Resurfacing a concrete drive

[Matty F]

A friend has a concrete drive that's looking a bit tatty and is wondering about the options for making it look better. Originally there were two separate narrow pours with grass in the middle. Over the years new concrete has been put in the middle and on both sides to make it wider. Most of it is in sound condition. He is only ever going to use the drive for a light car, and definitely no trucks without protecting the drive.

Is it possible to pour another thin layer of concrete on top and imprint it to look like paving etc?

Or maybe some kind of concrete paint?

[nightjar]

Concrete does not like being thin, unless you go for the very expensive resin based stuff

Garage floor paint will resist tyre marks best, but can be slippery when wet.

We greatly improved the looks of a similar drive with a layer of tarmac.

Colin Bignell

[meow2222]

There is also the q of hy the existing one is breaking up. If it continues to move or break, it will take the new top layer with it.

If you do decide to do a quick skim job, mixing in chopped glass fibre will improve its characteristics quite a bit.

how would that fix a damaged surface?

NT

[Matty F]

It's not breaking up, except where a heavy object was dropped on it. That bit could be dug out and repoured first.

The surface is not damaged, but the concrete that has been used for all the extensions looks different. Some parts are smooth, others have a rough surface. I once painted a concrete floor with a special compound to seal moisure from coming up, and that worked very well. It looked just like newly laid concrete. It appeared to be made from cement with a rubbery goo in it.

[The Natural Philosopher]

You can lay new concrete on a sound base if its about 3" or more think I would say.

Or even just screed.

[meow2222]

ohh. Maybe self levelling compound.

Trouble with thin crete layers is they lack the necessary strength, but one could work if you used a lot of alkali resistant fibreglass in it.

Another perhaps would be an upright grinder/polisher just to take the sticky up bits off and make it all flat.

I wouldnt paint it, paint wears off in patches and ends up looking dreadful.

NT

[Matty F]

The white and yellow lines on roads around here seem to be some kind of cement rather than paint, and they stay there for ever, with huge trucks running over them.

I was thinking about something like what's half way down this page, labelled Spray-on (although I don't see why the top coating couldn't be trowelled on):