What Are The Disadvantages Of Stamped Concrete?

Stamped Concrete: Advantages & Disadvantages

When it’s time to pick up a finished surface for your patio, driveway or walkway, you’ll definitely want a product that’s aesthetically pleasing, robust, and cost-effective. Stamped concrete is an ever-growing popular choice because it can be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of these items to mimic higher end materials such as brick and stone pavers. Nonetheless, consider the advantages and disadvantages of stamped concrete before you make your final decision.

Choices and Aesthetics

When it comes to picking a stamped concrete surface for a landscape, there is definitely no shortage of options. In many colors, patterns and textures, stamped concrete comes. The imitation of virtually every surface from marble to stone to weathered timber offers stamped concrete and aesthetically pleasing surface that adds to the value of a home and land. Stamped concrete is a budget-friendly way to add to a landscape a decorative touch.

Installation

One of the benefits of stamped concrete is its simple application. Installing a stamped concrete surface is far less labor-intensive than installing a paver surface for which, each paver needs to be hauled and installed. It is a matter of mixing, pouring and stamping to mount stamped concrete. Nevertheless, there is a wide room for error with the ease of deployment.

Concrete is a water and cement powder mixture. There is a chance of rough edges and bad finish when the mixture contains too much water because the concrete readily adheres to the seal. If the mixture is too dry, bulging and premature cracking is a problem with stamped concrete.

Durability

Although stamped concrete can be easy to clean and does not require maintenance to preserve its patterned look, one of its major drawbacks is that it lacks durability compared to other finished surfaces.

It is important to be careful when building stamped concrete because under a heavy load it easily cracks and scratches. For a driveway and any place where cars are driven or parked, stamped concrete is a poor choice. Stamped concrete is less likely to crack under pressure on a footpath, walkway or patio; but, with weathering and time, it is still vulnerable to cracking.

Cracks and Repair

It is not a matter of whether, when it comes to concrete and cracking, but when the surface changes due to weather and settling. You don’t have to worry about stamped concrete cracking in a mild, Mediterranean climate due to expansion and contraction that comes with harsh fluctuations in temperature, but the surface is likely to crack as years pass by.

While patching a regular concrete slab, it is difficult to match color and consistency of the surface, and painted concrete makes matching color and consistency even more difficult on the surface. Although it is less costly than other surface options, if you are bothered by unsightly cracks, stamped concrete will end up costing you more in the long run.

Considerations

Other patio and walkway surface options, such as interlocking pavers, are more costly than originally stamped concrete but cost less in the long run because, in case of a problem, their entire surface does not have to be repaired. Because each paver is a single piece, you don’t have to worry about surface cracking or sinking pavers. As pavers begin to settle, they may loosen, which can create a hazard for the trip, but it is easy to remove and replace individual pavers.