Stamped Concrete in Stickney That Looks Like Stone

Stamped concrete is for people who want the look of flagstone or brick without the loose pieces. It is one slab, so no weeds pushing up through joints and no stones rocking underfoot. Doing it well takes patience. First the boring part, which is the important part: digging out, compacting stone and setting forms with a slope, exactly like any other slab. A pretty top on a bad base still sinks. Then the timing. Color gets mixed in or spread on. A release powder goes down so the mats do not stick and so the low spots pick up a second shade. The crew lays the stamping mats and tamps them in when the concrete is firm enough to hold the pattern but soft enough to take it crisp. Too early and it smears. Too late and it will not take. Edges and corners get worked by hand so the texture runs all the way out. Joints get cut along the pattern lines where they blend in. Once it cures, we wash off the release and roll on a sealer, which is the finishing step that brings the color up and helps it shrug off water and stains. Earlier, at the estimate, we bring samples to your house so you can see them next to your brick, not on a phone screen.