Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 Aug 26, 2014 12:16 pm Hi I am wondering if anyone could help and offer any advice, or maybe post some pics. We are currently building a new house, in which we have a decent size alfresco area under the main roof, it is 10m x 5m. We are going with exposed aggregate concrete for our driveway and perimeter paths, and then were thinking of pavers in the alfresco area. We love the idea of a large deck in this area, but would rather keep the costs down a little as well as future maintenance. I was wondering whether anyone has any pics of exposed aggregate concrete in their alfresco areas? We were thinking this option so then we don't have to organise paving and therefore the concreter can come and do the complete job for us. Thanks in advance for any help! Re: exposed aggregate concrete in alfresco area 3Aug 26, 2014 2:34 pm yeh, that is the general feedback I am currently getting, so maybe in an area like the alfresco it isn't a great idea where I would intend on walking with bare feet. We were only basing it on looks rather than being practical! Re: exposed aggregate concrete in alfresco area 5Aug 27, 2014 12:13 pm Some exposed aggregate is much nicer on bare feet than others. Friends have it on a verandah and it is comfortable to walk on barefoot. It was probably laid down thirty years ago or more and may have even been mixed on site despite the fact it looks to have been professionally done. It is larger flatter stones maybe 10mm in size and almost looks like river pebbles. What may impact on you having it at your place is whether the concreter is willing to use something like it and whether or not the local concrete plant has it as an option. Stewie Re: exposed aggregate concrete in alfresco area 7Aug 27, 2014 12:39 pm As Spong suggested, you can get a honed finish which is easy on the feet. Stewie's suggestion of river pebbles is a good one, but more expensive I believe, as not a lot of plants provide that finish. Honing might be the way to go (or a slightly less exposed finish- they can vary this for you). As for cleaning, if the sealant has been applied correctly it should be easy to clean. Re: exposed aggregate concrete in alfresco area 8Aug 27, 2014 3:06 pm We have exposed aggregate driveway, paths and alfresco for continuity. Never wanted the maintenance of decks again....but still constructed two small ones because they look so good. Barefeet - depends on size of pebbles and mix, we find no problems walking on. We also had the alfresco saw cut into approx 800mm squares before sealing....resembles a very large tile and looks great. Pictures on blog. Carlisle Homes 'Savannah 28' Visit our Blog: http://www.oursavannah28.blogspot.com Handover 31st March, 2011 - Landscaping completed Re: exposed aggregate concrete in alfresco area 9Aug 27, 2014 3:18 pm Carlisle Homes 'Savannah 28' Visit our Blog: http://www.oursavannah28.blogspot.com Handover 31st March, 2011 - Landscaping completed Re: exposed aggregate concrete in alfresco area 10Aug 27, 2014 3:47 pm Thanks everyone for their help and tips Debra, had a quick look at your blog, the exposed aggregate looks great, and I quite like the saw cuts also, does look like very large format tiles. I suppose it would come down to which pebble we choose and then how this will feel under bare feet! Last year I had a gas leak at my house. 3 days later, I have about 1 sqm of my exposed aggregate paving broken up. I am not sure how to go about getting it repaired… 0 10476 After some ideas on making our patio kid friendly . Currently we have exposed aggregate. The patio faces west and is always in sun even though it has a shade directly… 0 4096 2 837 |