Stamped Concrete For Driveway

[aragon]

We have a pretty small driveway at our villa (approx. 30 sq. mtr. in area) that is currently in an unfinished condition with bare concrete, what we would like to have laid is "stamped" concrete that comes with various designs and can be laid in different colours. We have had a quote from the person who did our garden landscapping and that came in at 25k baht, which I think is well OTT for such a small area, can anyone suggest a source that we might get a quote from, or am I being unreasonable in my estimation?

[malcolminthemiddle]

Generally the smaller the area, the higher the rate per m2 due to fixed costs that are not dependent on the area.

[Dannie Boy]

Not sure what country you are from (I'm a Brit), but that works out at less than a 1000 Baht / sq m - i.e. less than £20 sq m. I know it is dangerous to make direct comparisons, but that is much cheaper than you would pay in the UK and as MITM said, the smaller the job, the more they have to load the price to cover their fixed costs. I would be more concerned in making sure they do the work to a high standard - ask to see some of their previous work. I have seen some good examples in the area and it can look very effective.

[malcolminthemiddle]

I believe the going rate per m2 has increased over the past few years from 500 to 650-700 per m2 for a decent size area.

At 25K for 30 m2 your rate is 833 Baht per m2.

[roundeyes]

Why not try the conventional method of sandwash 150baht up per sq M

[malcolminthemiddle]

Sandwash is aesthetically good looking when new but not hard wearing and quickly deteriorates. A waste of money in my opinion.

Anybody have experience with other types of surface finishings for driveways apart from concrete stamping and sandwash?

I remember Whaler praising the finish at Red Mountain, can't remember the type?

What about asphalt? Does it melt in the heat?

Anyone?

[Takiap]

I no longer their contact details, but we spoke to a company in Bangkok about this last year and were told prices start from from 700 baht per square meter. Sure it costs a bit, but it will certainly last a lot longer than sandwash, and will also look so much better.

[aragon]

Thanks to all for your input, it looks like the quote we have is not that far out after all.

[malcolminthemiddle]

Just an after thought regarding concrete stamping. If the person who did our garden landscapping is not one of the recognised specialist companies doing this type of work he is probably subcontracting the work out and adding a mark up.

For a comparative quote, contact one of the specialist concrete stamping companies.

[Dannie Boy]

I no longer their contact details, but we spoke to a company in Bangkok about this last year and were told prices start from from 700 baht per square meter. Sure it costs a bit, but it will certainly last a lot longer than sandwash, and will also look so much better.

I took this photo of a driveway at a house in Cha Am - I think it looks very good. Not sure about the dimensions but reckon it would be at least 300 sq m and could be up to 400 sq m. The woman told us that they paid 300,000 baht for the job, so a bit pricey but looks like they have made a good job of it although it was only done about 4-5 months ago so too early to say.

[STEVE G]

Anybody have experience with other types of surface finishings for driveways apart from concrete stamping and sandwash?

I know a couple of people who've used outdoor tiles on driveways due to the fact that it can be done comparitavely cheaply compared with some other surfaces. My car port is tiled and it's no proplem driving on it but obviously you don't want anything that gets slippery when wet.