Water Drainage for Decorative Concrete Applications

There are two basic types of drains: trench or channel drains that collect water at one end of a slope, and catch basin or area drains that drain the water from the middle of a slab. Each can be a bear for decorative contractors. Option one includes installing a long, unsightly grate. Option two requires contractors to trowel multiple four-way grades into what probably needs to be a relatively flat surface.

Drainage systems can blend into decorative concrete applications. But making them so requires some forethought.

The case for area drains
Trench and channel drains are usually used between a sloping driveway and a garage entrance, along a straight retaining wall, or to control storm runoff and chemical spills. Channel drains usually have a flat bottom with no built-in slope or pitch. Trench drains have slope or pitch built in, plus a rounded bottom to prevent debris from accumulating.