I’ve received a lot of questions in regards to our stamped concrete patio lately. I thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A session with the most frequently asked questions.
Q: How did you select a company/contractor for the job?
We met with several different companies/contractors. Surprisingly, everyone’s quotes were relatively close in cost. So with the cost factor off the table, we ended up going with a local company that had an excellent reputation and many recommendations. It was worth the time to meet with so many different contractors because I felt like we learned a little something from each person we met with.
Timelines are another big consideration. We started meeting with potential companies/contractors for the job in March/April and most were already scheduling out until July/August at that point.
Q: Why stamped concrete over other types of patio materials?
Simply put, it came down to cost. We had received a few quotes for a flagstone patio, which was our original plan. Once we started to explore stamped concrete, it just made more sense to go in that direction. Based on our home and our neighborhood, we weren’t sure we would get a good return on our investment if we went with a beautiful natural stone patio.
Our same size patio in Flagstone would have been exactly double the cost. So we ended up getting the built-in fire pit, seating wall, and patio for the same cost of doing just a flagstone patio.
Q: What stamp pattern/color combination did you use?
Keep in mind that every contractor might have different supplies/names for their stamped concrete products. For our particular patio, we used a large Yorkstone Ashlar Slate stamp pattern. The integral color is gunmetal light with a charcoal release agent. The stacked stone used on the seating wall and fire pit area is ProVia Oxford Ledgestone. Also, I was adamant about not having a super shiny finish/sealer. They do make a matte sealer if you request it.
Q: How long did the entire process take?
The entire process took about two weeks. The excavation and removal of our old concrete slab started on a Monday and by Friday they had the form in place, the base layer of gravel down, the seating wall built, and even had the steps built. The following week they poured the concrete, stamped it, and applied the release agent all in one day. So in reality, it felt like everything got done in one week! Over the next few days, they finished the stonework on the seating wall and fire pit and sealed the concrete.
One thing we didn’t plan for was the yard work required after everything was finished. We ended up needing to do some re-grading and obviously some re-seeding. So that part of the job felt like it took forever. The patio was finished by the end of July and August is just not the time to plant grass in our area, so it felt like we had a dirt yard for a long time. It’s just another factor you may want to keep in mind when setting up a timeline for a patio project.
Q: What do you need to do to maintain the stamped concrete?
Short answer, nothing! It will need to be re-sealed every couple of years, but other than that we pressure wash it or just hose it off as needed.
I hope this was helpful to anyone considering a stamped concrete patio. Feel free to leave any additional questions in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.
SOURCES
Adirondack Chairs | Outdoor Pillows | Breeo Zentro Smokeless Fire Pit Insert | Large Lantern | Small Lantern | LED String Lights
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38 Responses
Thank you! This is so helpful! Definitely archiving this for next summers project shenanigans!
Yay, happy to hear! It’s so worth it!
Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been looking up to many ideas for our patio and color schemes and this seems exactly what I want! The details are very helpful.
Aw thank you Cate! It is hard to find patio inspiration, so I’m glad you found this helpful!
What did you end up doing around the patio? We are planning to add a few more bags of top soil and just plant grass seed so that we have no mulch or dirt to drag onto the patio. Our toddler likes to run barefoot sometimes and kept dragging mulch on her feet when we had an old patio in place.
Hi Anna! We actually ended up having to do a fair amount of re-grading and seeding around the patio. We really wanted the patio to be flush with the yard (no step down) so they had to bring in a good amount of dirt. Grass is definitely a better option with a toddler around. I agree mulch can just get drug around and sometimes washed away during a big down pour. Hope that helps!
Beautiful patio! What is the measurement? I want to do my patio like that but I’m working with a small space. Also, does the pergola block the light from coming into your home?
Thank you Amber! It’s roughly 800 square feet. Sorry, it’s hard to get an exact size since it is so curvy. We did a pergola for the sole purpose of not blocking light into our home. It does block a little bit of light, I would say it “filters” the light more than anything. But it still does not block the light like something covered would. Hope that helps!
Great design! Not only is concrete cheaper than pavers or stone, it is way less maintenance.
My stamped patio is in progress…the wood form, gravel, rebar and wire is in place; concrete to be poured in 5 days. I chose a slate-textured “skin” instead of a well-defined stone stamp. We will cut the required control joints (to prevent cracking) into a diamond pattern. I didn’t like seeing those control joints running through the stamped pattern, so I asked my concrete guy to saw-cut a 4-foot diagonal grid to look like large stone slabs. I agree about no shiny sealers! I’m adding a “flattening paste” to make mine matte.
Thanks for showing us the photo of the wall seat before the face stones were added. What is your seating ledge/capstone made of? I didn’t even think about placing the lights on the outer edge of the wall seat–glad I saw yours!
Thanks Rebecca— Totally agree! That is so exciting that your patio is underway! The seating wall capstone is actually the same concrete as the patio. It was poured right in place (think of a cap on a step). They used the same color as the patio and added some stone texture to it. And yes, we are so glad we added the lighting. Hope that helps!
One more question. Did you add anything to your sealer to make your patio non-skid? The sealant vendor told me “a non-skid additive is always recommended, but not necessarily desired or needed.”
Seems like any texture at all (unlike polished concrete) will give enough traction to be safe.
Thanks
I honestly don’t remember if we had that added or not? I think it might be added by default now to the sealer? I don’t see anything listed specifically on our quote about it, but I definitely remember talking about it. It’s probably a good idea, as it still does get slippery when wet. It depends on your lifestyle as well. We have kids and pets that I would be concerned about slipping.
We would love to do the same in our backyard. Can you provide the rough dimensions/measurements for the patio footprint?
Thank you Kevin! It’s roughly 800 square feet. Sorry, it’s hard to get an exact size since it is so curvy. It’s 44 ft wide and 24 ft deep from the seating wall to the house. Hope that helps!
What is the stone used on top for the seating? It looks like the color closely matches the stamped concrete. Thx!
The seating wall capstone is actually the same concrete as the patio. It was poured right in place (think of a cap on a step). They used the same color as the patio and added some stone texture to it.
Can you share with me what materials you used for your bench around your fire pit and how you created it?
Our contractor build the bench around the fire pit. It is constructed from cement block and then we used Provia Ledgestone in the color Oxford for the stone work. The top cap is just the same stamped concrete that was used for the patio itself. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for sharing this information, would you mind giving a ballpark range on the cost? We are looking at a similar size and design.
No problem! There were a few extra expenses like removal of our old patio, permitting, storm water management, etc. But for the patio itself and steps, it was around $11k. The firepit and seating wall package was about $9k.
My wife and I are using your project as inspiration for our new patio! Do you recall what color combinations you used? Our contractor is asking us to pick out colors, but looks like there are many options and more variables when considering coloring on the hardener, antique release, antique-it, etc.
Aw that is so exciting! Good luck with your project. I am not sure if colors vary by contractor, but this is our exact breakdown:
-Integral Color:Gunmetal Light
-Release Agent:Charcoal
-Stamp Pattern:Yorkstone Ashlar Slate
Hope that helps!
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Great! Glad to hear!
Great blog. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you so much!
Wow! You have a really beautiful stamped concrete patio, I love it.
Check out now the Summerville Stamped Concrete Patio
Thanks so much!
Erin, Thank you for sharing your story! It looks beautiful. We are looking to do our patio next week. Can you please share the link to the lights used for the wall seat and how it was installed? Trying to figure out how to run/hide the wiring when the seating wall cap stone was poured right in place and if it’s removable through the cap stone if it needs to be replaced in the future. Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you.
Hi Pat! I am so sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I might be too late, but these are the light we used:
https://www.integral-lighting.com/new-integral-il600-series-released
Thank you for sharing! Now that you have had it for sometime, do you still feel it is easy to keep clean/look nice?
Thank you!
Absolutely! Super easy to keep clean, rarely shows dirt/debris.
Hi, can you tell me where you got your pergola from. Thank you for the inspo. I plan to mirror your design! It’s incredible!
Aw thank you! I designed it and ordered the materials and we had a local company construct it. The wood is rough saw cedar from Menards.
We just had a stamped patio placed . Do you recommend placing a fire pit directly on the patio as shown ? Pros and cons
If so, what materials should we use to prevent damage to the surface ?
I’m sorry I am not sure, we hired this out. I don’t think our patio runs under the firepit, it was built in place and the patio was poured around it.
This blog post on hamiltonparkhome.com seems to be a Q&A about stamped concrete patios, likely providing information and tips on how to install and maintain them.