Pattern Imprinted Concrete

Ordinary grey concrete has been used for domestic driveways and patio surfaces as well as commercial areas for decades.

This because it is relatively easy to lay, durable and inexpensive.

Tarmacadam has also been used, for the same reasons but whilst tarmacadam has been criticised for being plain and unattractive, ordinary grey concrete often looks worse.

As a result, manufacturers and contractors have explored ways of making concrete look more attractive and what better way than to disguise it as something more natural?

At its best, pattern imprinted concrete will resemble a natural stone driveway but without the associated cost.

On other pages of this website we will examine the different colours and patterns of pattern imprinted concrete, the advantages and disadvantages of pattern imprinted concrete, how to clean and reseal imprinted concrete.

We also look at how pattern imprinted concrete is installed; with a checklist for householders and the five most important points to be aware of in your pattern imprinted concrete installation.

Pattern imprinted concrete, abbreviated to PIC, is also referred to as patterned concrete, stamped concrete or textured concrete. PIC is essentially high strength concrete which has been coloured and formed to appear like natural products such as stone, cobbles, slate, brick or even timber.

In North America, where pattern imprinted concrete is referred to as stamped concrete, concrete has been coloured and stamped since the 1950’s to create a more aesthetic surface for driveways, patio areas, foot paths and swimming pool surrounds.  Visitors to America brought the idea of stamped concrete back to the United Kingdom in the 1980’s and renamed it pattern imprinted concrete.

Initially all consumable products which are required to transform the appearance of concrete into more natural paving products (such as the printing mats, colour surface hardeners, pigments and sealants) were imported from the USA but eventually manufacturing plants set up over here.

After a slow start, pattern imprinted concrete has grown in popularity though it still trails block paving and tarmacadam as the surface of choice for most homeowners’ driveways.

As regards the cost of driveway and patio surfacing materials, the simplistic view is that tarmacadam is the least expensive, then concrete block paving, with imprinted concrete the most expensive.

The truth however, is that the price of each of the three will cover a wide spectrum which overlaps the next product in the pricing hierarchy, though the cost per square metre of each of them will generally fall as the size of a job increases.

Taking the full installation cost of an average size driveway, say 60 to 80 square metres, we have seen quotations for tarmacadam ranging from £50 to £80 per m², concrete block paving from £60 to £120 per m² and pattern imprinted concrete from £70 to £150 per m².

In addition, most paving contractors will have minimum order values as the necessary time gaps between some of the processes involved require more than one site visit, even for the smallest of areas to be paved.

Due to the fragmented nature of the paving industry, with most installers working from home, many quotations are prepared either by the owner of the business or a surveyor.