Best Contractor for Decorative Stamped Concrete Patios

Benefits of Quality Decorative Stamped Concrete Patios

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Here is a quick overview of how we do decorative concrete stamps for patios. First we’re pouring the concrete at 4000 PSI. There's a lot of prep that goes into how we are pouring the concrete, but we’ll just start at that level where it’s just been poured. You’ve got the gray concrete and then we’re adding color hardener. So when you pour the concrete at 4000 PSI, you start adding these color hardeners, the finished PSI on the surface of the patio ends up being closer to 4700-4800 PSI. This is a really high quality level for concrete durability.

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Is decorative concrete the same as stamped concrete?

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Decorative concrete, or stamped concrete, is a great way to create a patio or walkway that looks like natural stone or pavers. It involves imprinting a pattern or design onto the concrete before it cures to give it a unique and attractive look.

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The PSI number that concrete is poured at is a very important factor because when a decorative patio is properly done, the colors are installed on the top, so that you can get a more natural stone look to it, we install two powders evenly distributed, one lighter and one darker over the entire patio, so that when we emboss the stamps, it's going to show the highs and the low points of the actual pattern. And then you can marble in a few additional colors, once that’s done, everything’s set, the patio is power washed; they reseal it with a commercial grade sealer. This is a tough seal and it’s very important that your contractor is using a commercial grade sealer, the reason is that all of the residential sealers on the market, when they are installed. It’s like staining or painting anything else, it’s just one layer going on top of another layer, going on top of another layer. So all of the imperfections are just continuously being trapped.

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Is decorative concrete cheaper than pavers?

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When it comes to affordability, stamped concrete is the more economical choice. Its cost-effective nature enables you to cover a large area quickly and easily. On the other hand, pavers are more expensive as each tile must be purchased separately and the installation requires more labor.

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When you use a commercial grade sealer, it’s a solvent-based sealer, so what you're doing is, once the patio is sealed, when you go to reseal it, that re-sealer, the tough seal 35, is actually going to dissolve whatever's left of the old sealer, which is then going to rise to the surface. So you're not trapping in imperfections, you’re allowing the old sealer to be dissolved and the new sealer to be settled. You will want to re-seal your patio, traditionally every 2-4 years, depending on sun exposure, because that sealer is what’s going to give the patio its integrity as far as the colors, it’s vibrancy, as far as the colors.

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Does stamped concrete add value?

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If you're looking to add value to your property, look no further than decorative concrete stamping. This process involves imprinting a unique design into newly poured concrete, creating eye-catching results that are sure to impress. Decorative concrete not only adds aesthetic interest, but can also increase the resale value of your home.

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Once the patio is sealed and it slowly starts to burn off those colors start to fade. Now what’s important to realize is that the colors are molecularly bonded with the concrete, they’re not going away, they're just not as apparent, the sealer is what gives them their vibrancy. So let’s say you have a stamped patio and it hasn’t been resealed for about 8 to 10 years, and it’s very dull and looks very faded. If it’s a patio that we installed, the colors are still there, even though you aren’t able to see them. Even if it’s been 8 to 10 years and the patio seems like it’s faded and it’s no longer a high-quality finish. Once we power wash it and reseal it, those colors come right back out because they're molecularly bonded. So there are a lot of details that go into it.

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