Concrete is an excellent material suited to creating driveways, sidewalks, and pathways at your business premises or at home. Concrete mixers take the effort, time, and risk out of perfectly mixed concrete. Get your concrete mixers from B&S Commercial Power and experiment with a variety of aesthetically pleasing concrete finishes for your concrete project.
B&S Commercial Power:
B&S Commercial Power is a leading supplier of power tools. We have any tool you need for professional use in construction, forestry, and agricultural industries. B&S Commercial Power also supplies power tools suitable for at-home use. From business owners to DIY enthusiasts, B&S Commercial Power is here to provide you with all your equipment needs.
B&S Commercial Power stocks only quality and reliable brands, such as Husqvarna, Stihl, Briggs and Stratton, Honda, and Baumax. Certain products are imported so that you have access to any power tool you need no matter where the power tools are manufactured.
Alongside the equipment B&S Commercial Power imports, we also manufacture a wide range of power tools and accessories. This is to ensure that you receive the option to choose either local or imported products depending on the requirements of your project.
At B&S Commercial Power you will find a team of experienced technicians eager to help you find what you need. We will happily offer any needed advice on the best-suited tools for your project. Find every power tool you need and expert advice at B&S Commercial Power.
Concrete Mixers:
Concrete mixers are the ideal mixing machine for any concrete project. Concrete mixers will thoroughly combine your concrete mixture so that you have perfectly mixed concrete every time. Concrete mixers can homogenously combine any binding agent or aggregate you decide to use to create your concrete.
B&S Commercial Power stocks Baumax concrete mixers. Baumax concrete mixers are reliable, robust, and are efficient machines that will provide you with perfectly mixed concrete. There are three varieties of Baumax concrete mixers available at B&S Commercial Power. The concrete mixers vary in size and strength so that you can find the best concrete mixers for your concrete project.
Concrete Finishes:
Concrete is a commonly used material that is strong, durable, and can be aesthetically appealing for any project. Concrete driveways, sidewalks, pathways, pavers, and other functional projects can be found from city centres to your back garden. Concrete is a relatively easy material to work with and use to create intriguing and practical projects.
Perfectly mixed concrete is critical for the durability and strength of your concrete project. The last thing you want after pouring your concrete to create your driveway, pathway, or sidewalk is to see the concrete cracking a few days later or not lasting as long as it should.
Concrete needs to be mixed homogeneously to ensure that the cement, water, and aggregates are evenly distributed. Baumax concrete mixers from B&S Commercial take the guesswork out of mixing concrete and provide you with concrete that will be strong and durable due to mixing the concrete evenly.
Once you have used your concrete mixers to achieve the perfect concrete and poured your concrete, you can start considering how you are going to finish your concrete. Freshly poured concrete is versatile and can be finished to any desired appearance quickly and easily.
Concrete finishes add an aesthetic appeal to your concrete project. Concrete finishes are also important for the durability of your concrete driveway, sidewalk, or pathway as they reduce the chances of water seeping into the concrete and causing damage. Concrete finishes also give your concrete project an even surface.
Top Eleven Concrete Finishes:
We have listed eleven different concrete finishes which will elevate any driveway, sidewalk, or pathway in your home or business.
1) Trowel Finish:
Trowel finished concrete is a concrete surface that has been made smooth using a concrete trowel. A concrete trowel is a hand-held tool or a machine with a smooth metal blade that is pulled across the freshly poured concrete.
Trowel finish is a fast, cheap, and common concrete finish which provides a seamless surface to your concrete. You will often find concrete roof slabs with a trowel finish.
If you are planning on creating a trowel finish for your concrete project, then using concrete mixers is suggested. Concrete mixers will provide you with evenly mixed concrete which will make the smoothing process faster and easier.
2) Polished Finish:
Polished finish concrete is a smooth concrete surface with a shine. This finish is done with specialised polishing machines and hardening chemicals. Polished finish concrete can range from low gloss to high gloss.
Polished finishes have a sophisticated appearance and are often found inside art galleries, museums, and businesses. Polished finish concrete projects are lower maintenance as the smooth, glossy surface is easy to clean.
Polished finish concrete can only be successfully achieved on exceptionally hard concrete. We suggest using concrete mixers when mixing the concrete alongside the hardening chemicals to ensure hard, durable concrete for this finish.
3) Broom Finish:
Broom finished concrete is created by dragging a broom over the surface of the freshly poured concrete. Broom finishes can be done with any type of broom, making this a quick and affordable way to add some textured patterns to your concrete surface.
Broom finishes are popular for driveways, patios, sidewalks, and pathways. Broom finishes add texture to the concrete which helps make the concrete surface slip-resistant. The one downside to broom finishes is that dirt can get trapped in the inconsistent broom ridges which will require cleaning and maintenance.
4) Sand Blasted Finish:
This is one of the few concrete finishes that is executed once the concrete is fully cured. Use a sandblaster and blast the surface of your concrete driveway, patio, sidewalk, or pathway to create a textured surface.
There are different sandblasters that are suited to achieving greater amounts of texture in your concrete surface. Sandblasted finishes on concrete can also help expose the aggregate in your concrete which further adds to the aesthetic appeal.
5) Swirl Finish:
Concrete with a swirl finish has various sweeping swirls across the surface. The swirls are usually achieved using a concrete trowel. The sizing, variation, and number of swirls depend on the decorative appearance you are hoping to achieve on your driveway, pathway, or patio surface.
It is important to ensure that the swirls do not cause water to pool on the concrete surface as this can lead to damages and weakened concrete.
6) Stamped Concrete Finish:
Stamped concrete finish is a concrete surface with a pattern imprinted into the freshly poured and smoothed concrete. You can purchase premade patterns or create your own pattern to have a unique design. Here is a list of common patterns used for stamped concrete finishes.
- Brick.
- Slate.
- Wood.
- Tile.
- Hexagon.
Stamped concrete finishes are an easy way to make your concrete look professional and decorative quickly and affordably.
7) Exposed Aggregate Finish:
Exposed aggregate finished concrete is a concrete surface with visible aggregates which are evenly distributed on the concrete surface. A thin layer of the concrete surface is removed to help further expose the aggregate. Exposed aggregate finished concrete is typically polished but can be left unpolished for high slip resistance.
Your choice of aggregate is important in an exposed aggregate finish concrete. There are various aggregates of different colours, shapes, and sizes which makes it easy to find an exposed aggregate finish that will suit your home or workspace.
8) Salt Finish:
Salt finish concrete has large salt crystals embedded into the concrete surface. The salt crystals are pressed into the concrete surface with a concrete roller. As the concrete sets the salt crystals are washed away with water, leaving behind a pocked concrete surface.
Salt finish concrete is highly resistant to slipping due to the indentations in the concrete and is commonly used alongside swimming pools. It is a cheap way to create textured concrete as rock salt is widely available and affordable.
9) Colour Finish:
There are three different ways to add a coloured finish to your concrete driveway, patio, sidewalk, or pathway. Coloured concrete adds a unique design element to any home or business. The colours you use can attract customer’s eyes to your business, brighten up a school playground, or add curb appeal to your home.
One way to create a colour finished concrete surface is to mix concrete pigments into your concrete. You can use iron oxide pigments, special metal oxide pigments, and synthetic pigments. All these pigments vary in cost and have different colour options.
Colour pigments can be added to your concrete as it is mixed in your concrete mixers. As it is important to ensure your concrete is mixed thoroughly, you also need to ensure your colour pigments are mixed thoroughly to create uniformly coloured concrete.
You also have the option to stain your concrete using concrete acid stains. These acid stains are applied after the concrete is cured. The acid stains react chemically with the concrete and seep into the concrete. Concrete acid stains are versatile in application processes and colouring. They are generally easy to use.
Another way to add a burst of colour to your concrete surface is to embed colourful concrete chips into the concrete. These chips are brightly coloured and achieve the same effect as an exposed aggregate finish.
10) Marbleised Finish:
Marble finished concrete is achieved by applying a concrete acid stain to the dry concrete surface in a marbled pattern. It is suggested to use multiple layers of diluted acid stain to achieve a true marbled effect and using a water spray bottle to blur and move the stain.
Marble finish concrete does require skill to accurately achieve the marble technique. We suggest hiring a professional with experience in the marbleised finish to ensure a beautiful result.
Real marble is expensive and can damage easily. Marbleised finished concrete is a cheaper, quicker, and easier alternative to real marble whilst still getting the beautiful effects of marble. This finish has a high-end appearance and will suit any indoor concrete surface.
11) Micro Topping or Over Lay Finish:
Micro topping is a concrete mixture that is applied on top of a concrete surface. Micro topping is typically applied to older concrete driveways, pathways, or sidewalks which have cracked or chipped. Micro topping will repair your concrete surface quickly and cheaply.
The micro topping can be made in your concrete mixers from B&S Commercial Power. This will ensure that the micro topping is smoothly mixed to easily return your older concrete surface to its former glory. Micro topping is also a cheaper alternative to replacing the entire concrete surface.
Create a unique and aesthetically appealing driveway, sidewalk, or pathway with any of the concrete finishes and ensure your concrete is durable with concrete mixers from B&S Commercial Power.