Minimalist design—the “broom finished” look:
If you don’t want a fancy driveway, a broom finish overlay will eliminate imperfections and conceal stains, cracks, and salt-damaged surfaces, making your driveway look like new, freshly poured concrete. Available in three colors, Suede (pictured), Fresh Concrete, and Stone, you get understated elegance for your driveway, enhancing your home’s curb appeal and your driveway’s durability.
Decorative Concrete Driveways to Enhance Your Home
All driveways are not created equal. Most start out as uninspiring gray slabs, but they don’t all stay that way. The professionals of Concrete Craft can transport your driveway into the realm of art with designs resembling authentic-looking Flagstone, Ashlar slate, Roman texture slate, Cut Cobblestone, brick, sandstone and more. Through the processes of resurfaced, stamped and stained decorative concrete, you can have the look of high-end natural materials like stone and tile, for a fraction of the cost.
Decorative concrete offers extensive benefits, including reviving damaged concrete, creating a durable easy-care surface, custom coloring to match existing architectural styles, unlimited design options, and no demolition or slab replacement so jobs are done quickly and with less upheaval.
If your driveway makes you weep or it doesn’t showcase your new car properly, talk to the experts at Concrete Craft and see if a decorative concrete overlay is what that you need to have a driveway you can be proud of. Check out these custom Concrete Craft driveways and begin to envision a new creation for your own driveway.
Natural-looking stone is a favorite driveway option:
Looking exactly like real stone, this stamped concrete driveway in an interlocking Ashlar slate pattern is a popular option. Stamped concrete installs in half the time of real pavers and, unlike real stone, no weeds or grass will grow in the hand-carved “grout lines.”
Unique designs are no problem:
You have unlimited design potential and endless color options with stained, stamped, and resurfaced concrete. This beautiful stenciled European Fan brick pattern driveway turns this modest home into a showplace. The integral red brick color will never fade or peel and the “bricks” will never lift and create an uneven surface.
Nine out of ten driveways choose the look of Flagstone:
Flagstone designs are one of the most popular styles for driveways, patios, and walkways. Custom-colored and hand-cut patterns are authentic looking and easily blend with surrounding landscape colors and textures, like the multi-colored bricks of this garage. The continuous, non-porous surface will never need re-grouting like real flagstone.
Minimalist design—the “broom finished” look:
If you don’t want a fancy driveway, a broom finish overlay will eliminate imperfections and conceal stains, cracks, and salt-damaged surfaces, making your driveway look like new, freshly poured concrete. Available in three colors, Suede (pictured), Fresh Concrete, and Stone, you get understated elegance for your driveway, enhancing your home’s curb appeal and your driveway’s durability.
Low-maintenance, high performance stained concrete:
Stained concrete is one of the most popular and cost-effective treatments for driveways, garage floors, and interior floors. Impervious to fading, chipping, or peeling, the rich, vibrant colors stay true for years with minimal maintenance. The translucent finish lets the integrity of the concrete show through, with shine and color able to mimic anything from polished marble to natural stone.
Personalize your driveway with custom stamps:
Unique stamps like compasses, medallions, Geckos, Sea Turtles, and Kokopelli designs can add a pop of personality to your driveway. Incorporated into the design and topped with an industrial-strength sealer, your signature stamp will never wear off or fade away.
Don’t replace the driveway—resurface it:
You can revive your weather-worn driveway with resurfaced concrete without having to demolish the old. Save time and money with Concrete Craft’s proprietary methods and quality decorative overlays and stamp patterns that can replicate natural stone, slate, brick, cobblestone, and more. Super-charge a two-car driveway or spruce up a grand entryway.
Two designs for one beautiful driveway:
This resurfaced driveway boasts two styles, custom-colored stamped borders in a random stone pattern along with a broom finish overlay in Fresh Concrete. You have unlimited design potential with stained, stamped, and resurfaced concrete to customize your driveway.
Easy-care elegance with decorative concrete:
Stained, stamped, or resurfaced concrete is sealed to resist spills, stains, auto fluids, and all manner of substances. Keep your driveway clean with power washing, or for a deep clean, a neutral pH cleaner and a brush will hose away from any debris.
Color is always an option:
Say goodbye forever to boring driveways! Decorative concrete opens up a world of design so you can express yourself in a big way. Not only will your custom driveway be the envy of the neighborhood, it’s tough enough to withstand all the activities of family life, vehicles galore, and whatever weather comes your way.
If your driveway could stand a little TLC, contact us today or go online to ConcreteCraft.com to find the Concrete Craft location nearest you and request a FREE estimate. Our proprietary products and techniques place our craftsmanship ahead of the competition in quality and price, and give you a new driveway that will provide years of enjoyment and worry-free maintenance!
The artisans of Concrete Craft can renew and restore any concrete surface you have, including patios, walkways, pool decks, garage floors, and interior floors like basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions about stamped, resurfaced, and stained decorative concrete to learn more.
Is Your Turtle Made of Concrete?
This might seem like a strange question, but it is a good one to consider. Not all turtle statues are made from concrete. Several materials are used for statuary. For example, resin, plastic, and metal are all materials that are used for statues. You may be thinking though, “my turtle statue feels too light to be concrete.” However cast stone statuary is concrete nonetheless; even though it is lighter. If you want to know more about cast stone you will find a nice description of it in the article answering the question: What is cast stone? on wikipedia.com. That page defines it as:
Cast stone or reconstructed stone is a highly refined architectural precast concrete masonry unit intended to simulate natural-cut stone. It is used for architectural features: trim, or ornament; facing buildings or other structures; statuary; and for garden ornaments.
If your turtle statue is concrete, then the rest of this article will apply. But if you have a different material, you will want to research the care and maintenance of that material.
Painted Turtle Statues
The surface of the turtle statue will make a difference in how you care for it. A statue that is painted will require different care and maintenance than a statue without a painted surface. Therefore, the rest of this article will consider how to care for and maintain your turtle statue if it is not painted.
Now that we have the pre-qualifiers out of the way, we are ready to get into concrete turtle statue care & maintenance specifics. The first specific we will look at is the location. Why does the location of your concrete statue matter? Because moist, shaded areas will require a specific facet of care and maintenance. Areas that are moist and shaded perpetuate the growing of mold, mildew, algae and other types of fungi. Fungal stains need to be cleaned using products formulated to clean this type of substance from concrete. Using a mold remover for concrete statues and other stone materials will yield better results than other cleaners. As always, we recommend that no matter what cleaner you use, you test it on a small inconspicuous part of the concrete before using.
Regular Cleaning of Concrete Statuary
It is easy to overlook regular cleaning of your lawn statues. However just like other concrete surfaces around your home, your turtle statue will only look its best with periodic cleaning. Cleaning your concrete turtle statue with a stain remover designed for concrete and other stone-like materials gives you the best looking statue and helps you prepare the ornament for the next aspect of the care and maintenance of your turtle that we will discuss.
Even if you keep the mold and other fungal life off your turtle and clean it regularly using a concrete stain remover. You can also make the follow up treatments easier by sealing you turtle statue with a sealer that is compatible with concrete. By applying an effective concrete statue sealer to your turtle, you will be slowing the absorption of moisture, which slows the algae build up. Additionally, it keeps liquids form getting into the pores of the concrete statue wheres stains end up living.
As we have considered, even though having a concrete turtle statue is enjoyable, it will require a bit of TLC to keep it looking its best. Yet, taking a few simple things into consideration, the care and maintenance will not be too difficult and your concrete turtle statue will continue to add life to your garden, lawn, or courtyard!
Things You Will Need
- Roll of plastic or newspapers
- Cement turtle
- Bag of rags
- 2 cans of stain in pine green and light walnut
- 3 stain brushes, 1-inch each
- 3 pairs of latex gloves
- Can of stone stain wax sealant
- Cement gnome
- Can of masonry primer
- 4 pints of outdoor latex in red, green, black and white
- 3 paintbrushes, 2-inches, 1-inch, ½-inch
Stain a turtle to create natural appeal, then seal with a wax sealant. Use these step-by-step guidelines for the best results and have fun.
Stain A Turtle
- Prepare a flat surface area with plastic. Set the cement turtle, gloves, two rags, two cans of stain, stain wax sealant and three stain brushes on the prepared table. Put on the latex gloves and use a rag to clean off the cement turtle of any sand, dirt or debris. Use a dry ½-inch brush to get inside crevices to remove any powdered cement or stone. Rinse out the brush with soap and water after use.
- Paint the turtle, not the shell, with the pine green stain, using the 1-inch brush. Use a rag to rub away some of the stain from protruding parts of the turtle. Rub the areas that should be lighter in color than the rest of the turtle.
Tip
An outdoor latex paint will last 15 to 20 years depending on the manufacturer. Latex paints can withstand up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and cold temperatures as well. Keep the extra latex paint for touch-ups as needed.
Paint in a well-ventilated area. Use latex gloves to protect your skin.
- Amazon: Painted Garden Art Anyone Can Do
- An outdoor latex paint will last 15 to 20 years depending on the manufacturer. Latex paints can withstand up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and cold temperatures as well. Keep the extra latex paint for touch-ups as needed.
- Paint in a well-ventilated area. Use latex gloves to protect your skin.
Chérie De Sues is an internationally “bestselling” author of fiction and nonfiction. She also has more than 30 years of experience as a surgical first assistant in the operating room and writes health articles. When she takes a break, you can find her crafting, painting watercolors, refurbishing furniture and catching up on new fashions.
- Stone Turtle Statue image by bayu harsa from Fotolia.com
- Stone Turtle Statue image by bayu harsa from Fotolia.com
- park gnome 01 image by fotosergio from Fotolia.com
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