PATTERN IMPRINTED CONCRETE SUPPLIES LTD
Suppliers of: Paving Systems available for Specification including; Pattern Imprinted Concrete Paving, Imprinted Walling, Concrete Sealers, Asphalt Restorers, Resin Bound & Bonded Surfacing
Pattern Imprinted Concrete Supplies Ltd supply a wide range of materials and products and training for concrete imprinting for both paving and walling in the UK and for world-wide export. PICS provide a real alternative to both block paving, natural stone and resin bonded paving and wall systems. PICS have also recently acquired Hatcrete adding the ColourMix & AdColour Product Ranges to its portfolio.
Useful Resources:
- Social Media: Facebook
Imprinted Concrete training course:
Our imprinted concrete training course is designed for those that are new to the industry, or those who want to develop their existing practical experience through structured training. The course takes place over 2 days, the first day focusses on imprinted concrete theory followed by practical application on day two. Please contact us for further information.
PICS & Hatcrete Main Product Applications Include:
PICSPAVE – A complete pattern imprinted concrete system:
PICSPAVE is a system designed to create the aesthetic value and feel of natural stone, slate, cobble, tile, brick or wood. Available in over 100 designs and colour combinations, PICSPAVE will suit any application, Commercial, Industrial or Domestic.
- Colour: Available in over 100 designs and colour combinations
- Release Agent: Allows easy release of PICSPAVE Textured Imprinting Mats from the wet surface of concrete after application
- Sealers: a range of acrylic sealers for pattern imprinted concrete surfaces
- Imprinting Mats: PICS sell or hire the widest range of top quality Matcrete & Proline imprinting mats
- Tools: PICS supply a wide range of Kraft and ancillary concrete tools to the pattern imprinted market
- Preparation: a range of drainage channels, manhole covers, mortars, tarmac repair products
- Training: PICS offers training for all installations
PICS Hatcrete - Industrial Flooring:
Manufacture and supply of specialist materials used in large commercial flooring projects.
- Colourmix: Integral colour for concrete that has superseded traditional concrete dyes and pigments
- HATCRETE® Adcolour: Colouring additive for cementitious materials providing streak free colour
- Water based Cure & Seal: A transparent, acrylic polymer resin providing a hard wearing sealing solution
- Solvent based Cure & Seal: A high solids, high performance sealer suitable for heavily trafficked areas
- Industrial Quartz: Colour Hardener designed for heavy duty, decorative flooring applications
WALLCRETE – Wall render:
Recreating the appearance of natural stone, brick or rock walling from days gone by.
- WALLCRETE Render: Advanced lightweight render, which contains a bonding agent to enable simple mixing with water
- WALLCRETE imprinting mats: Replicate a variety of natural stone textures and finishes
- WALLCRETE textured finish skin mats: offering installers benefits in speed of installation
- Wall liquid release agent: Sprayable liquid for ensuring effective and simple imprinting of the WALLCRETE mats
- Wall Seal: Designed to protect the WALLCRETE surface from the elements, and enhance the natural colour
- Wall Stain: An extra strength stain, which creates a low sheen natural appearance on Wallcrete surfaces
- Wall pigment: A range of colours are available to be added to WALLCRETE as an integral colour
- Tools: PICS provide a range of mixing, carving and finishing tools to aid the WALLCRETE installer
PICSEAL and PERMASEAL Block Paving Sealers:
- PICSEAL Domestic Paving Sealer was developed by PICS in 1993 to combat the constant problems of staining and weed growth and to enhance the colour and aesthetic appeal.
- PERMASEAL Commercial Paving Sealant is our water-based sealer and is suitable only in very specific situations, normally for large areas such as supermarket carparks, pedestrian walkways etc.
PICSCOAT Tarmac Restoration:
- PICSCOAT is our own brand heavy duty commercial quality Tarmac restoration and Asphalt refurbishment product. Surfaces that have become faded, worn and shabby are transformed to “good as new” with a single application.
PICSBOND Resin Bonded Stone:
- PICSBOND is a resin bound or bonded thin overlay system using durable polyurethane resin combined with natural aggregates, to produce an attractive surface dressing suitable for roads, car parks, ramps and pedestrian areas.
Full Sealer Range:
PICS manufacture a wide range of solvent and water based sealing and curing solutions across all sectors. Whether sealing a pattern imprinted concrete driveway or curing a power floated industrial floor, there is a quality sealing solution for your specific application.
- Pattern Imprinted Concrete / Decorative Concrete Sealers
- Commercial Block Paving Sealers
- Driveway Refurbishment Sealers
- Industrial Flooring Sealers
- Decorative Walling Sealers
Further information along with technical data and useful resources can be found on the Pattern Imprinted Concrete Supplies web site.
PICSPAVE - Be Cool Use Shades to Cover Your Pattern Imprinted Concrete
Over the summer, we can have a nice few days of sunshine and some high(ish) temperatures and each year we get our annual rise in calls regarding the concrete setting quickly and we’re asked the question, how is it possible to get more time?
Unfortunately, there is no ‘magic’ cure.
Nice as the sunshine is, it does make the concrete set much quicker. Concrete will set completely differently between areas under the shade of a building or the areas out in the direct sun. Often people will start printing the area in the sun first, even if it isn’t the most logical place to start, just because they know if they don’t, they won’t have a print in it at all if they wait to print the shaded area first (as the area in the sun would be much further along setting then the shaded area).
One solution to help with this, although an extra step is to set up a shade to work under. It’s not a shelter to protect from the rain as that’s often difficult. Just using a tarpaulin (or similar) tied up above the concrete so you can work underneath it can help to keep the concrete (and you) in the shade. It will be like laying concrete on a cloudy day.
If you’ve got nothing to tie your tarp to, make yourself some weights. Do this by getting a dozen old Release Agent buckets (or similar), then fill them with some leftover concrete and create a hole in the concrete the size of a scaffold pole to add a pole to. Hey presto! place these around the job, and you’ve got something to tie to. (A couple of bits of bent rebar sticking out of the top to act as handles will make lifting them easier).
If you do use the tips and tricks suggested above, you’ll be able to do more, better quality work, with less effort and stress!
Dr Concrete
PICSPAVE The 3 Simple Rules For Contraction Joint Placement
Although it is impossible to guarantee against cracking, the chance of random uncontrolled cracks is greatly reduced by the introduction of contraction joints. The correct timings, locations and spacings of these joints are vitally important to ensure that you get the most benefit from any joints that are introduced.
Contraction Joints (or Crack Control Joints) are cut into the concrete, in straight lines. Wherever it can be done, they will be cut along the natural line of the pattern. Joints are cut as soon as possible, but in any instance within 24 hours or sooner…the sooner the better. (There will be exceptions to this, in very cold conditions when the cuts may damage the surface). The concrete is cut to between 1⁄3 and 1⁄2 of slab depth. Never full slab depth.
Saw-cut contraction joints will be used the most often, however, there are instances when the concrete is very likely to crack before the saw cut is introduced (even if it is cut within 24 hours). In these instances, soft cuts can be introduced. These are cut into the concrete before it’s coloured (using a groover) or during the printing process (using a cutting bar). Although these types of joints won’t normally be used, there are instances when a slab will be likely to crack before a normal saw cut is made unless a soft cut is introduced.
Generally, whether using saw cuts or soft cuts, based on a min 100mm thick concrete slab with fibre reinforcement, the guide for joint placement is:
Wherever practical, install a joint from a high-stress area such as a corner or a restriction.
The maximum allowable distance between joints is twice the width of the slab. i.e. a 2:1 length-to-width ratio.
No individual piece of concrete, when cut, should exceed 20m2.
Note:
Be aware that although 1,2- or 3-metre-wide areas would require a joint at least every 2, 4 or 6 metres respectively, this does not apply to a 4-metre wide slab, since based on the above 2:1 rule it would be every 8m and since 4m x 8m = 32m2, this would then exceed the 20m2 rule.
Therefore, a joint would need to be cut at every 5m (not 8m) so that the 20m2 rule is not broken, and since it’s all about reducing the chance of cracking, on a 4m wide area, we’d recommend cutting a joint in every 4m.
This would not adversely affect the aesthetics of the job, however, it would help to reduce the chance of cracking yet further since the slab shape would be square and the slab size would be under 20m2.
Simple, eh?! Corners & restrictions + Max 2:1 + No bigger than 20m2.
Dr Concrete