Plain gray or patched slab? We plan color and texture around its condition and the weather, so old flaws are less likely to show through.
Decorative concrete in Portsmouth adds color and texture to a new pour or an existing slab, so your patio, walk or driveway looks like more than plain gray and suits the house it sits beside.
Most people call us because a patio, walk or driveway looks tired, or because they're planning new concrete and want more than plain gray. On a new pour we can mix color into the concrete or press a pattern into it while it's fresh. On an older slab, a stain or topping can change the look without tearing anything out. Indoor slabs from our concrete floor installation work can take color too.
The price moves with the size of the area, whether we're pouring new or working over an old slab, and how involved the finish is. The schedule turns on the weather, since we time finishing and sealing to suit it, and on how long fresh concrete needs before you can use it. When I come out, the estimate gives you a figure for your own job.
Please call (757) 731-7248 or use the form, and if you can, include the rough size of the area and a few photos of any existing slab. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out myself, check the slab or the ground, and ask how you'll use the space and what look you have in mind. You get an estimate for your job, so you know the cost before you decide anything.
If you go ahead, I run the job with our own crew and take care of any permits and inspections. We set the finishing and sealing days by the forecast, and I'll let you know if the weather moves them.
When we're done, I walk the finished concrete with you and go over how to care for it. Curing is the wait while new concrete gains strength, so please keep cars and furniture off it until I tell you it's ready.
On a new pour, the color is what you'll notice, but the base under it decides whether the slab stays flat. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil and stone the slab sits on, check where the water runs, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a place to crack in a straight line instead of across your pattern. If a budget has to give, I'd rather simplify the finish than skimp on the base.
Color goes into the mix or onto the fresh surface, and a stamped pattern has to be pressed in while the concrete is still soft, so we bring enough of our crew to finish each section before it sets. The same color and texture can go on vertical work such as concrete retaining walls, so a wall and a patio can match.
What decorative concrete can include:
If your slab is sound, a stain or decorative topping can give it a new face with far less work than tearing it out. If it has sunk, cracked through or slopes toward the house, color only dresses up the problem, and I'll tell you so. In that case a new pour with the finish built in usually makes more sense, because we can fix the base and the drainage at the same time.
The size of the area and the finish you choose matter most, since a single stain color takes far less labor than a stamped pattern with a border and two colors. Over an old slab, cleaning and repairs add to the work. A new pour adds digging out, base, forms and the concrete itself, and a backyard a truck can't reach means more hand work. I'll go through each of these when I see your job.
I learned concrete on a municipal crew, pouring sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards, and since 2013 Advantage Portsmouth Concrete has worked the same way. We keep trucks and forms off your lawn and plantings where we can, cover what needs covering, and clean up before we leave each day. If the weather changes our plans, we tell you as soon as we know.
I would rather explain something twice than have you surprised later, so before we start I'll tell you what each step is for and why it matters for your slab. Please ask as many questions as you like. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Calling ahead gives me time to look over your slab and gives us room to wait for the right weather.
Tell us the rough size of the area and your ideas for color or pattern. We reply within one business day, and I'll come out for a free estimate with no obligation.
You can choose color mixed into the concrete, color hardeners worked into the fresh surface, chemical stains, pigments and dyes, or a textured or stamped surface. Stamped concrete has a pattern pressed into it while it's fresh, so it looks like stone or brick paving. When I come out, we'll talk about which suits the way you use the space.
Stamped concrete can often cost less than real stone or brick, so it's worth pricing both before you decide. Your own figure comes down to the size, the pattern and the prep the site needs, and I'll give you that in the estimate.
Have the slab checked before any topping goes on, because trench repairs, patches and stains that have soaked in will affect a decorative topping. I look for those first, along with cracks and low spots, and tell you plainly whether a topping or stain makes sense or whether new concrete would serve you better.
One maker's guide says decorative toppings go on best at about 55 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity at 75 percent or lower. Outside that range, sealers can cure too slowly or too fast and then blister or change in gloss or color, so we plan the work days around the forecast.
Reseal lightly and only when the finish needs it. One sealer maker warns that coats put on too heavy, too many coats, or resealing too often can make a sealer bubble, whiten, peel, flake and finally fail, and extra coats add no protection. That maker also has a slip-resistant additive for more grip near steps or a pool, though it says the sealed surface still isn't completely non-slip.
The City of Portsmouth requires an approved erosion control plan and a land disturbance permit for projects that disturb 2,500 square feet or more. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections, and if it isn't clear, we check with the city before work starts. Virginia's Board for Contractors licenses contractors who work on other people's property by class and type of work, with Class C covering a single job over $1,000 and under $30,000, so it's fair to ask any contractor which class they hold. We're licensed and insured.
We're based in Portsmouth, VA and also work in Norfolk, Chesapeake and the other cities below. Please choose your area, or call (757) 731-7248 if yours isn't listed.
