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Overview of the Project on Loma Street
For this project, the owner wanted us to work with his driveway and undercroft car park. The client found us through one of his business partners, with whom we did a job previously. We also worked on another project in neighbouring Swanbourne, which he inspected.
Finally, we met up with the owner, Phil, several months ago, while the house was still in its building stage. We created a plan and provided him with a few different options from the Limecrete range.
Originally, the client wanted to use a white colour or white stone mix. However, we suggested that it would be better to go dark. The white hue would dull the house down. For this reason, we picked a stone colour in the mix to match the building and its features, without them fading into the background.
The project was part of the owner’s upgrade plans. It was indeed a very steep driveway, so the main challenge was to get all the transitions correctly and perfectly.
The Goal
Because of how steep the driveway is, Porches, Ferraris, and other prestige vehicles could bottom out. The solution was to ensure all the transitions, particularly as the cars go down the hill, were faultless.
At the same time, the results should match the high-class house; balancing functionality and appearance.
The Elements
The Decorative Concrete WA team worked with the garage and the driveway with the following:
- The Garage:
- 220 square metres of honed aggregate
- Black Pearl Mix from Limecrete
- Large stone mix since honed looks much better in large stones rather than small stones
- The Driveway:
- Also used Black Pearl mix from Limecrete
- Small stone mix for the exposed aggregate to avoid hurting young people’s feet
- This combination also provides that needed grip
Pouring exposed aggregate on a severe slope going down is extremely difficult. But our professionals handled the challenge with great focus, whilst maintaining consistencies in the pour.
The Process
Here is a summary of what took place:
- We poured the garage prior to the driveway.
- We proceeded to pour the driveway.
- Once pouring was complete, we then had to expose it all.
- After exposure, the next step was to hone the garage, which took four days using machines.
Decorative Concrete WA is known for a no-shortcuts approach. We make sure the outcome is what we want to achieve before proceeding to the next step. In this project, it took us two days for garage prepping and one day for pouring. We spent four days grinding the garage. As for the driveway, it took us one day to prep the area and one more day for pouring.
Part of the process is to dig secure footing leading to the driveway. It was not just for safety measures but also helped keep things intact. That way, the material will not slide down due to gravity. Without this precaution, cracks could appear because of the absence of mesh.
Considerations When Honing a Concrete Surface
The key ingredients to a successful surface honing process include getting total exposure and using the right diamond cutting level.
Total exposure is necessary to achieve the colours and every goal related to aesthetics. Exposure is done through grinding, which involves deciding how much of the aggregates should be visible. Then, it is about determining the level of sheen for the flooring finish.
Grit is as essential as other factors to consider. We lower the grit level to 120-grit to refine the surface to its maximum potential.
The Results
When the project was finished, the client was more than satisfied with the outcome. Decorative Concrete WA was responsible for the 220-square metre garage and 70-square metre driveway.
From the planning, the job, and the stunning look, everything turned out better than what he expected. Looking at the product of our hard work, the whitewash and dark colour created a contrasting effect.
The stone colour that we added to the mix certainly matched the house and its features.