- Prepare the sub-base The driveway company will excavate, or dig, the existing surface down to a depth of around 200mm. They will remove any debris from the area may place it in a skip or arrange for it to be removed in another way. When they dig down to the sub-base of your previous driveway, they will assess how much hardcore they need and arrange for that to be delivered to the site. They will then spread the hardcore across the sub-base to create a level surface to pour the concrete on. Most good contractors will apply a gel to any walls and doors to protect them from concrete splashes. They will also add any gulley tops, manhole covers or shuttering that’s required.
- Installation and imprinting Next, the tradespeople will have the concrete either poured from a large mixer vehicle or barrow it in from a mixer and pour onto the surface. They level it with rakes, then add a colour surface hardener in a colour of your choice. This will give the driveway its permanent colour. They will then wait until the concrete has hardened to the correct consistency for imprinting the pattern, then will use special tools and stencils to make the pattern that you asked for. They will then spread a colour powder called a release agent over the surface, and leave to dry for 1 to 2 days depending on the weather conditions.
- Cleaning When the contractors return, they will add crack control cuts into the concrete. This is important because concrete expands and contracts in the heat, so there needs to be some give to stop any larger cracks from forming. Then everything is power washed clean, and a chemical wash is also used on the concrete to ensure it’s completely dust-free. The installers will ensure all your walls and doors are clean, which will hopefully be an easy job if they used wall gel.
- Sealing The final step is to seal the driveway. There needs to have been at least two dry days before the tradespeople can do it, so you might find it’s best to have your pattern imprinted driveway installed in the summer. The contractors will blow any debris away from the surface and dry any damp areas where necessary. They will then add an anti-slip agent to the sealant and brush it on. It’s best to not walk or drive onto your new concrete driveway for about 4 days after sealing to allow everything to set. But after that, you’re ready to use your new driveway!
Stromness
Stromness is the second-most populated community in Orkney, Scotland. It remains in the southwestern part of Mainland Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the community of Stromness as its capital. A long-established port, Stromness has a population of around 2,190 locals. The old town is clustered along the characterful and winding main street, flanked by homes and stores developed from local stone, with narrow lanes as well as streets branching off it. There is a ferry link from Stromness to Scrabster on the north coast of landmass Scotland. First recorded as the site of an inn in the sixteenth century, Stromness came to be vital throughout the late seventeenth century, when Great Britain went to war with France as well as delivery was required to prevent the English Channel. Ships of the Hudson's Bay Company were regular visitors, as were whaling fleets. Multitudes of Orkneymen, a number of whom came from the Stromness location, worked as traders, explorers and also seafarers for both. Captain Cook's ships, Discovery and also Resolution, called at the town in 1780 on their return voyage from the Hawaiian Islands, where Captain Cook had been eliminated. Stromness Museum reflects these aspects of the town's background (displaying for instance vital collections of whaling antiques, and also Inuit artefacts revived as keepsakes by local males from Greenland and Arctic Canada). An uncommon facet of the town's personality is the lot of buildings decorated with display screens of whale bones outside them. At Stromness Pierhead is a commemorative sculpture by North Ronaldsay sculptor Ian Scott, introduced in 2013, of John Rae standing erect, with an inscription defining him as "the discoverer of the final link in the first navigable Northwest Passage".
