The look of stone in one slab
Patterns pressed into fresh concrete so a patio or an entry reads like stone, brick or slate. Colored, stamped and sealed.
Stamped concrete
Stamped concrete is a regular slab with a pattern pressed into the top while it is still soft. Textured mats are laid on the surface and tamped down, and when they lift, the concrete carries the look of stone, slate or brick. There are no separate pieces to shift or grow weeds between. It is still one slab, sitting on the same kind of base as any other patio.
Stamping is the most time sensitive finish in concrete. There is a short window when the surface is firm enough to hold a print and soft enough to take one, and the whole slab has to be stamped inside it. That is why layout, crew and weather get planned harder on a stamped job than on a broom finish.
Where stamped concrete goes
- Back patio
- The pattern runs across the full slab or sits inside a plain border.
- Front entry and walk
- A stamped porch landing and walk at the front door, where people see the detail up close.
- Pool deck
- A lighter texture and a grip additive in the sealer, since the deck is wet most of the summer.
- Stamped border
- A patterned band around a broom finish slab, for some detail without stamping the whole thing.
How the job goes
- 1
Choose pattern and color
You pick a pattern and a base color, and usually a second accent color that settles into the low spots. We lay out which way the pattern runs so the lines look right from the door and from the yard.
- 2
Pour and color
Base and forms go in like any patio. The concrete is placed, leveled and floated, and the color goes in or on. Then a release agent is put down so the mats lift clean without pulling the surface.
- 3
Stamp
Mats are set edge to edge and tamped in, one row after another, working across the slab while the concrete is at the right stiffness. Edges and tight corners are finished with hand tools.
- 4
Wash, joint and seal
After the slab has hardened, the extra release is washed off and control joints are cut. Once the surface is dry, sealer goes on. It brings up the color and protects the texture.
What makes it last
Concrete fails from the bottom up. These are the parts you will never see once the job is done, and they decide how the slab holds up.
- A regular slab under the pattern
- The print is only in the top fraction of an inch. Below it we build the same compacted gravel base and the same thickness a plain slab would get, because a good looking surface on a weak base still cracks.
- Joints still go in
- Stamped concrete shrinks like any other. We plan control joints to follow the pattern lines where we can, so they hide in the design, but we do not leave them out.
- Enough fall to drain the texture
- Deep textures can hold puddles if the slab is too flat. We keep a fall of about one eighth to one quarter inch per foot away from the house so rain drains off the pattern.
- Sealer kept up
- Sealer is what keeps stamped concrete looking the way it did the first week. Sun and foot traffic wear it down, and it typically needs to be redone every few years.
Start with a photo.
435·220·5536Text us a photo of the spot and rough measurements. We will tell you what we can from the photo, or come out and take a look.
Get a quoteStamped concrete: straight answers
Is stamped concrete slippery?
It can be when wet, more so than a broom finish, because the sealer leaves a smoother film. A grip additive mixed into the sealer helps. Tell us if the slab is by a pool, on a slope or at a step, and we will plan the texture and sealer for it.
How often does it need to be resealed?
Typically every few years. Full sun and heavy use shorten that, and shade stretches it. When water stops beading on the surface or the color looks dull, it is time for a wash and a new coat.
Will stamped concrete crack?
Any concrete can crack, stamped or not. We build the base and place the joints to help keep cracks thin and along the joint lines. A crack in a stamped slab is harder to patch without it showing, which is one more reason the base matters.
Can you stamp the patio I already have?
Not the slab that is there now. Stamping only works on fresh concrete. To get a stamped surface in that spot, the old slab comes out and a new one is poured. Text us a photo and we will tell you what we can from it.