Replies

1. 
   plantlust | Oct 29, 2003 10:10pm | #1

   My brother went the colored and stamped concrete route this year.  I think it looks great, even tho he didn't use any curves.

   This jobless recovery has done more to promote the consumption of exquisite chocolate than the finest chocolatier.  Cost be damned.

   
1. 
   brownbagg | Oct 29, 2003 10:14pm | #2

   I stamped my driveway , myself, 85 feet x 16 and well to be honest, not a pretty sight. Its not hard but i think its one step above DIYer. i'm happy with it, just not perfect.

1. 
   plantlust | Oct 29, 2003 10:26pm | #4

   He knows his limitations and had someone come it and actually do the stamping/coloring etc.  He did all the grunt work, getting the hole/form dug out leveled etc.  He and his wife are very happy w/the way it turned out.  Worth every penny to them (and no I didn't ask how much it set him back).This jobless recovery has done more to promote the consumption of exquisite chocolate than the finest chocolatier.  Cost be damned.

2. 
   CloudHidden | Oct 29, 2003 10:26pm | #3

   Prior work.

   Consistency of color. Detail of stamping. I've seen jobs with almost no release color and ones where it looked like the stamp got within a 1/4" of the troweled slab, but not any closer. If you see troweling marks, it wasn't tamped enough.

3. 
   pino | Oct 29, 2003 10:37pm | #5

   As a DIYer, I stamped a seamless granite texture on 400 Sq ft of sidewalk. I poured w/ intergral color and used a powdered colored release agent and acid stained the finished product.

   Everything turned out great, better than most of the local pro work i've seen. (Yes I am bragging).

   Having investigated the process to death as well as many contractors, my biggest piece of advice is to pour a small test site using the color and pattern you or your client are looking for before the actual job. too many variations and unknowns can pop up. Also, look at actual job site samples, not pictures. I was amazed at the quality difference of the local contractors I reviewed. Seems like a business everyone and his uncle is getting into these days.

   To my way of thinking, the work involves more art than than construction skill.

1. 
   TLJ | Oct 29, 2003 11:18pm | #6

   Thanks for all the interest shown, everybody. I'll not be doing this work myself, but I note that I have been advised by you to look at some prior work. I'll do that and thanks.

   What's the general opion or experience about the cost compared to plain flatwork?

1. 
   SledBC | Oct 30, 2003 02:11am | #7

   Just got home from stamping and texturing a set of steps and the corner of a driveway that we poured 4 years ago that they wanted extended. It's an art, don't start with something too big, first pour try to keep under 200 sq feet of a simple pattern, try to never stamp to the edge of a stamp without having another one beside it. There's a couple tips for ya :) As far as cost, I usually charge about 50% more than broomed concrete for a simple stamp job, it's more work, more materials, and you have to come back to clean it and seal it, thats at least 2 more trips to the job, and 2 more days praying for good weather if you live anywhere like I do where it rains 50% of the year :(

1. 
   TLJ | Oct 30, 2003 03:29pm | #11

   Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, everyone. This is not a job I will be doing. I'll be subbing it out. I did need to know, and you were helpful in this, what to look for when I'm talking to various installers. I'm wondering, though, if I'll find anyone for this small job (under 400 sq ft). There is so much work around here, it's hard to get anyone to look at little jobs.

1. 
   SledBC | Oct 30, 2003 11:07pm | #14

   400 sq feet is not too small for a stamped job. In fact I prefer to pour under 500' at a time, nothing worse than getting caught when the sun comes out and its time to stamp. The stamping takes a considerable amount of time and the placed concrete always seems ready at the same time, usually I start just a little early and end up with a little bit of squish between stamps so that when i get to the end its not too late to get any impression at all.

4. 
   dIrishInMe | Oct 30, 2003 05:01am | #8

   One thing to be aware of with stamped concrete - It's not quite as maintenance free as regular concrete.   Like someone said above a sealer is applied.  This helps protect the color and surface.  The sealer must be reapplied every 2 years or so, or the surface appearance will begin to deteriorate. 

   In the picture someone posted above, you can see the sheen of the sealer. 

   There may be other ways of doing it, but this is the only method I've seen.  Someone above mentioned acid-stained or something similar.  I'd be interested in hearing more about about it.

   Re the price, around here it goes for around 2 to 3 times the amount of regular broomed flatwork.  Broomed = ~$3-4.  Stamped = ~$6-10. 

      

   Matt
1. 
   SledBC | Oct 30, 2003 05:33am | #9

   Any concrete, broomed, stamped, patina stained, even pavers will deteriorate if not sealed annually (at least in my area where weather beats it up bigtime). It's just become accepted for broomed concrete to be allowed to get eaten away over time, but you can keep it up by sealing regularly. If you fail to seal your stamped concrete over time it will look like crap, the biggest reason I have to be careful which jobs i send prospective customers to look at, since most homeowners don't maintain it, even when warned. We even provide them a good source for the correct sealer, and I think out of the last 10 jobs I've done, only one or 2 have sealed it again since I finished the job.

1. 
   TLJ | Oct 30, 2003 03:08pm | #10

   I wonder if you could slide in a maintenance contract when you bid those jobs?

1. 
   SledBC | Oct 30, 2003 11:09pm | #15

   You would think, but people are so cheap here that there is no way that would work, plus I really don't feel like going back and re-sealing peoples driveways year after year. It's a 2 day job, hose or pressure wash, sweep then next day come back to seal and around here nice days are too hard to come by, I usually have some formwork ready to pour when the sun comes out. It really is not a big deal for a homeowner to do...you really can't screw up rolling a coat of sealer on a driveway, as long as its not dirty or wet.

1. 
   brownbagg | Oct 31, 2003 01:46am | #16

   I have seen alot of screwed up stamp concrete job, make sure you protect yourself. No money till job satafatory and make sure he sign a contract that if not right tear out and redo. Out of every ten stamp jobs I inspect 6 get torn out and redone. And I,m in the commerical end of it. On residental, he going screw you bad. Get a contract, no money, keep in touch let us know how it goes.

2. 
   Ruby | Oct 31, 2003 04:30am | #17

   Around here, for $6.- a square foot installed, you can get very nice tile.

   For outdoors, maybe stamp and stained concrete is ok but indoors and at similar cost, maybe tile is better and no yearly resealing to do,  if you get the right kind of tile.

   Then, in your area, maybe tile is much higher?

5. 
   BillMcG | Oct 30, 2003 07:23pm | #12

   My parents had a walkway and steps done in stamped concrete on my recommendation about 15 years ago, and it's pretty much like new.

   It was done by a Bomanite franchise.

   some pictures:

   http://www.patternconcrete.com/Showcase.html

1. 
   TLJ | Oct 30, 2003 09:30pm | #13

   Do you know whether they resealed it in the interim as suggested by others above?

1. 
   BillMcG | Oct 31, 2003 06:37pm | #18

   <i>Do you know whether they resealed it in the interim as suggested by others above?</i>

   They did once, found it too slippery and haven't since. (I know, there are probably better sealers, but there's no sense arguing with the parents).

   No surface cracking so far. Fairly impressive.

1. 
   SledBC | Oct 31, 2003 06:55pm | #19

   afaik there are some additives to make the sealer non-slip.Darren

   http://www.LDHindustries.com

1. 
   dIrishInMe | Nov 01, 2003 02:07am | #20

   Yes.  there is a grit additive that gives the surface some texture and traction.  Can't remember the name of the products, but the materials for the sealer and grit come out to about $.35  a sq foot or so.  I don't think the big box stores sell the right stuff either.  I think it's actually a lacquer based product.

   Bill: the problem with not sealing it is not so much surface cracking, it is more the fact that some of the relief effect comes from the contract in color between the concrete (usually colored) and the release powder color;  These colors fade if not protected, and the release agent can be worn away completely.    The result is a faded mono-tone piece of concrete, that doesn't look anything like what $6 - $9 a square foot buys you.  Look at the pic posted above, and then your parents walk.

   Matt 

   Edited 10/31/2003 7:23:26 PM ET by DIRISHINME