Architects, engineers and the homeowner normally choose concrete for its strength and durability. Most people see concrete without noticing it. They couldn’t care less because concrete is normally boring and not supposed to look good. Now Printstones can make concrete look uniquely attractive and stylish. Our system brings magic to concrete by changing the normal boring appearance of concrete to look just like natural cobbles, slate or stone. With the Printstones system the concrete is permanently coloured and imprinted with textured patterns. It is done so well that we normally have people ask us where we bought the tiles or stones and how we install them so quickly. Like our slogan says, “Paving like the Flintstones”, because the Flintstones surely had stone paving that lasted. The real good news is that all of this is done at a fraction of the cost of natural stone.
The Printstones system thus uses the strength and durability of concrete whilst making it aesthetically appealing. A wide range of colours and patterns are available which makes the system very versatile and suited for any design. Normally more than one colour is used to give a mottled blend of colours to enhance the natural look. Since the surface is textured and retains the slightly gritty texture of concrete it provides a skid resistant and non-slip finish. The surface is sealed with a highly durable and UV resistant sealant to protect it against fading and staining. With the versatility and strength of concrete the Printstones system can be used on any area that needs paving, tiling or a floor. This system can be used with confidence indoors or outdoors. Since concrete can be designed to carry any load Printstones is suitable for both commercial and domestic applications on floors, driveways, parking areas, walkways, pools etc. Printstones can be installed as a new floor or by overlaying virtually any existing surface like concrete, bricks and slasto.
Numerous advantages are offered by concrete opposed to laying loose block paving. Some of these are that each installation can be designed to be unique and it offers strength, durability, ability to carry higher loads, no sinking or subsidence, weed free and the sealed surface does not fade or stain.
The application and use of the area dictates the specification and materials to be used for each application. As mentioned earlier, Printstones can be installed as a new floor or by overlaying an existing surface. All concrete is reinforced with polypropylene fibres, which has a major influence on limiting shrinkage cracking. Fibre reinforcement also adds 30% to the strength of concrete and provides tensile strength.
Let’s first take a look at overlaying. Overlaying an existing surface can be done in various ways. On areas used by vehicles an overlay of 25MPa ready mixed concrete reinforced with polypropylene fibres would be installed at a thickness of 50mm or more, depending on the type of traffic and the condition of the existing surface.
Pedestrian areas can be overlaid with a screed of 20mm thick and bonded to the underlying surface with a wet to dry epoxy. Printstones also offer a granolithic “tile in a bag” alternative which is applied onto a sound concrete surface at a thickness of 3mm and provides a highly durable and wear resistant surface. This surface can be textured or left smooth with lines cut in it to give the appearance of tiles.
Concrete for new floors can be designed to carry any load by increasing the thickness of the concrete and by additional reinforcing with steel. The installation could also be designed for areas with weak or poor support such as clay.
The concrete is coloured by floating a coloured surface hardener into to surface of the concrete. This both colours and hardens the concrete surface to be highly durable and abrasion resistant. To attain a mottled colour a coloured mould release is then applied on the partially set concrete surface prior to imprinting. This colour release agent stops the patterns from sticking to the concrete whilst some of this colour is stamped into the concrete during imprinting.
Contraction joints are placed during installation and cut within 24 hours after application. The installation is then left to cure for three days after which it is washed with a high-pressure water washer. The clear sealant then gets applied to enhance the Printstones finish. The sealant also protects the coloured concrete from fading and staining.