5 Fast Facts About Stamped Concrete

Are you considering adding a stamped concrete patio or driveway to your home? If so, you’ll want to learn more about this popular outdoor surface option. Here are five fast facts about stamped concrete that will help you decide if it’s the right choice for your project.

Stamped Concrete Is A Great Option For Pool Decks

Stamped concrete is a great idea for pool decks because it’s tough and easy to clean. By choosing stamped concrete instead of natural stone decking options, pool owners will also save money on their summer budget. Concrete has become an increasingly popular choice for home improvement projects thanks to its low cost and hassle-free maintenance.

Effective landscaping design is all about creating a unity with various landscaping elements that work together in both form and function. Stamped concrete provides this opportunity like no one else can! Stamping offers unlimited creative potential when it comes to transforming your yard into a space that’s as unique and distinctive as your home.

Stamped Concrete Has Been Around For A Long Time

Stamped concrete is an old technique, but it’s made a resurgence in recent years.  It became popular again in the 1990s and has continued to gain traction over the last decade.

Stamped concrete is arguably one of the most popular types of decorative pavement because it can mimic other surfaces, such as brick, slate, or stone. Because stamped concrete looks good and offers a long-lasting finish, many people who are thinking about installing their own outdoor patio choose to go with this versatile product.

Stamped Concrete Increases The Value Of Your Property

Stamped concrete is an affordable way to transform your home. Stamping concrete can make even the most unattractive driveways, sidewalks, or pool decks look great! The stamped concrete process does not require any special tools or materials. This makes stamped concrete a cost-effective solution for your exterior décor needs. Home-owners are realizing how much beauty stamped concrete can bring out in their homes and some have even used it in interior spaces such as patios and fireplaces!

The best part of new stamped concrete projects is that they provide you with a long-term investment while still allowing you to use your space immediately. A newly installed floor offers a seamless look, which enhances its appeal substantially.

It creates a unique and eye-catching look that is affordable. In addition, stamped concrete increases curb appeal by allowing homeowners to add color and texture to their property in a fun way.

Stamped Concrete Patterns Give A High Aesthetic Appeal

Stamped concrete includes a great deal of variation by using different patterns, colors, and even textures that are designed into the concrete mixture. And for this reason, stamped concrete can achieve a look that is very similar to many other hard surfaces such as brick, tile, or stone.

The process of producing stamped/colored concrete is more involved than simply “stamping” preformed molds onto the wet fresh pavement.  This would be considered an imprinted surface treatment rather than stamped concrete according to ASTM standards.

Stampable forms must have sufficient strength to be pushed onto the pavement with enough force so that they displace enough material to leave an imprint of at least 1 inch in depth. After the fresh concrete has attained sufficient strength the form is removed leaving the imprint.

Stamped concrete can last for decades if properly installed and cared for.  It will lose its color gradually over time, but it should retain some of the original stamped patterns. If stamped concrete is improperly cured it cannot absorb stain or dye like other materials such as wood or asphalt driveways would be able to do.

Stamp patterns are typically limited to only one direction (vertical) because this prevents horizontal shrinkage cracking that can damage the stamps themselves.