Ways to Make a Concrete Driveway Look Organic

You may think of concreting the driveway of your home but want an option that looks natural and not fabricated as grey smooth concrete can look at times. In that case, you could lay decorative concrete. This paving can be treated to give it a natural look that harmonises with a garden environment. Here are three ways concrete can be customised to look organic.

Textures  

One reason smooth concrete doesn't look natural is that many surfaces in nature are textured rather than even. Natural stone, for example, is etched with tiny grooves and ridges. To make a driveway similarly textured, you could install stamped concrete, made with texture mats. These moulds have fissures and lines etched into their skins that are transferred to the concrete once they're pressed into it. You can choose from various stamps that mimic slate, travertine and timber. The stamps often feature faux grout lines that give the impression of pavers. But seamless skins are also available that form a textured effect without grout joins. Stamps will stop concrete from having a uniformly even finish, so the driveway will look random and at home in the garden setting. 

Colours

Colours are another important aspect of a natural aesthetic. If you install concrete in a consistent grey colour, then it will tend to look manufactured. After all, many natural substances, such as rock and wood, have multiple tones, which can be subtle or stark, rather than one uniform colour. These colour variations can also be replicated on a concrete driveway. Contractors can blend several earthy colours, such as brown, tan and grey-blue. They'll blend the colours to appear random rather than laying clear areas of one hue against another to form a chequerboard effect, for instance. Muted and mixed colours emulate organic materials like slate.

Stains, in particular, help as they react with the concrete to form streaks and dapples. Stains are translucent, and they evoke a raw feeling. This differs from simply painting concrete, which covers it with a uniform colour that doesn't look or feel like nature.

Pebbles and Crushed Stones

A concrete driveway can also appear natural if it incorporates organic materials, such as pebbles and crushed stone. To make exposed aggregate concrete, contractors add colourful pieces of rock. They then wash away the uppermost cement to reveal these aggregates before the paving hardens. Your driveway then will benefit from the beauty of the pebbles. However, they'll be embedded within the hard concrete, making it safe and secure to walk on.

Speak to a contractor to learn more about aggregate concrete


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