Plain gray concrete looking tired? We'll help you pick a stamped, stained or pebble finish that suits your budget and the care you'll give it.
Decorative concrete in Auburn, WA gives a patio, driveway or walk a finished look instead of plain gray, using stamped patterns, color, stains or overlays, and many of these can be combined on one slab for a look that's your own.
Most calls start with a slab that has gone tired, cracked or patchy, or with new flatwork, which is our word for patios, walks and driveways, where the homeowner wants more than a broom finish, the plain ridged texture that gives tires and shoes some grip. A decorative surface is only as good as what's under it, so the base gets the same attention as the pattern.
The price mostly turns on the size of the area, how detailed the design is, local labor rates and whether old concrete has to come out first. The schedule depends on the weather and on how many steps the design takes, since every extra color or pattern adds work. After I've seen the site, my written estimate gives you the figure for your own job.
The pattern and color are what you'll notice, but three things underneath decide whether the surface still looks right years from now. Here's what we pay attention to on these jobs.
The subgrade, which is the ground the slab sits on, gets dug out and the base packed firm before anything is poured, because a base that's only raked level settles with the dirt beneath it. When that happens the slab dips and cracks, and a pattern or color makes every dip easier to see.
Before we set forms, we check where water runs across your yard and give the slab a gentle fall away from the house, because a patio that drains toward the foundation sends the rain right back at your wall. Pooling water also wears a sealed finish faster and leaves marks that are hard to lift.
Concrete shrinks as it dries and usually cracks somewhere, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give it a straight line to crack along, early and where they suit the design. Cut late or skipped, the cracks land in places nobody chose, and that shows far more on a stamped or stained surface than on plain gray.
From the first call to the final walk-through, you'll deal with me and our crew lead. Here's how a decorative job usually runs, and what you'll have in hand before any work starts.
Call (253) 275-5460 or fill out the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. It helps to tell us roughly what you have in mind.
I come out myself, look over the area and how water moves across it, and check whether the city or the county covers your address. Then I write up an estimate listing what's included, such as taking out old concrete and cleanup.
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit paperwork, and our crew lead runs the job on site from forms to finish. I check in while it's underway, so you always have someone to ask.
When the work is done, I walk it with you and go over how long to keep off it while it cures, the slow hardening that gives the slab its strength, and how to care for the finish.
Before you settle on a look, I'll show you how a simpler design compares with a more detailed one, both in cost and in upkeep, so the finish you choose fits how much care you'd like to give it over the years. One cost guide says a basic stamped design, one pattern in one color, costs less, while high-end designs with several colors, borders and inlays need frequent maintenance.
The same guide says high-end designs can add curb appeal and resale value, though they cost more. A simpler design may look less striking, but for most patios and walks I'd lean that way, because you'll spend your weekends using the space rather than keeping up with it. If the look matters more to you, we'll plan the upkeep with you from the start.
When a budget gets tight, the base is usually the first thing people want to trim, since nobody sees it once the pour is done. I'd rather simplify the pattern than thin out the base, because a plain finish on solid ground outlasts a fancy one that settles. We also plan pours around the midday heat when we can, since a top that dries too fast can turn weak and dusty later.
Decorative work isn't only for patios and walks. A textured or colored face can dress up concrete retaining walls where your yard steps down, and a stain can give an indoor slab from our concrete floor installation work a warmer, finished look. If you're planning either, it's worth talking through the finish at the same visit so the colors work together.
Stamping presses a pattern such as stone or brick into the fresh concrete, often with color worked in. It gives the most dressed-up look, and it's the finish the resealing advice further down applies to.
Exposed aggregate washes back the top layer to show the small stones in the mix. One Washington contractor directory calls it popular here for its natural look and excellent for grip when wet, which suits a rainy walk.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site estimate is free, with no obligation and no pressure to book. I'll look over the area, check which office covers your address and write up what the job includes.
(253) 275-5460Not every address that says Auburn is in Auburn. Some fall under King County, Kent or Federal Way, and the city's interactive map shows whether a property sits inside city limits. We work on both sides of those lines, in Auburn and the cities around it such as Renton, Tacoma and Lake Tapps, so before we schedule, I confirm which office reviews your job.
Work that reaches the street side, such as a decorative apron where the driveway meets the road, needs extra care here. The city requires a construction permit for a variety of work in the public right-of-way, and that work has to be done by a licensed and bonded contractor. When your job needs a permit, wherever your address falls, we handle the application for you.
One cost guide written for Seattle says our wet coastal climate calls for extra sealing and drainage planning, which ties into the resealing and rain questions below, and that sloped lots and hillside properties may need extra grading or reinforcement. Plenty of yards around here slope toward the house or the street, so we plan how a decorative slab drains from the first visit.
I grew up on a family farm, where fixing what broke was part of every week, and I learned concrete on other people's crews before starting this business in Auburn in 2013. That's 13 years of our own work now. I come out myself to look at each job and write the estimate, and our crew lead runs the work on site while I check in.
We're licensed and insured. Before we start, I'd like you to understand exactly what you're paying for, so the estimate spells out what's included and I'll answer each question in plain terms. Our promise is "Your satisfaction, guaranteed." When you're ready, call (253) 275-5460 or use the form on this page, and I'll set a time to come look at your project.
If your yard slopes toward the patio, a retaining wall can hold the ground back and give a decorative slab a level place to sit.
Planning a new basement or shop floor? A properly poured interior slab is the starting point for a stain or other decorative finish indoors.
We do the same decorative work in many of the cities around Auburn as we do at home. Choose your city below to see what working there involves, from permits to the kinds of lots we see.
Stamped concrete in the Seattle area usually costs about $12 to $28 per square foot, according to one cost guide. That's the going rate for stamped work in the region, not our own price. I'll give you a written figure for your job after I've seen the site and talked through the design with you.
One cost guide advises resealing stamped concrete every two to three years. It's worth planning for as a regular cost of keeping the finish, so it doesn't catch you off guard. When I walk the finished job with you, I'll show you what to watch for so you can tell when it's due.
Often yes, with planning, but rain can damage fresh concrete, so in Western Washington the work has to be covered until it can take the weather. Curing also takes longer when it's cool and wet, so expect a longer schedule in those months. Feel free to ask me how we'll cover your slab.
Have your property address, the rough size of the area and a sense of the look you want ready when you call or fill out the form. Photos of patterns or colors you like help too, and clearing the area beforehand lets me measure and check drainage properly.
Inside city limits, the City of Auburn's Building Services division issues building permits for construction, additions and alterations. Its list doesn't name decorative concrete on its own, so whether your job needs one is a question for that office, and addresses outside the city go to whichever office covers them. As mentioned above, we confirm that before we schedule.
Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the state Department of Labor & Industries and to be bonded and insured. The department's Verify tool shows whether a business has an active registration and a paid-to-date workers' comp account, along with safety violations and lawsuits against its bond. It's a quick check before you hire anyone, us included.
Call (253) 275-5460 or send the form, and a look at your own property will show what the base work, any old concrete and your chosen design add up to before you commit to anything.
