Top Five Concrete Driveway Designs

Concrete driveway designs are a great way to add some extra aesthetic appeal to a beautiful home.  There are many different designs that can be used to suit just about any style and budget. Styles can range from simple etched patterns to elaborate dye jobs and can be made from newly formed slabs or from a pre-existing concrete driveway.

1. Pattern Engraving:

These budget-friendly concrete driveway designs can be done on pre-existing materials, and are often made to look like intricate, colorful brickwork.  These brickwork designs are often done in a simple style, or can be made into elaborate geometric shapes.  Additionally, some like to engrave either their personal initials or the initials of the home's given name directly into the concrete.

2. Stamped Concrete:

Unlike pattern engraving, stamped concrete driveway designs are usually made of new materials.  Slabs of concrete are poured into the new driveway, then, while still wet, specific patterns, textures and colors are pressed into the material.  Stamped concrete can be made to look like many different materials such as wood, cobblestone and flagstone.

3. Concrete Pigmentation:

Another economical option is adding some color.  Many people like to dye their entire driveway a single color; however, others prefer to use several contrasting colors to create a patchwork or diamond-shaped pattern.  Alternatively, acid stains are often used to create perpendicular and parallel bands of color.

4. Exposed Rock:

Although many driveway designs feature concrete alone, some also incorporate other materials, such as rock.  Exposed rock designs can be either rough or smooth in texture, and are often very colorful.  Some like to use rock throughout the entire driveway, while others prefer to create simple spiraling patterns.

5. Bordering:

Like exposed rock designs, bordering often uses a secondary material: brick.  As the name implies, brick borders skirt the outside spaces of the concrete; however, in many cases, these bricks can also be used to create ornate square patterns throughout the driveway.