Stamped concrete or exposed aggregate is a question I get from a lot of customers. Each is a good choice of course. Cost is always a concern. I can say this, if your project has any size to it, the exposed will be less expensive. That may not apply to every where in the country, but here in Virginia, the stone in the concrete is still available at a competitive rate.

What are the advantages or disadvantages of these two finishes? For exposed aggregate it gives you the appearance of stone. Call it what you want, rather it looks like a river bed or stone road. It is a more rustic and Earthy finish. It goes well with many landscapes. Stamped on the other hand can be transformed into many finishes, from stone, wood, and old fashion finishes. Almost anything that a human can mold, but one thing is for sure, I don’t know of a stamp that can mimic exposed aggregate.

Let me help you in your design. Give me a call and we can discuss all the ways to design and finish your project.

Random Ashlar Slate. I believe the color is taos tan with Le Cresenta Brown Release. This patio is located in Goochland VA, at the Goochland county administration building.

We arrived in the morning and graded the site for the new patio. The design/layout was provided to us by the grounds department. After grading and setting of the forms,we poured the concrete in the mid morning. Once the conrete was down  the release was applied and then we stamped the concrete. We then ribboned off the area to keep any one from walking on the fresh concrete. The next morning we saw cut the patio. This helps to control cracking. We then cleaned up the release and after the concrete was dry a sealer was applied. We installed a  substance in the sealer to help with traction. At the time I took this photo the plantings and mulch had not yet been installed 100%. I am looking forward to this Spring or Summer to get a photograph with all the landscaping complete.

Please give us a call and let us help desgin and install your next project.

We installed this sidewalk this past Summer. The homeowner wanted red and as you can see we delivered! Look at the contrast between the regular concrete on the left and the stamped concrete sidewalk. Big difference. Please keep in mind if you choose to do a brick stamp, you don’t have to go red. This is about as dark as we go with red. We have done this same stamp using many colors. From tan, to gray we have many choices to choose from. We also add contrast for the joints and shading.

Actually before we installed the new sidewalk we tore out an existing paver sidewalk. The pavers were uneven and had gaps where they had settled. I can tell you for sure. The homeowner is very happy with her new sidewalk. We have actually been back to her house and tore out more pavers on the other side of the garage and installed brick stamped concrete over there and in the backyard under her trellis where she is growing Wisteria.

So if you would like a new sidewalk from scratch or are replacing an old one, please give us a call. As always our estimates are free.

Well I would like to build this for you. We stamped the patio with a texture mat and actually poured the counter tops using the same colored concrete as the patio. The only thing different about the counter top is the top is smooth for easy clean up and the sides have a chipped stone edge appearance. Add a little stone to the counter bases, plop in a grill and you have yourself an outdoor kitchen. This product is a culmination of  great ideas and craftsmanship. This can be yours. Give us a call or send me an email. Spring is coming, lets get it done.

What more would you want? A beautiful yard with landscaping, trees, and furniture? Oh yea, one more thing, a beautiful stamped concrete patio to tie it all together. This stuff just doesn’t happen by accident.

Going into every project I feel confident that my crew can perform whatever I sell to the customer. Think about it, I don’t want to sell something that I cannot do. Some contractors sell more then they can give. They will tell the customer oh yea, we can do that or oh yea, no problem.

What I do as a contractor is sit down (and sometimes stand) and communicate with the customer and find out what they want. Believe me, sometimes its hard, because the customer is not always sure. So I work through the process, step by step and describe what we do and how we do it.

The communication and listening was accomplished on this project. When a project is complete is when I get my fulfillment, knowing that we did a job just the way the owner wanted it. The smile on their faces and the sincere words “Thank You Very Much” gives me a wonderful feeling.

Happy customer, mission accomplished. On to the next one…

Wow!! I Loved doing this project. Working with an experienced contractor, and I want to plug him here, James River Construction. Not only do they go out of their way to satisfy the homeowner, the owner of the company is great too.

But as always the project does not come down to just the contractors. The homeowners had an idea of what they wanted the final product to look like. I sat down with her and discussed what she was looking for and of course colors and details. Everything was pre planned before we started. The lay-out, colors, textures, stamping and saw cutting was all figured out before the first bit of concrete hit the ground.

We formed the porch and steps first. We used a chipped edge molding finish. The porch had a broomed border as the steps were finished the same way. Inside the border we used a slate texture (many to choose from). We than proceeded to pour the patio and sidewalk using the same colors and textures. Upon completing we saw cut the lines you see here. The saw cutting accomplishes two things. A design criteria and control joints. If you read my blog from January 2012, you will understand this concept a little better. Upon completion we sealed everything  and in the sealer we mixed a traction control product.

As you can see from the picture, it is a beautiful porch and steps. One thing works with the other. The design of the porch and all the finishes the homeowner chose and the craftmanship of all the workers comes into play. Please allow us to be a part of your next project. Give us a call or better yet, send me an email from my contact information and I will get right back with you.

What we try to do is eliminate random cracking. We cut the slab in strategic areas as to weaken the concrete, so hopefully it will crack at the that point. It  works rather well. This is what we call a control crack. This is different than an expansion crack. If your project is large enough we will install expansion joints (cracks) and in between the expansion joints we install control joints (cracks). We have installed many projects and so far in eleven years we have not had any call backs or repairs for any types of cracks. I always discuss with my customers as to what we do trying to eliminate random cracking.

I hope this blog enlightens you a little bit to concrete cracking. There are many articles on the web, so I don’t believe I need to break it all down here.  Don’t despair, and do not let it discourage you from your concrete project. The first step is already figured out, we recognize it. We will design your project using our knowledge and understanding to eliminate or reduce cracking.

 Concrete is a wonderful thing. It’s beautiful and gives you a solid base for many years. Whether it’s a driveway, patio or sidewalk. Concrete is still the best product to use. Nine times out of ten  concrete will be less expensive then pavers. And when concrete is  done correctly, (like we do),  it will not sink, separate and grow grass and weeds like pavers. Give us a call and let me help you with designing your project.

We stamped this driveway in Richmond Virginia in Henrico County. First we tore out the existing asphalt and then graded to four inches. The concrete is colored with a charcoal integral color. The release agent is a darker charcoal and of course the stamp is cobblestone. Finally we sealed it with a 30% solid solvent based sealer. We formed the far edge at a slightly higher elevation than the driveway to compensate for the homeowners flower bed.

Does everything need to be stamped? In my opinion broomed concrete looks very nice also and one good thing about broomed, it cost less. First you don’t need the color or the stamps. That saves some bucks right there. Don’t get me wrong, I love stamped concrete, but I love this too. If broomed concrete is layed out correctly and finished properly as you see here, it makes for a very nice deck or patio. We do plenty of broomed driveways and walks also. Generally they do not make for a good picture like this, but as you can see concrete is just a small part of the big picture here. Put in some landscaping with plants and rocks here and there and along with broomed concrete you will have a very nice project.

Stamped concrete and patios go together like bacon and eggs. You can choose your color, your stamp, and borders if you like. Patios can get a little complex on hillsides. Retaining walls and steps can add costs to your patio. What we did here, is try and keep it as simple as possible without wasting space and dollars. At the top we built a small wall to retain the earth. Then for the upper patio we kept it “small, but usable, for a grill and a couple of chairs. The remainder and the larger portion of the patio is one step down. The size is big enough for a table and chairs, outdoor couch, umbrellas and even a fire pit. Working with the homeowner and getting what they want is my goal for every job we do. Give us a call or send me an email . You can even comment here, to this blog if you like. I would like to help get you started on your project.<.p>