Description
This concrete driveway has a control joint every four feet—but laying out the 45-degree diamond grid incorrectly would make the entire pattern drift.
David O’Dell and the crew show how they formed, poured, jointed, and broom-finished this custom concrete driveway with a one-foot perimeter band. Getting the forms parallel and square to the garage was critical because even a small layout error would become obvious where the diamonds meet the border.
Before the pour, the crew repaired a hidden sprinkler leak, relocated sprinkler heads for the wider driveway, notched forms around existing irrigation, and chipped down a high block-wall footing. They also preserved the planter in the center of the driveway and used flexible recycled-plastic forming material for the curved sections.
The driveway took nearly 20 yards of 3,000-PSI concrete delivered in two loads. The mix contained fiber mesh and 3/8-inch pea gravel, with reinforcing steel installed at 18 inches on center. The crew used an MBW BullVibe on a five-foot fiberglass bull float to consolidate the concrete before cutting the complete diamond pattern.
Every control joint continues through the perimeter band because there is no way to predict exactly which joints will activate. To finish the design, each neighboring diamond was broomed in a different direction, changing how the sunlight reflects and making the pattern stand out.
FEATURED TOOLS AND MATERIALS:
• MBW BullVibe vibratory bull-float attachment
• Five-foot fiberglass bull float
• Six-foot concrete joint cutter
• Extra-wide walking edger with a 1/2-inch radius
• Flexible recycled-plastic radius form
• Expansion foam
• Wood hand float
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Diamond-grid driveway overview
01:08 Chipping the high block-wall footing
02:53 Forming around sprinklers and the planter
04:22 First load, reinforcing steel, and pour specifications
04:53 Screeding and finishing the concrete
06:23 Cutting the four-foot control-joint grid
08:05 Alternating the broom direction
09:19 Finishing the final diamonds
09:53 Completed driveway reveal
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WEBSITE - https://www.OdellCompleteConcrete.com
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