Stamped concrete. Experiences?

[Amethyst]

We need to have our front stoop and walkway redone. I like the look of stamped concrete, but the first mason who we had come out to give us an estimate, steered me toward pavers instead. He stated that stamped concrete would start wearing away in three years. 
 

Does anyone have any experience (good or bad) with stamped concrete? 

[Acadie]

I had a similar experience with a concrete contractor steering us away from stamped concrete. He said it cracks eventually, like any concrete, and there's no way to repair a small area and have it look decent. He also said if it's not maintained with a sealant regularly you can't get the finish or color back, once it begins to deteriorate. Even as a professional, he didn't keep up with the maintenance on his stamped concrete pool deck and now regrets installing it. I really appreciated his honesty, since it cost him the job! But I think contractors are so busy he'll be fine 🙂 

Pavers, on the other hand, can be replaced in small sections if needed, and there are new styles made up of larger blocks that look more contemporary than the older, small block styles. We're still waiting on installation (probably September) but I'm excited for our new patio. Our contractor uses Unilock paver blocks. I'm not sure if it's a regional company, but here it is if you want to check out some potential colors and design ideas: https://unilock.com

ETA: We chose grey Beacon Hill Flagstone. I wonder, after looking at Arcadia's links, if the larger pavers might be any less likely to sink like that. Site prep is obviously really important but I imagine there's always a bit of settling, heaving or sinking. In  my area frost heaves and cold winters might be more likely to cause issues than heat waves.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Acadie

[Arcadia]

We have very good experience with stamped concrete versus pavers for our condo visitors parking lots. The pavers would pop during heat waves and lead to loose pavers or jutting out pavers which is a safety hazard. So our HOA suggested redoing to stamped concrete and it makes sense for safety and cost reasons since repairing pavers was also not cheap.

These links show what our pavers looked like before they were replaced

https://www.paving.org/index.php/lift-and-relay-block-paving/

http://www.powercleanextreme.co.uk/drives/drive-repairs/

 

[Moonhawk]

My parents stamped concrete lasts/lasted pretty long. Front porch was done in 2000, experienced water damage about 8 years in (water from the roof drops directly on it). Back patio porch was done in 2009, still looks great. Maybe it's the climate?

My dad says make sure there is rebar in the concrete otherwise it may crack. 

I know the front porch part did get slippery when it rained.  Maybe not totally slippery but more than regular concrete. I don't know if that is true of all paint types or if you can add something to get better grip. 

Another option is putting tile on top of your concrete, which is what my dad is considering for a different section.

 

[gardenmom5]

It's all how it is done, and what the underlayment/surface prep is like.  And exposure to weather. 

 

 

we have a full west facing front porch, that is protected from rain and generally doesn't freeze (freezes around here tend to be in the 20s, though we have hit zero), though it can get pretty hot.  We've never had an issue with it and it is about 20 years old.  The stamping was done at the same time the porch was poured/finished, it wasn't a surface treatment to an existing walkway.

 

[Arcadia]

Took a photo. I don’t remember when it was done but definitely longer than 3 years.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Arcadia
Cropped photo

[saraha]

My in laws had a stamped concrete side walk put in and the stamp is an irregular that is not very deep. It is slick as snot when wet or icy. They wish they hadn’t done it

[Pawz4me]

I don't have personal experience, but our neighbor's driveways (they have two) are partially stamped concrete. The first 20-30 feet, for the decorative effect, I guess. We've lived here for five years and the stamped part looks the same to me as it did when we first moved here. I do remember them having it coated (or re-coated, maybe) three or four years ago.

[BlsdMama]

3 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

It's all how it is done, and what the underlayment/surface prep is like.  And exposure to weather. 

 

Concrete cracks. It’s what concrete does. It can be helped by being cut. It can be helped by proper preparation. It can be helped with rebar OR fiber mesh (but I know a lot of folks hate it.)

I can see matching the stamp for any future prep work being a nightmare. 
 

We live in the land of frost heave. My dad told me I was nuts to do pavers for our patio. I did a LOT of research. I’m not sorry - - yet. But maybe someday. 
 

They went with concrete. It’s flaking but no cracks. My uncle and brother do concrete, they said it was a bad pour from the company. Shouldn’t flake. But, and here’s the deal, nothing’s perfect. The question is, what has the best chance of going twenty years nicely? Pavers or concrete answer that with stamped concrete being last. And if you don’t mind that and the upkeep (all things have some degree of upkeep) and the tradeoff  is your preferred aesthetic? If the look of stamped concrete is much preferred over pavers, it might be worth the gamble? My uncle (the one who does concrete) did his patio stamped 6-7 years ago. I think we’ll see him this weekend. If we do, I’ll ask him how he likes it. If you have temperate weather (no torrential rainfall, no salting that area, no need to shovel there, no extreme temps) then your choice of stamped concrete is less risky. 

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, BlsdMama said:

Concrete cracks. It’s what concrete does. It can be helped by being cut. It can be helped by proper preparation. It can be helped with rebar OR fiber mesh (but I know a lot of folks hate it.)

I can see matching the stamp for any future prep work being a nightmare. 
 

We live in the land of frost heave. My dad told me I was nuts to do pavers for our patio. I did a LOT of research. I’m not sorry - - yet. But maybe someday. 
 

They went with concrete. It’s flaking but no cracks. My uncle and brother do concrete, they said it was a bad pour from the company. Shouldn’t flake. But, and here’s the deal, nothing’s perfect. The question is, what has the best chance of going twenty years nicely? Pavers or concrete answer that with stamped concrete being last. And if you don’t mind that and the upkeep (all things have some degree of upkeep) and the tradeoff  is your preferred aesthetic? If the look of stamped concrete is much preferred over pavers, it might be worth the gamble? My uncle (the one who does concrete) did his patio stamped 6-7 years ago. I think we’ll see him this weekend. If we do, I’ll ask him how he likes it. If you have temperate weather (no torrential rainfall, no salting that area, no need to shovel there, no extreme temps) then your choice of stamped concrete is less risky. 

Prep is essential - that means several inches below grade with compacted sand/gravel etc before even starting to set up forms.  

I wouldn't do stamped unless it was part of the original pour - if it was just a surface coating, forget it.

The middle school here did a permeable concrete so water would drain (another benefit of pavers - no matter your climate zone) . .  you can see where they have the different types of concrete.  

[Lecka]

Wouldn’t this depend a lot on weather conditions in different parts of the country?

 

[Junie]

5 hours ago, saraha said:

My in laws had a stamped concrete side walk put in and the stamp is an irregular that is not very deep. It is slick as snot when wet or icy. They wish they hadn’t done it

I was going to post that our neighbors have a stamped concrete driveway that is very slippery when wet.  Your description is much more colorful. :)

[The Governess]

We have a ton of stamped concrete. It’s been 16 years now and it still looks pretty good. We should have sealed it but never did. It would probably look newer if we did. 
 

We live in CA and don’t get a lot of weather so that might explain the longevity. But also, the contractor we used was excellent and really knew what he was doing. 

I would recommend that you ask for referrals and drive by and look at the work that was done before deciding on a contractor. 
 

Edited to add that ours isn’t slippery at all, so maybe it depends on the type of finish. 

Edited July 17, 2021 by lovelearnandlive

[Amethyst]

48 minutes ago, Lecka said:

Wouldn’t this depend a lot on weather conditions in different parts of the country?

 

Good point. Yes, we do have all sorts of weather here - very hot and very cold at the extremes, definitely snow and ice in the winter. 

[Tap]

Ours was stained variegated dark grey so we wouldn’t have to worry too much about any uneven wear and tear. It was sealed but the seal is wearing down and while my x tried to power wash the remaining seal off, to redo it….it didn’t really work. So the seal is still there….in most spots.  It originally looked wet when it was first sealed.  I’m glad we did the grey, because it is giving a nice worn look without looking run down. We went with a light stone texture. 
 

Most of ours is under a cover but parts on each side are not.  It isn’t slippery at all and we haven’t had any cracking or flaking. We paid for extra reinforcement. I also think we paid for a premium mix if I remember right. We got a perfect day for the poor and it set slowly which is probably why we have no cracks yet. It is inevitable but not yet. My patio is probably 15+ years old. Our house was maybe 5 years old at the time ( so the ground had settled) and the lot is fairly level. I’m sure that helps too. 
 

I put the furniture in the pix so u can see the scale and color variations of the  texture.