If your plain gray patio or walkway looks dull, we pour colored concrete with a pressed pattern, sealed so the color shows.
Stamped concrete is colored concrete with a pattern pressed into the top while it's still soft. Our stamped concrete services in Auburn, WA turn a plain patio, walkway or entry into one that looks like stone or brick, and we seal it once the slab has cured.
On pour day, our crew places the colored concrete, then floats and trowels it, which means smoothing and leveling the wet surface so it's ready for the pattern. Next comes a release powder or a plastic sheet, so the stamping tools don't stick. Then the stamps are pressed in and lifted off, one section after another, while the concrete is still soft enough to take the shape.
The price mostly follows the size of the area, how involved the pattern and colors are, and local labor rates. The schedule depends on curing, the stretch when fresh concrete hardens. The slab has to cure before it's sealed, and that wait changes with the temperature, the humidity and the mix. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate that lists what's included, such as taking out old concrete and cleaning up afterward.
The pattern is what you notice, but most trouble with stamped concrete starts on pour day. These are the points I watch, and they're worth asking any contractor about.
Concrete poured in the midday heat can set on top before the rest of the slab is ready. That usually shows up later as a weak, dusty surface. Stamping makes the timing matter more, because the crew needs time to press the pattern evenly, so we plan the pour around the day's weather.
Concrete usually cracks somewhere as it dries and shrinks. Control joints are shallow cuts that give it a planned place to crack, and they keep those lines out of the middle of your pattern. When joints are cut late or skipped, the slab cracks where nobody chose, so on stamped work we set them along the pattern's lines where we can.
Concrete can have tiny air bubbles spread evenly through it, called entrained air. Those bubbles can give the concrete room to relieve pressure when it freezes. If your slab will see freezing weather, it's a fair question to ask whether the mix includes it, and I'll tell you what we're ordering for your job.
Here's how a stamped job goes with us, from the first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
Call (253) 275-5460 or fill out our form with your address and what you have in mind, whether that's a patio, a walkway or an entry. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I come out myself to look over the area, talk through patterns and colors, and check which office covers your address. Then I write up an estimate that lists what's included, such as taking out old concrete and cleaning up.
Once you're ready, we take care of any permit paperwork. Our crew lead runs the pour and the stamping, and I check in while the work is underway. The slab then cures before any sealer goes on.
Once the sealer is on, I walk the finished job with you. I'll point out the control joints and show you what a dull, worn finish looks like, so you'll know when it's time to reseal.
We let the slab cure properly before it's sealed. Sealer put on too early, or laid on too heavily, can spoil the look of the surface. I'd rather wait for concrete that's ready than rush a coat onto a pattern you've paid for. How long that wait runs depends on the weather we get after the pour, and I'll keep you posted on it.
Afterward, I'd rather you reseal when the color starts looking dull, or when water stops beading on the surface, than on a fixed schedule. Too many coats bring problems of their own. Extra sealer builds up on the surface, and that buildup is slow and costly to remove. Putting on a coat every year to keep a high gloss is the usual way it happens.
Stamped concrete suits outdoor surfaces people walk on and look at every day, like a patio or the area by the front door. A stamped patio often meets a plain path, and our concrete sidewalk building work can carry that path out to the driveway as part of the same plan. Indoors, a garage floor concrete slab usually calls for a plainer finish, so we treat it as its own job.
A topical sealer forms a thin film on the surface and deepens the color, which is why it's the most common choice on stamped work. If you want the pattern's color to stand out, this is usually where you'll land.
A penetrating sealer soaks in instead of sitting on top, and most leave the surface color as it is. These generally need fully cured concrete. They suit someone who likes the concrete's plain color and wants a quieter finish.
Send the form with your property address, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. I'll look over the site, check which office covers your address and write up a free on-site estimate. There's no obligation and no pressure to book.
(253) 275-5460Inside the city, Auburn's Building Services office issues building permits for construction, additions and alterations. Many jobs in the public right-of-way, the strip along the street, need their own construction permit. The city's list doesn't settle whether a stamped patio needs a permit, so Building Services is the place to ask, and we handle the application when your job needs one. Any work in the right-of-way must be done by a licensed and bonded contractor.
Some homes with an Auburn address actually fall under King County, Kent or Federal Way, and that decides whose rules apply. The interactive map on the city's permits and inspections page shows whether a property sits inside Auburn city limits. We confirm it for your address before we schedule.
Rain is the other thing we plan around here. Western Washington rain can damage fresh concrete, so we cover new work when weather moves in. We're based in Auburn and work in the cities around it, including Renton, Tacoma and Lake Tapps. Stamped work here is usually a back patio, a front entry or the walk between them.
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, so the person who explains your pattern, your sealer and your price is the one who answers for them. Our crew lead runs the work on site, and I check in while it's underway. We've been in business since 2013. I still care most about the parts nobody sees once a slab is done, like the forms and the curing.
We're licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. Before we start, I want you to understand what you're paying for, so the estimate spells out what's included. When you're ready to talk it through, call (253) 275-5460 or send us the form with your address.
A plain concrete walk is a practical way to connect a new stamped patio to the driveway or the back door without stamping every foot of it.
If your garage slab is cracked, uneven or chipping, a plain, hard-wearing finish usually serves it better than a pattern, and we pour those too.
We're based in Auburn and pour stamped patios, walks and entries in the cities around it. The cities below have their own pages, and we work in other nearby cities as well.
Stamped concrete in the Seattle area usually costs about $12 to $28 per square foot. Treat that as a regional guide, not our price. A simple pattern on an open patio tends to sit lower in that range than a detailed design with several colors. I'll give you a figure for your own job in the written estimate after I've seen the site.
You can usually walk on it well before it's ready for sealing, furniture or a grill. The exact wait depends on the weather and the mix after the pour. Light foot traffic comes first, and heavier loads wait longer while the concrete keeps gaining strength. I'll tell you the days for your slab once I know the mix and the forecast.
Clear the area of furniture, planters and anything stored against the house, and keep cars, pets and kids away from the work on pour day. The pattern is pressed while the concrete is soft, so a stray footprint or paw print will stay. Let us know where your hose bibs and sprinkler heads are, so we can work around them.
Stamping is done on fresh concrete while it's still soft, so an old patio usually comes out and a new slab is poured in its place. If yours has to go, the written estimate lists taking out the old concrete and cleaning up afterward, so you'll know that work is covered.
Look the business up with the state Department of Labor & Industries, L&I, using its Verify a Contractor tool. It shows whether the business has an active contractor registration and a paid-up workers' comp account. It also lists safety violations and lawsuits against its surety bond. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with L&I, and state law requires them to be bonded and insured.
We take calls until 11 PM on weekdays and 10 PM on weekends, so you can call (253) 275-5460 after work.
