The first impression already begins before entering the building. What is around - the driveway, the area in front of the entrance, the square or the parking lot - can emphasize the character of the architecture or completely disrupt it. Therefore, it is worth betting on solutions that are not only durable, but also exceptionally aesthetic. Increasingly, investors and architects are choosing monolithic concrete pavements with exposed aggregate as an alternative to classic paving blocks or prefabricated slabs.
Elegance and effect
A uniform surface and a large format with expansion joints every few meters - all this creates an elegant, modern whole. This type of paving attracts the eye, organizes the space and adds prestige to the building's surroundings. Thanks to the exposed aggregate, the surface gains depth, nobility and texture, which harmonizes beautifully with modern facade materials such as glass, steel or wood.
This is exactly what Deco Stone concrete pavements are. They are perfect where effect counts - in front of the entrance to an office building, hotel, shopping mall, public building or private residence. Their great advantage is not only aesthetics, but also durability: they are resistant to weather conditions, do not overgrow with greenery, do not undergo keyboarding like paving stones and require minimal maintenance.
Deco Stone surface concrete
© CEMEX
Design and construction
Deco Stone paving concretes are individually designed, that is, both the color and shade of the concrete mix is selected to match the project, as well as the depth or the way the aggregate is exposed - here the choice is between a rinsing option, which highlights the aggregate grains, or a hammering option, which exposes the structure of the concrete, making it distinct and rough, yet even.
The durability of Deco Stone pavement concretes comes from the high technical parameters and from the manufacturing technology. It is road concrete of at least C30/37 class, with F150 frost resistance. During placement, the top layer of concrete, the one most susceptible to flaking, chipping and damage, is removed. By exposing the aggregate, the most durable and damage-resistant structure of the concrete is highlighted.
Washed conc retes are made using surface deactivators of cement setting - it is thanks to them that the operation of exposing aggregate with pressure washers can be carried out the next day after laying and troweling the surface. The depth of penetration of the deactivator is selected according to the aggregate fraction used - the choice is between fine, more subtle grain size up to 8 mm or coarse aggregate with grains up to 16 mm, which requires deeper exposure.
Hammered pavements are made in two stages. First, after the mixture is laid and the surface is smeared, it should be left to cure and harden. Only after 2-3 weeks, when the concrete is of adequate strength, can you proceed to mechanically remove the top layer of grout with drum machines.
Both washed and hammered pavements are worth protecting from staining and degradation by applying surface impregnations.
Deco Stone surface concrete
© CEMEX
Large format
Large format concrete is a solution for those who are looking for a modern form, want to distinguish their investment and give it an individual character. It's also a sign that architecture doesn't end at the walls of a building - on the contrary, it begins just before its threshold.
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