How to improve look of side passage? Broken concrete over bricks

[martyjames]

Hi All

My side passage way is a real mess - see pics below. It is also slippery when wet. It gets a lot of runoff (slopes towards front of house) when it rains.

I have used on the front of the path (not visible in these pics) a Dunlop resurfacer product that worked reasonably well after i got rid of all the old loose bits of cement/mortar etc and filled the holes with concrete prior to using the resurfacing product. I cannot see this product now - does a similar products exist?

Or - does anyone have any suggestions to easily (and inexpensively) make the passageway look much better and still have good drainage and is non slip? Any ideas appreciated - thanks

[JacobZ]

Hi @martyjames,

Straight into the next project hey? I love to see it. I'm very excited to see what you come up with.

The first place to start is to give the area a good pressure clean to remove any dirt and debris and give you a nice clean surface to work with.

Once clean, you can fill the low spots with Lanko 20kg 173 Floor Leveller, then paint the pathway with Dulux concrete & paving paint in a colour of your choosing.

This paint system can be tinted to a colour of your choosing and an anti-slip additive can be added.

I'd suggest you have a look through the Concrete & Paving Range website for some guidance with this product.

Allow me to tag some of our helpful members to see if they have any experience or ideas for this kind of project, @Noyade, @diy_hausdesigns, @elbow, @homeinmelbourne.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions

Jacob

[martyjames]

Thanks Jacob

Yes, theres no rest for the wicked! Many thanks for the detailed reply. I do not have a pressure washer but am thinking to buy

the ozito because i'll only use it occasionally 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-1800w-2030psi-high-pressure-washer_p0254158

is that one ok for this job? I read the instruction maual and it says the water hose you attach to the unit must be 8metres or less - my hose it 20m - so i assume i need to buy a shorter length hose? The lenght of the passage is about 20m, this unit has a 5m long pressure hose so a 8m long water hose wouldnt be long enough to wash the full length of the passage.

Will pressure washing be enough before using the Lanko floor leveller - some areas come away with a bit of force so i assume i need to get all the loose old bits of mortar and concrete out first before using the pressure washer?

Thanks again!

[JacobZ]

Hi @martyjames,

The Ozito you have linked to would be fine for the job, but I'd suggest spending the little bit extra to grab a Gerni 3000 1670PSI 1400W High Pressure Washer. 

This comes with a patio cleaner attachment, which spreads the jets out over a wider area, making this job a great deal easier. The Gerni also comes with a 5-year extended warranty when registered online which is definitely something to consider when selecting your pressure cleaner.

It's entirely up to you, what you choose, but for the extra 40 dollars, you'll save yourself a lot of work.

The length of the hose will have an effect on the flow rate to the machine. If the Ozito is calling for an 8m hose, it is best to follow their advice. I do however note, that the Gerni has no mention of garden hose length in their instruction manual.

For best results, you'll have to remove as much of the flaking concrete before applying the floor leveller. Anything loose will still be loose once it's painted over, so it's best to do the prep work now and save yourself the hassle in the future.

I'm very excited to see your project commence and once again am happy to guide you along the way. Let me know if you have any further questions. 

Jacob

[martyjames]

Thanks again for your assistance Jacob. Yesterday i ended up buying the Gerni 3300 (the other model wasnt in stock). It took about 3 hours to thoroughly clean and remove the loose bits of concrete (some of it is soft - more like mortar). The depth to the underlying bricks is 25mm so i'll start using the Lanko floor leveller tomorrow.

Re painting the patched passage way, i saw mixed reviews on the Dulux concrete and paving paint. I have been looking at an alternative from Rust-Olein - 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/rust-oleum-3-78l-battleship-grey-concrete-and-garage-floor-paint_p034753...

and adding the Anti slip additive  https://www.bunnings.com.au/rust-oleum-concrete-and-garage-anti-skid-additive_p0347546

and doing the prep with Rust-Oleum Concrete And Garage Clean And Etch https://www.bunnings.com.au/rust-oleum-concrete-and-garage-clean-and-etch_p0347545

Do you think this is suitable alternative once i have patched the passageway? Thank you.

Some pics after Gerni work

[JacobZ]

Hi @martyjames,

It looks like someone has already poured a self-levelling compound over the bricks in the past. In your original photos, it was impossible to see that there was a brick path lying beneath everything. 

Self-levelling compound requires a solid substrate, such as concrete for it to be effective. Any movement in the substrate will cause cracking, which is likely why the original self-levelling compound has failed.

The bricks may be laid on a bedding of sand, which will allow for subtle movements. If you lift one of the bricks from the pathway, this will likely confirm my suspicions.

Unfortunately, the best course of action from here would be to either remove the existing layer of self-levelling compound to expose the brick, which I think looks quite nice by itself, or to remove the bricks and pour a new concrete path before painting.

If you want to repour the concrete path, the Rustoleum products you've linked to are very similar to the Dulux ones, so they are also suitable for your project.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[martyjames]

ok Thanks Jacob, i'll lift one of the bricks tomorrow and let you know. Two other thoughts i had was, how about simply  laying pebbles over the existing path? Im thinking the reddish couored pebbles like in the first and 2nd image here

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/t5/Featured-Projects/Side-yard-transformation/ta-p/72248

Would these pebbles 'move' during heavy runoff (path slopes towards front of house). I preume its a non slip solution?

Another idea - what about artificial turf?

Thanks

[EricL]

Hello @martyjames 

I'm afraid the Ozito 1800W 2030PSI High Pressure Washer has a limited distance and can't go past the eight-meter hose rule. Instead, I suggest having a look at the Gerni 3600 1810PSI 1500W High Pressure Washer. It has multiple accessories that come with it and has no distance limit in regards to the garden hose.

In regards to the pebbles, it is possible to put some in the passage, but you'll need to build a cover at the ends to prevent the pebbles from spreading out into the other areas. This becomes an issue as the covers will tend to hold water in the area which is not good. You'll have the same issue with artificial grass.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @homeinmelbourne for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Evening @martyjames 

Now thats a path that has been through a few iterations I do like the pavers underneath.

Having a read through the project I didnt see that you wanted a solid smooth top?

Two options once I saw the pavers underneath that coating of concrete -

- First, remove the concrete and relay the pavers with fresh sand or even 8mm gravel underneath them. I have gravel under my sloping path and its standing up well. You could raise them to the height you want or even go down the track of installing tubular drainage underneath them. I only saw this product the other day in one of the community posts and then saw it in Bunnings on the weekend  Megaflo Green 170 x 40mm x 20m Socked Slotted Agi Pipe That way moisture would be wicked away once connected to stormwater or an outflow area.

- Second, You may have seen the waffle shapped plastic grid for driveways to help lock in pebbles and give body to the surface of driveways. If you are not after a smooth surface you could use that. Just had a squiz and Bunnings stocks these guys Strol 0.5m² SurePave Plastic Pavers and then back fill with fine gravel or even those pebbles you mentioned. It will stop the pebbles from traveling down the path tho.

Dave

[martyjames]

Many thanks for the detailed reply Dave and Eric - much appreciated. I'll pull up one of the bricks later on and see whatys underneath it.

Eric re the artificial grass - could you eleborate on what the issue would be please? Thank again