Imprinted concrete - Complain / advice sought

[bob p]

Hi,
Hope I dont upset too many people on here but my plea is for an expert to support a court claim that I have goinf through at the moment.
I have had an imprinted drive laid and after 9 months the concrete has cracked, although no too severly however the seal has blistered and peeled.
I have taken the company to court however there is another hearing on the 1st June and between now and then I need to gain an experts advice / survey on what was wrong with the process at the beginning which lead to the drive turning out like it has. Obviously I understand there will be a charge but that's OK becuase if I win the case the costs will be re embursed to myself. Will I be able to seek that support on this forum?

[Dave_L]

I guess a fair bit of who can help would come down to your geographical location. //edit - Stoke, I see.......

Photos etc are OK, but there's nothing to beat a site visit.



Edited By Dave_L on 1239435233

[lutonlagerlout]

there was a poster called ted,who knew all the right people for this sort of things search his posts
LLL

[worldofpaving]

Hi Bob, it would be very helpful if you could post some photographs of the cracks as from your description these sound like shrinkage cracks which, whilst annoying and, depending upon positioning and extent, do not generally affect the structural integrity of your driveway and may possibly be covered in the terms and conditions of sale of the company that installed your driveway.

Sealer does sometimes delaminate from imprinted concrete driveways, there are a number of potential causes but the problem is relatively easy to resolve.

What exactly are you claiming from the court?

Best,
WOP

[bob p]

Thanks for the help so far.
The cracks are shrinkage cracks and the actual slab has not moved at all.
My issue is that it was the second time in 9 months that the company had to seal the drive becuase of peeling / whitening. When I attempted to contact them again they just ignored me. I wrote letters, phoned and in the end said I would have to take them to court. We had a mediation session with the court where they said "OK, we will come and do it again." Sounds great but it has cost me £500 to get them to say that therefore I told the court that all I ever wanted is to have my drive resealed, I didnt want it to cost me £500 to get to that point. The comany refused to pay my costs, so we are all in court at the beggining of June. The Court have informed me that I need a proffesional report indicating why the seal continues to peel and prove that it is related to something that the company did wrong i.e. wrong sealent etc. I am willing to pay becuase with this evidence I can claim all of costs back.
Bob

[worldofpaving]

Bob,

Some photos really would be helpful here.

Whilst it seems that the installer could have handled your complaint better, the issue is not as straightforward as it might appear and I say this having giving expert testimony to a court in a similar situation.

Could you be a bit clearer with exactly what you are claiming from the court, e.g. £500 and a reseal, or 100% refund, or a partial refund?

Also, what is the breakdown of the £500 you have spent to
date?

Best,
WOP

[worldofpaving]

Bob's photos can be viewed as follows:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2r6efk3&s=5
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=qn62jl&s=5
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2mqu3ys&s=5
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2wlyr1s&s=5

My comments are:

This is a shrinkage crack. It is impossible to tell from the photo if the placing and quantity of crack control joints are correct or how many such cracks there are - it also appears in one place that the concrete was laid directly against the wall rather than isolating the slab and this will not be helpful in this regard.

The delaminating sealer is almost certainly due to insufficient removal of release powder.

Given the relatively simple nature of the problems (as far as I can see it would have been a mornings work for one man to rework based on the job being an average size), I am puzzled by the installers attitude as reported by Bob. The quality of the overall work, viz. colouring, imprinting, looks good so it's strange that they should end up in court.

I have emailed someone who has the expertise and could prepare a proper report and I will pm Bob when I receive word.

Best,
WOP

[lutonlagerlout]

as a layman it just looks like PIC uk style
not my cuppa tea but i have seen loads worse
LLL