Pattern imprinted concrete courses

[bluevin123]

Hi Guys,
I would love to get in on doing Pattern Imprinted Concrete drives etc,it looks great,does anyone know of a decent course where I can get all the info needed please?
Cheers.
Vin.

[TheVictorianCobbleCo]

Sorry Vinnie if you don't like the answer but IMHO do something else, PIC is not a go-er, I've yet to see ONE installation that compares favourably with 'proper' paving, apart from cracking/subsiding, etc etc.
Do a course on Indian sandstone/cobbling/paving, you won't regret it.

[lutonlagerlout]

hey vinnie, i also live in luton
can you point me to the pic drives that look great? cos all the ones i see look pants
concrete finishing takes years of experience to get right,you need to work with a firm that does it mate
and i dont know any round here

LLL

[ken]

I went on a £280 one day training course at place near me in Lancashire, I got to have a go at laying 300mmx300mm of concrete then pressing the mat on, as well as watching loads of videos, and eating crap quality sandwiches, and then plagued by 18 months of phone calls to ask why I wasn’t buying any PIC materials or tools from them. Bargain eh?? I decided to stick with what I know, block paving.

[lutonlagerlout]

a .09 m2 driveway ken!

not many off them about

its something that requires at least a couple of years experience i imagine
LLL

[Tony McC]

There is now an NVQ is decorative concrete but it's damned hard to find any companies willing to sponsor a candidate to complete the course. The trouble with much of the PIC trade is its ephemeral nature: far too many contractors tend to stay in business for relatively short period and then disappear when a job goes tits-up or the taxman comes to call.

I do know from first hand experience that PICS in Newbury provide training of the highest quality although it is limited in scope as the only real way to learn the job is to work at it for a couple of years, and no-one can afford to spend two years on a training course.

One of the best PIC installers I know did just that: he worked for someone else for a couple of years, and ended up running gangs for this character, gaining experience while being paid and while someone else carries all the financial risk. Then, he set himself up and 7 years later is running a comfortably profitable and well-respected business with a superb reputation.