Stamped Concrete in Cincinnati
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Building Character LLC is Ohio’s Stamped Concrete Authority.
Your Guide to Stamped Concrete | Decorative Concrete Services
Stamped Concrete Patios Cincinnati
When it comes to paving your outdoor living spaces, there are a few routes you can go with paver materials. There are generally three options available – natural stone, brick, or concrete – all with their own benefits and drawbacks.
In this blog, we’ll discuss a variety of the third option: stamped concrete. Stamped concrete is a patterned, textured, or embossed concrete that is installed to resemble a wide variety of patterns and textures. Is it right for you and your space? Where do you find a stamped concrete contractor? What are the benefits of this type of pavement? Keep reading to learn more.
What’s the process of installing stamped concrete?
1. Preparing the subgrade
Just like the foundation for a building, the area under your concrete is essential. The subgrade is the native soil, which is typically compacted to help prevent drainage and soil erosion.
2. Placing the forms
Forms (metal, wood, or plastic) are attached to stakes. This helps contain the concrete in the desired area. Forms must be in good condition and set to provide proper slope or grade for drainage. If erected correctly, they can also help create clean corners.
3. Installing reinforcement
Providing reinforcement in the slab helps to control cracking, provide structural capacity, increase impact resistance, and reduce joint maintenance.
4. Placing the concrete
The most common method of placing concrete is with a ready-mix truck with a chute. While this is easy, your concrete should be placed as close to its final destination as possible from the chute. Moving it around too much with shovels or tools can leave to segregation.
5. Screeding and finishing the concrete
In this step, your stamped concrete contractor is creating the canvas for your stamped concrete. You’ll need to make sure that the surface is level to prevent low or high spots. You should also ensure that the cement paste is brought to the surface to permit a well-defined imprint.
6. Applying color
There are four different ways to color concrete. The color is intended to replicate the natural color of those materials. Here are some methods of coloring stamped concrete that may be used: integral color, dry-shake color hardeners, powdered or liquid release agents, and stains.
7. Stamping your concrete
While pouring and placing stamped concrete isn’t incredibly challenging, stamping it should be left to the professionals. The imprinting process requires the expert touch of a stamped concrete contractor. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a large slab of concrete that’ll be hard to fix.
In general, there’s a short time in which you can stamp concrete (especially in warm weather). A stamp layout will be diagrammed in advance and additional labor may be required depending on the volume of work. After that, stamping will occur in the same sequence it was placed. Both alignment and pattern randomness should be checked regularly. After all, you don’t want your stamped concrete to look too “perfect.” Having subtle randomness will keep it looking natural.
8. Curing stamped concrete
Curing is when you allow your concrete to dry. The goal during this process is to allow the concrete to retain sufficient moisture for long enough so that the necessary properties develop. If this occurs, the concrete will become denser and less permeable, which means you’ll have strong and durable pavement.
9. Installing joints
Cutting contraction, or control, joints in your concrete can help to prevent cracking. Unfortunately, not all cracking can be prevented as that occurs due to temperature changes and drying shrinkage. When you cut control joints into your stamped control, you help control random cracking by providing stress relief.
10. Sealing stamped concrete
To complete your stamped concrete installation, your stamped concrete contractor will apply a sealer. This is one of the most important steps in the process as it will help enrich the color of the concrete while adding a sheen to the surface. You can select the sheen you desire (from satin to high gloss).
Sealing reduces the change that efflorescence will discolor the surface of the concrete. It also blocks the penetration of stains from environmental influence like dirt, chemicals, leaves, and more.
What are the benefits of stamped concrete?
Stamped concrete adds value and creates an appealing final product. Here are all the advantages that you gain when you install stamped concrete.
• Reduced maintenance. Stamped concrete reduces the amount of care that you would otherwise see in spaces like pool decks, patios, or sidewalks. When using other types of surface materials, pavers may become loose or settled, which result in tripping hazards. Because stamped concrete is all one slab, you don’t have to worry about that issue. You also don’t have to worry about weeds, which eliminates a huge landscaping worry.
• Long-lasting. Concrete has significant longevity and outlasts other materials. It’s durable in nearly every environment and holds up well to wear and tear.
• Increases aesthetic value. Stamped concrete is an appealing feature to add to your home. It’ll benefit from instant curb appeal, and you’ll see money back in your pocket from this investment when you sell your home.
• Selection. When you choose stamped concrete, you have a wide variety of styles to choose from. Any stamped concrete project can come out looking differently because of the options available. These include (but are not limited to) brick, slate, flagstone, stone, and wood. There’s also a wide range of natural colors to choose from.
Final thoughts
Are you looking for a stamped concrete contractor in Cincinnati? At Building Character LLC, we look forward to updating your home for the custom look it deserves. Visit here for more information on how to take your outdoor living spaces to the next level.
Redesign Your Cincinnati Home with Stamped Concrete
Looking for an affordable way to update your home and give it a custom look? Try stamped concrete! By imprinting patterns in newly poured concrete, you can achieve the same elegant look of expensive stone or brick pavement for significantly less cost.
- Can be custom designed to resemble stones, tiles, bricks, or anything you like!
- Natural-looking concrete
- Low maintenance and high durability
Click here to see more samples of some of the custom decks, stamped concrete patios, and outdoor living features we have built for our clients.
What Makes Us Different?
100% Satisfaction
We have been working as deck builders and patio contractors for decades and we guarantee the completed work will look great and leave you satisfied.
Unbeatable Price
We offer great prices for amazing quality craftsmanship like no other.
Award-Winning Team
Our team of reliable expert deck builders in Cincinnati continues to receive various ‘Best Of’ Awards.
[Get in touch with us for your free estimate!]
Call us at (513) 592-1103 to find out what we can do to expand your outdoor living and entertaining spaces with our customized stamped concrete today!
100% Satisfaction
Our Workers Are Always Very Professional, Polite, and Efficient. You Will Get Compliments All The Time About How Great Our Work Looks.
Unbeatable Price
Compared To Other Contractors… You Will Be Hard-Pressed To Find A Contracting Company That Can Even Come Close To the Amazing Quality Craftsmanship Mixed With Great Price That We Offer.
Award Winning Team
Time and Again, We Here At Building Character LLC Receive Various ‘Best Of Awards’.
What Customers’ Are Saying…
“GREAT NEW LOOK! They replaced our sixteen year old wood decking and railing with new Timbertech decking and railing. Steve Emmons, project manager, put a lot of effort into making sure that we were happy with the outcome and deck looks great.” -Steve Castrucci
Call us at (513) 592-1103 to find out what we can do to expand your outdoor
living and entertaining spaces with our customized stamped concrete today!
Click here to see more samples of some of the custom decks and
outdoor living features we have built for our clients!
