In other cases where you may need a floor that must stay clean and easy to keep clean such as an outdoor dining/ kitchen area or garage, a smooth trowel or machine finish is the best option. Dirt will not stick as easily to a smooth surface as it would to a textured finish like a cove or broom.

After concrete has been placed there are different types of concrete finishes that can be applied depending on the intended use. These concrete finishes are:

Cove

A semi-rough textured finish that look like swirls and figure 8 when applied. A common finish to driveways, pathways, outdoor entertainment areas and swimming pool walkways.

Wood Float

A similar look to the cove with the swirls and figure 8 only alot more coarse. Rarely used except on heavy sloped driveways for added grip and longer wear and tear. Also great for under tiles to provide added grip for a sand and cement bed.

Broom

A simple finish using a broom but gives a clean and smart finish and look. Great thing about having a broom finish is that you get a uniform look.

Steel Trowel

Small concrete areas a steel trowelled by hand a number of times to give a smooth surface. Great for areas that need to be easy to maintain like garages and outdoor kitchen areas.

Machine Trowel

A machine trowel gives a smoother finish then a hand trowel and covers larger areas. It also hardens and seals the surface making it almost resistant to chipping and breaks. Great for house slabs and garages.

At Inspire Concrete we can help you choose the best surface finish. Contact us today to discuss your next concrete project and a no obligation free quote.

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The best way to choose the right colour is to ask us to show you samples at your property so you can see for yourself which colours are going to suit and give the best effect.  Adding the right colour can add value to your property.

Color is added to concrete by

• adding pigments before or after concrete is in place using white cement rather than conventional gray cement
• by using chemical stains
• or by exposing colorful aggregates at the surface.

Once the colour is in the concrete, we can also add geometric patterns to resemble stone, brick or tile paving.

Special techniques are available to make concrete slip-resistant and sparkling.

At Inspire Concrete we can provide over 15 interesting concrete colours for you to choose from.  Contact us today to arrange to see some samples and an obligation free quote.

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All pre-mixed concrete suppliers have standard concrete strengths of 20MPa, 25MPa and very often, 32MPa which is reached after 28 days of curing and is more than suitable for all residential applications.

Sometimes we are asked if a higher strength should be used for the garage area. This is not really necessary. Usually the biggest load on a slab is absorbed by the sub grade and not the structure on top of it.

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This change in volume brings about stresses within the concrete which causes it to crack. This is the reason why we put joints in concrete pavements and slabs to allow the concrete to crack in a neat, straight line at the joint, allowing it to move when the volume of the concrete change due to shrinkage.

The prevailing weather conditions may also contribute to cracking with the risk most likely on warm days, dry days with low humidity and/or windy days.

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