Re: Thinking of Stamped Concrete
I have paver's on my driveway and they have been in 19 years, I can see where the wheels go as they have made pronounced dips in in four places. The paver's have no marks on them and after I clean them they look like new, they do get dirty, especially under trees, a power wash makes them look new again. I should treat them with a sealant so they are easier to clean. Oil stains are a bit of a pain (not the Xfire) but they wash out reasonably with cleaners and then the traces just fade away. I have lifted and then relayed some bricks to even out the surface a bit, its easy to do.
Incidentally, the township decided to lay new curbs down the street and cut through driveway surfaces, they just lifted my bricks and when relayed it was like it always was, others had a new asphalt strip a foot wide that stuck out a mile away.
Concrete is popular around here as well, the secret is a good base that keeps the water from being trapped under the concrete. On clay soil this may be a problem as the base will get water logged if it cannot drain, so underground drains of some form each side are a must. We have sand around here, so we have no problem with drainage, far from it in fact. Concrete must expand freely and the movement must be allowed for in expansion joints or nasty cracks can occur. Just be sure you get a good contractor and look at his previous work, too many of these guys do business for one year and then start a new company the next. If you have any trouble they are gone as far as you are concerned.