Smart homeowners are trying to make their yards more drought-resistant and eco-friendly. That is, many people are smartly replacing thirsty plants, trees, grass, and bushes with more decorative hardscaping. Residential hardscaping usually consists of retaining walls, sidewalks, planters, fire pits, and other decorative features that are usually made out of concrete. Of course, traditional ready mix concrete isn't always the most beautiful. Some people find the finishes to be boring and bland. But, there are some great concrete options if you want something that looks more dynamic and matches better with your hardscaping. This article explains a few the best finishing techniques to make the concrete in your hardscaping look a little more attractive.
Textures
Adding color, texture, or both to your concrete is one of the best ways to make it look a little less ordinary. Textures add warmth and style to any concrete, regardless of what color is. Most textures are basically embossed using special rolling stamps. These are applied during the curing process, right after the concrete is poured. These textures are often subtle, and they usually replicate a natural surface material, whether it is raw stone, tile, or plank flooring. These subtle but stylish finishes not only make the concrete look a little more unique, but they also have some practical advantages. For instance, a concrete with a little texture is going to be stain resistant, and it is also going to be easier to clean up.
Colors and Glazes
If you really want to reduce maintenance, you should consider adding a glaze to your surface. Adding a glaze to your concrete, whether it has a special texture or not, also makes it easier to care for. The glaze solution seals the pores in the concrete. This means that dirt stains don't penetrate deep within the concrete, so they are usually very easy to clean.
The concrete glaze finish is also nice because it can be applied to an old piece of concrete. This works well when you are trying to pour new concrete to match with your old concrete. That is, without the glaze, it can be hard to create colors that match. But, the glaze finish can make two separate pieces of concrete look essentially the same.
As you can see, a texture or glaze finish can make any concrete in your yard more enjoyable, more comfortable, and more stylish.
For more information, talk to companies like Mershon Concrete.
