Stamped concrete ?

[p_mori7]

Hello to All;

As part of my "project" (detached garage & inground pool in the backyard), I am looking at stamped & colored concrete for the patio around the pool (pool installation was done last year) and leading to the new garage (garage to be built this summer).

Have any of you on here ever had this kind of concrete work done ?

Are you happy with the results ?

If you had to do it again, would you ? Or would you prefer to use paving stones ?

Any insight & advice is appreciated !

Many Thanks !

 

[BADSIX]

yes, i have my patio in stamped concrete its almost 5 years old and looks good. one thing about it is it needs an acrylic sealer usualy each year and there are several sealers out their some are good some are not. also the work needs to be done by someone with plenty of experiance in stamped concrete. if i had it to do over agin i think i would do the pavers i've seen some awsome paver work .

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Yes, I did a stamped concrete patio. I love mine. I did a wood plank pattern. I just snapped pics for you and they are not the best but you get the idea:

 

[brownbagg]

i did the stamp concrete, bought some used stamps at a price too high, they was basically worn out and ruin the job. been thinking of jackhammer the concrete out. just remember the friend s that will help you will leave half way before the job is done and you will lose the concrete and have a sloppy job you got to look at. Oh tip, dont do more than five yards in a day

 

[Onecat]

We did our patio last spring in stamped concrete and love it. I have a friend that is a contractor that has done concrete (including stamped) for years. I think stamped concrete is a job best left to professionals. There are so many things that can go wrong, and someone that has never done it before can be easily overwhelmed. When done right, it can be very nice.

We also have several areas done with pavers and they look nice and serve their purpose. We considered pavers and several other options before deciding on stamped concrete. I am glad we went with stamped for the patio, it suited our need best and it looks great. I would definitely do it again.

Dan

 

[Steves32]

My brother had all his backyard concrete stamped in a plank design. Concrete was colored in the truck when delivered, then they added 2 more random colors to that on site. It even has dowels & woodgrain! It was done 4 years ago & still looks great. No sealer. It was about 3 times the price of strandard concrete but that's what he wanted.

I thought of stamping & coloring my driveway but then I'd have to worry about every vehicle that pulled in my driveway. Broom finish works for me.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Did the front and rear porch when the house was built 11 years ago. They are covered but do get sunlight. I have not re-coated them yet (polyurethane) but the "slate" look that we had done looks great and has lasted a long time without any issues. The concrete guys that did mine JUST do stamped concrete and work all over the southeast.

I don't know how well it would stand up in a garage but other than recoating the polyurethane protective coat, I would think it would work out fine.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

ours on our patio is about 11 years old. wife hates it because nothing sets level on the patio like tables and chairs.
she says next time she would only do the edges and maybe the walks but not the patio again.

 

[p_mori7]

thanks for all the feedback, and am definitely looking at having a "pro" do the job.

the driveway part in front of the garage was worrying me, i'll probably do that in regular brushed finish without color.

 

[danski0224]

It is very expensive. Pavers might be less.

Be absolutely certain to check references. Go look at prior jobs >1 year old.

When it's done right, it looks good.

 

[ConCretin]

As has been said, stamped concrete is expensive but is very nice when done properly. You can use integrally colored concrete or a shake on color/hardener. An experienced, professional installer is more important than anything else. Pay attention to the typical details for a good slab on grade - sub base, crack control, curing, etc. Also, be flexible on schedule so your finisher can pick the right day to place. It is not something you want to do in hot or windy conditions.

 

[collmorgen]

I scored and dyed mine myself. Not the same look as stamped but a big improvement over plain concrete. It's not too hard and very cheap.

 

[csp]

Pavers might be less.

I doubt it. Pavers require a lot more base preparation than concrete, at least to do a proper job that won't heave in frost/thaw cycles.

They are more DIY friendly if you're willing to put in the labor. We have a 4' by approx. 90` paver sidewalk that has a lot of curves in it. I don't care to think about how many hours my wife and I put into that sidewalk, but the compliments made it worth it.

 

[Zeke]

I scored and dyed mine myself. Not the same look as stamped but a big improvement over plain concrete. It's not too hard and very cheap.

Which stain product did you use? Did you variegate the stain finish at all? I've seen some beautiful jobs on suppliers websites. I've done one scoring job, but I used a solid color due to extreme existing stains in the concrete. It turned out excellent. It had some existing cracks and I enhanced the look by adding more "cracks." (Random wiggly lines, some radiating from real cracks.)

 

[collmorgen]

I used an acid based stain. I don't remember the brand. It leaves a kind of weathered look, not a solid look like paint. It came in about eight colors. I've used black, brick red and cola (brown). The final color depends a lot on the concrete. Surface imperfections show through so it enhances the aged look. You just clean the concrete, spray the dye with a pump up sprayer and let it dry (it looks like **** at this stage). You can recoat to intensify the color. When you are satisfied you neutralize with a baking soda slurry. Clean and dry and then put on a sealer. I've done a couple of bedrooms that had carpet. They turned out pretty good but the glue lines from the carpet pad do show through. Not a look for everyone but my wife likes it so I'm good.

 

[Eagle Point]

We bought a new house 2 years ago and had to landscape the rear and side yards so here are a few pictures of the finished product with 5 cement truck loads of concrete, stamped and stained. I hose it off once in a while and that's about it. A couple cracks have shown up and sort of blend in with the pattern. Overall very happy with the look.

 

[Chloe Taylor]

We bought a new house 2 years ago and had to landscape the rear and side yards so here are a few pictures of the finished product with 5 cement truck loads of concrete, stamped and stained. I hose it off once in a while and that's about it. A couple cracks have shown up and sort of blend in with the pattern. Overall very happy with the look.

The houses look great....

 

[p_mori7]

@ Eagle Point: Yeowza ! That's very nice ! (and a lot more elaborate than what I'll be doing)

Thanks for the pics, especially the close up.

Mine will have to be more "beige" in color to match the pool surround.

 

[scottzilla]

There is no reason stamped concrete should cost more than pavers. I spoke to a few concrete companies and they were unable to explain why it was so expensive.
Needless to say I did not use stamped concrete.

 

[saxon802]

In Michigan right now the average price for stamped concrete work is between $8-$9 per square foot. This includes removal of sod/dirt, building the forms, base prep with 21AA crushed concrete, moving sprinkler heads, rerouting downspouts, cutting stress cuts and sealing with a skid resistant sealer. Concrete color and stampt pattern does not matter. I have had up to six different quotes for a patio and they are all in the ballpark with respect to price.

 

[p_mori7]

Excellent info, thanks !