Stamped concrete driveways are an attractive and durable choice for your home’s exterior. They’re also quite easy to maintain. The average life span of a stamped concrete driveway is 20 years, but if you follow these simple steps carefully, you can extend that time by a few more years! Here’s what you need to know:
Cleaning
Cleaning your driveway is the first step in maintaining it. You can use a regular garden hose to clean your driveway, but you’ll have better results with a pressure washer.
- A pressure washer uses water and pressure to remove dirt, grease, and grime from surfaces. This can range anywhere from 0-5,000 psi (pounds per square inch). The higher the psi number is, the more powerful it will be at removing dirt and grime from your concrete surface. You may want to use lower psi when cleaning old stains or removing mold as this could cause damage if too much force is applied causing cracks or uneven areas on your concrete driveway surface.
- There are four different types of nozzles that come with most manufacturers’ units: soft spray, hard spray, wide angle, and narrow angle.
- The soft spray has a gentle flow of water that works great for rinsing off dirty items like cars before washing them at home.
- The hard spray has high-pressure output so it can remove tough stains quickly like oil spills or graffiti marks.
- A wide angle allows you to reach further into corners where dirt collects easily such as under cars parked against walls where there isn’t enough room for washing machine hoses.
- Narrow-angle helps clean tight spaces while still being able to reach into corners without getting so close to objects that might get damaged by over-spraying water onto them
Sealing
Sealing is a process that protects the surface of the concrete. It’s a very important step that should be done right after you pour your driveway, but it can also be done any time after pouring and curing.
Sealing helps protect against stains, water damage, and wear and tear from vehicles. Sealing lasts up to five years depending on the climate conditions where you live.
You have many options for sealing your stamped concrete driveway—a sealer can be applied by brushing it onto the surface or spraying it on in an aerosol form (the latter being much easier).
Maintaining
One of the most important things you can do to maintain your stamped concrete driveway is to clean it regularly with a power washer. You can use a pressure washer or an electric broom, but either way, it’s essential that you get in there and scrub everything down.
If you don’t keep up with maintenance, your driveway will start to look like crap. If this happens, your neighbors will look at their own driveways and be jealous of yours—and then they’ll start asking how much we paid for ours! That’s right: if you take care of your stamped concrete driveway (and show it off), others will want one too!
How Long Does Sealed Stamped Concrete Last?
Stamped concrete is a durable material that can last for decades. It’s made of stone or pea gravel, so the surface will not wear away like asphalt would over time. The best way to extend the life of your stamped driveway is by sealing it with a penetrating sealer every year or two. The sealer will protect it from dirt, water, and other harmful substances that can cause discoloration or damage.
If a stamped concrete driveway is properly maintained it can last a long time
Although stamped concrete driveways can last a long time, this only happens if they’re properly maintained. The surface needs to be cleaned regularly and sealed regularly in order to keep them looking good and lasting long.
If you do not seal your stamped concrete driveway regularly, it can stain more easily than other types of paving materials such as asphalt or concrete because the aggregate used to create the pattern is exposed at the surface of your driveway. Soil and water will naturally seep into these cracks and create stains over time. Regular sealing will help prevent this from happening by sealing up those cracks with an impermeable layer of sealant – something that prevents water from getting into those tiny channels where dirt gets trapped!
Stamped concrete driveways are also susceptible to moisture due to their porous nature; when warm air heats up during cool nights or winter months it causes dew drops on plants which then turn into condensation on surfaces such as walls or floors (this is called “sweating”). This moisture may cause damage if left untreated as it reacts with salt used during winter months causing damage known as efflorescence which appears like white powdery spots around joints between different types of materials used in construction projects such as brickwork joints (between bricks), mortar joints (between bricks) etcetera…
Conclusion
So there you have it! The step-by-step guide to a long-lasting, beautiful stamped concrete driveway. It’s really not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, and we hope that this article has given you some insight into what is involved in caring for your driveway. If you follow our advice and keep these simple tips in mind, we promise that your stamped concrete drive will last for years to come without any problems whatsoever!
Learn more at The Paver Sealer Store!
