Plain gray patio looking tired, or planning a new one? We pour a patterned slab built on a solid base, with footing and upkeep planned in.
Our stamped concrete services in Portsmouth, VA give you a slab pressed with a pattern while it's still wet, so a patio, walkway or pool deck can look like stone, brick or slate and keep the strength of poured concrete.
Most people call us when a plain slab has started to look dull, or when they're planning a new patio and want more than a broom finish, the light brushed texture most slabs get for grip. Stamping is one of several decorative choices, along with exposed aggregate and color mixed in or dusted on, so it helps to compare looks. It suits outdoor slabs best, and inside a garage, plain garage floor concrete is usually the better fit.
The price moves with the size of the area, the pattern and colors you pick, whether an old slab has to come out and how much work the ground needs. The schedule turns on dry weather for the pour, on curing, which is the wait while the concrete hardens before it's sealed and used, and on any permit, which I pull and get inspected before we begin. Your estimate gives you the figure for your own job.
Please call (757) 731-7248 or send the form, and we'll reply to set a time to see the job. It helps to tell us whether this is a new slab or a replacement for an old one.
I come out myself, look over the ground and where the water runs, ask how you'll use the slab and talk through pattern, color and slope with you. You get an estimate with the price for the job as we've discussed it.
If you go ahead, I run the job alongside our own crew, from digging out and packing the base to placing the concrete, pressing the pattern and cutting the joints. We check the forms before the truck arrives, so the slope is right on the day of the pour.
Once the slab has cured, we put on the sealer and clean up the site. Then I walk the finished work with you and explain what to watch for when it's time to reseal.
A pattern only looks good while the slab under it stays put, so we dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, instead of raking dirt level. We slope the slab away from your house, pour early so the top isn't weakened by midday heat, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give cracks a planned place to go, on time. It's the same care we put into concrete sidewalk building.
Industry guidance says decorative finishes take much more care and experience than a plain slab, so when you compare bids, please ask each contractor about the stamped work they've done before. I'm glad to answer that question, and to explain why I'd plan your job the way I would.
What our stamped concrete work covers:
When a stamped slab is sound but the color has gone flat, it usually needs a good cleaning and a fresh coat of sealer, not new concrete. Cracks that run through the slab, sections that have sunk or water that pools are a different matter, because they point to a problem in the base. A new surface on top won't fix that, so in those cases we'd take the slab out, rebuild what's underneath and pour again.
Size and pattern set the starting point, since a detailed pattern with several colors takes more hands and more time than a single texture. Tearing out an old slab and building a proper base add to the job, and the base is what people most want to trim because nobody sees it on day one. If something has to give, please cut a color or simplify the pattern before the base, because a handsome surface on a weak base tends to settle and crack.
I learned this work on a municipal crew, pouring sidewalks, curbs and steps to city standards, and I've run Advantage Portsmouth Concrete with that same discipline since 2013. We keep the work area tidy, protect your lawn and plantings where we can and let you know promptly if weather moves the pour.
Stamped concrete comes with some upkeep, and I'd rather tell you about resealing now than have it surprise you later. I'll explain any step as many times as you like, and thank you for considering us. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Call and tell us the rough size, where it sits on your lot and whether your home is in a historic or downtown district.
Tell us about the area and the look you like. We reply within one business day, and I come out myself for a free on-site estimate, with no pressure to book.
Stamped concrete is priced job by job, so I can't give a fair figure until I've seen your site. The size, pattern, colors, any old slab removal and the base all move it, as covered above, and your estimate gives you the price for your own slab.
Plan the slope and the texture before the pour, because national trade guidance says an outdoor slab must slope to carry water away and have a surface that isn't slippery when wet. At the estimate we talk through slope and the pattern you like, since a smoother pattern gives less grip than a rougher one. Please ask any contractor you're comparing how their plan keeps the surface safe in the rain.
Most stamped concrete gets a film-forming sealer, one that coats the surface, because it deepens the color. Penetrating sealers soak in and guard against water and stains but leave the color as it is, and they generally need the slab fully cured first. Trade guidance also warns that too much film-forming sealer, or sealer put on too early, can leave a poor look.
Reseal when the surface needs it, not on a calendar, which usually means when water and stains stop beading off or the color loses its depth. Trade guidance warns against resealing every year for a high gloss, because the coats build up and can be slow and costly to strip. A reseal goes on out of direct sun, often in the evening while the slab is cooling, since full sun can raise bubbles that weaken the bond with the old coat.
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 of ground. If your home is in a historic district or the downtown design overlay district, exterior work needs approval from the city's Planning Department first, and that office also handles Chesapeake Bay protection and flood rules, while digging into the public strip along the street needs city permission too. When a permit is needed I pull it and schedule the inspections, and when it isn't clear I check with the local building office before work starts.
Under Virginia law, a Class C contractor handles single jobs over $1,000 and under $30,000, and a Class B contractor handles single jobs of $30,000 or more but under $150,000. Please ask any contractor you're comparing which class they hold for a job your size. We're licensed and insured.
We're based in Portsmouth and pour stamped concrete in many cities around it, including Norfolk and Chesapeake. Please choose your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
