Using Patterns and Colors to Decorate Your Driveway

Tired of your dull concrete driveway? You can decorate your driveway by cutting a decorative pattern into it, using acid chemical stains to dress it up and sealing it to protect it long term. Designer Scott Cohen shares his five favorite driveway patterns in this Concrete Network video:

Here is a quick overview of the featured driveways:

1. Decorative banding with score lines on the parallel and perpendicular gives a clean pattern, is easy to cut and line up, and looks great with the house without looking too busy.

2. Acid chemical stains were used to color the concrete. The concrete bands were tinted to resemble dark leather and the exposed aggregate with a mixture of tan and sandstone, providing a low-cost upgrade.

3. Color can also be applied in a spotter pattern. For this driveway, light tan, tan, brown were applied in a spray pattern with water bottles, layer over layer.

4. This decorative pattern is 2′ by 2′ on the bias (45 degree angle to the house) with a decorative band. Four different shades of tan, brown and mahogany were applied, layering on color after color in order to get a deep rich texture.

5. For this circular driveway, integral color concrete was poured in, stamped with stone texture mats and scored while wet at about five feet on center, allowing it to shrink and expand and reduce cracking.