driveway addition. There is an art to the craft, and a contractor will evaluate the layout of the area, taking into account the older driveway, and find a way to make the addition work in harmony with what you already have.
Create Patterns
One option includes creating a border around the older portion of the driveway to tie it in with the new. Or, room permitting, adding an equal amount of concrete on both sides of the original, making a unique pattern. There are many variations that will allow for a professionally designed look.
Textures
Textures can also add an interesting difference between old and new concrete areas that will compliment one another. If you already have brushed concrete, for example, elect to have the new area be sandblasted. That way you are avoiding any attempt to make the newly laid concrete match.
Color or Stain
Concrete need not just be a grey slab, and if you’re worried about an exact match to your current driveway, why not go the complete opposite with color? While mostly associated with parks or public places, contractors offer colors like buff, yellow, red, green, blue, brown or black for home driveways as well.
Stamps
Stamps, more than just texture, stamps laid in the concrete create the look of stones, bricks, pebbles, wood, seashells and other designs that add beauty and can compliment the driveway you already have.
Walkways
If you don’t already have a decorative walkway connecting to your driveway, or perhaps the new addition requires the walkway to be expanded as well, this can also be an area used to create a harmonious look between the old driveway and the new addition.
Hopefully now you have ideas so you don’t need to worry about your property having a mismatched driveway if you opt for an addition. The best first step is to talk with a concrete driveway contractor near you for professional suggestions.