What is Concrete?
Concrete is a man-made material; it is made up of cement, natural aggregates, and sand and then placed in a mould within reason. You can get mostly whatever size you want. Generally speaking, in Woking, UK, a common block paving flag size would be a 450 by 450 profile in millimetres. In Northern areas, we generally use a 400 by 400 profile. Other sizes within concrete tend to be a 600 by 400 profile, which would be a rectangle, or a 600 by 600 profile, which would be a larger square.
What are the Pros and Cons of Concrete for Block Paving in Woking?
As I mentioned, concrete has natural aggregate straight out. So what does that mean? You could have basil chippings within concrete; you could have granite within concrete. Concrete is a very good way of sometimes giving you a natural stone alternative without paying a natural stone price. I’m not saying that natural stone is always more expensive than concrete; I’m just saying you can get the look of natural stone within a concrete product.
Concrete vs. Porcelain
So concrete, as I also said, is a man-made material, and the two products we will discuss in this blog are man-made concrete and porcelain. Now, porcelain is baked to a really high temperature, so it’s a non-porous material. Concrete, otherwise, I’ve mentioned, is man-made; it still has porous properties. Why? Because although technically concrete is not natural stone, it can behave like natural stone. So this just means if you spill wine on concrete or ketchup. It could permeate into the surface and, therefore, stain it. It also means when there are heavy showers, I’m not saying that the water will run through it quickly; it obviously will puddle in areas depending on how your paving is laid. Therefore, over time, it evaporates off the surface or works through.
So, it is worth pointing that out. If you have a porcelain surface, the water will not do that; it will not permeate through the porcelain. The world of concrete is always advancing, and you will now find that you get things like sealers on concrete. In Woking, UK, it is now compulsory for commercial jobs that block paving within the concrete realm, and car parks do have to be permeable. That means, for example, it wouldn’t be a flag; it would be a block, but the sides of the blocks have those nodules which space them out further, and that just lets water permeate through the surface quicker.
How Much Does Concrete Cost?
Concrete block paving in Woking can cost anywhere between 22 pounds a square meter plus VAT right up to 50 pounds a square meter plus VAT. It is very hard to pinpoint an exact price on concrete because it will all depend on:
- Spec
- Colour
- Pigments
- Dyes
- Finish
- Size
Those are all things you’ll have to consider, and you’ll have to work that out in your independent research. Thirty pounds a square meter would get you a nice mid-range concrete product that looks the part, and there is something for every property type. So, if it’s like a ’70s home, an ’80s home, or a brand new contemporary home, or a cottage or aspiration in the concrete realm, there will be a concrete product out there for you that should suit your property.
It’s very durable and hard-wearing, but as I’ve mentioned, it isn’t stain-resistant, so you just need to be cautious of stains. So that could be something just to think about.
Effervescence in Concrete
If you plan to do a future patio, the word effervescence, which applies within concrete realms, might appear in your research.
What is Effervescence?
Effervescence essentially is calcium carbonate; it is a white stain that sometimes can occur on concrete products. It’s usually moisture-based, and it is very hard to identify sometimes at the point of land, but it may occur in paving block walling or masonry afterwards. Sometimes, it also comes from the actual mortar itself.
Generally speaking, concrete flags will be laid on a sand-cement base and jointed with sand. So you can get chemical cleaners that will remove effervescence, and that is fine, but do read the T’s and C’s on the packaging of the cleaner you’re using. Concrete, because it’s man-made, will have dyes and pigments on it; sometimes, you can weaken that colour, so you might weaken that colour out of it. It is always worth checking with your block paving retailer in Woking, who you buy from, the cleaner you’re using, and how strong it is. Do not, whatever you do, go over the recommended dosage on the packaging.
Batch Coding
Lastly, batch coding is important for everything you buy, especially man-made products. So hypothetically, your patio is 40 square meters; you’ve ordered it, your paving contractor arrives, and you decide you want to extend by another 20 square meters on the day. That’s fine, provided it may be a different area or the two areas aren’t touching. But suppose you go back to the original retailer you’ve purchased from, hoping to get the same batch that was in circulation when you originally bought. In that case, they may not still have it, and therefore, you could end up with flags that will have a very visible line of difference from where one batch ends and another starts.
This applies to wallpaper; it’s applicable to wallets, and it’s applicable to paint. It is also applicable for paving and walling products, so it’s always worth keeping that in mind before you decide to extend your area.
Consult a Block Paving Contractor
Getting a block paving contractor in Woking to measure for you is best. These people will do this day in and day out, and they’ll probably be extremely competent and know what they’re doing.
If you have any questions, you should order five or ten percent more, and this covers you for any damages that might occur on the day or during breakages. Or you may not have accounted for something like a drainage channel or something you need to pave around, and the paving contractor may need to cut a couple of flags to get under difficult areas. It’s always worth considering before purchasing.
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