Imprinted concrete cleaning and resealing in Mirfield

Mirfield lies along the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation, with the railway running beside them, and from that valley floor the town climbs the northern side. The streets near the river are terraced and tightly built. Higher up, at Battyeford and Hopton, the houses get larger, with Victorian villas and substantial inter-war homes standing in their own grounds.

Gateways, not dropped kerbs

It is a town with a settled, well-kept feel, and it has the kind of housing that tends to come with a proper driveway: long approaches, curved sweeps, and gateways rather than a simple dropped kerb. Imprinted concrete is common on these, and sometimes in large areas.

Long drives wear in sections

A long drive does not wear evenly. The section nearest the road gets the brunt of the traffic, the turning and the braking, and the sealer there goes first. The middle may be in decent shape, and the area by the house or garage is often hardly used and stays near-perfect. From the road it looks patchy, and an owner can reasonably wonder whether the whole thing needs doing.

Mostly it does, but not always for the same reason. The part by the road has worn and the part by the house may only need a clean. We can tell you which is which by looking at it, and where parts of a large surface are in good condition we will not suggest replacing a coat that is still doing its job.

why imprinted concrete fades explains the difference between fading and sealer wear, which is the first question to settle on a drive that is changing along its length.

Getting the right finish on a large surface

On a sloping approach, the line of the slope shapes the work. A drive that falls from the house towards the road carries water and debris to the lowest section, which is often the section that is also nearest the traffic. Two problems overlap, and the surface there takes a battering. Where the slope runs the other way, water sits against the house wall or garage door, and damp climbs into the base of the building as well as the drive.

A large surface also needs more care to finish evenly. Sealer on a big area has to be applied in one consistent pass, at the right temperature and with the right overlap, or the joins show as lines in the sheen. That is a matter of planning the work in sensible sections and finishing each before the product begins to cure.

Doing the whole length once

Because the drive is large, the temptation is to do a section at a time and put the rest off. It rarely works well. A part-sealed surface shows the difference at once, and the older areas grow growth faster than the new, which spoils the look of the whole.

We would rather do the full length in one visit, with a proper cleaning, a growth treatment and a single sealing pass, and use recolouring on any part that has lost its pigment. Our restoration and protection work describes how the stages fit together, and imprinted concrete or block paving may help if you are comparing surfaces. Assessments are free and there is no obligation.

Nearby pages on this site include Dewsbury, Horbury, Batley and Halifax. Assessments in Mirfield are free and there is no obligation.