stamped concrete

[Brett Hartwig]

anybody here have experience with stamped concrete? Been researching driveway costs, heard about people installing stamped concrete to look exactly like cobblestone/pavers/or pretty much anything you want it to look like. Any idea the cost increase of this versus normal concrete driveway?

 

[Bill Barber]

Looks fantastic, not cheap, did all our pool decks in dark green stamped cobble, looks like the real deal, 10 yrs ago was about 30% more cost, downside, need to pressure wash once a yr and use a sealer to keep it looking good as far as color, just used a paint rollor, worked well.

 

[Todd Z]

if adding color you have add 100.00 bucks a yard just for materials...... Add about $30.00 a square to stamp and stamped concrete uses a 3/8 stone not 3/4 so it costs more about $20.00 a yard..



Then you have to seal it if you color it and then it is super slippery !!! IF you don't seal the color WILL FADE....



Oil and other stains discolor the coloring...



I like the look but the cost and maintenance is not worth it....



BUT people want it and have it...



Todd Z

 

[Bill Barber]

todd, correct me if I am wrong, when we had ours done, the company that did ours had to rent the rubber mats from the company that developed the tech. that was costly for sure.

Ours was poured with Fiberglass added to the mix, and rebar.my call.

your correct, after a couple yrs, after being sealed (I used an airless paint sprayer) it do's get pretty slick, it will stain for sure.

after living with stamped for 15 yrs, my conclusion was, maybe should have gone with real stone set in morter.

 

[Todd Z]

Bill,



All depends on the pattern you pick..... Standard brick look templates most companies own. If you want a cobble stone or fancy design, the company may have to rent the pattern..



What I love is the molten asphaltic paving.... IT is a plastic resin, 400+ degrees, Goes down in color, metal stamp and then sanded for texture and grip.... Bonds right on top of old driveways, resists reflective cracking and looks great !!!!



The fibermesh is good stuff is used correctly... I think a 2.9 6x6 welded wire fabric is good enough for a standard driveway due to the thickness... 4 inches of concrete around even a #3 or #4 bar only leaves 2 inches of concrete if done right....



We do it all ways here all the time.... every company does it a little differenty...



We also only deal with 6" or greater thicknesses due to loading and crack resistance..



Todd Z

 

[Bill Barber]

we lived Right on the hayward EQ fault, thats why I wanted Rebar and fiber. in the 89 quake we had 0 damage to the decks, nary a crack.

the thing was tottaly over enginered as it was also on a severe downslope, they came in with a 12 inch auger and drilled down every six feet 3 deep with rebar tied into the deck rebar.

Stamped looks great, not sure but maybe real stone laid in morter might be about the same cost.

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Hope you noticed the word "slippery" in those responses above. If you are doing a driveway that has any kind of slope to it, 5 to 10 degrees or more, and sealant is applied, good luck getting up in the rain or snow. Have seen this happen more than once, owners have tried to strip off the sealant(not easy) and reapply one with less "gloss" to it and still have the same problem. So, just a heads up, I personally like the stamped stuff but there are maintianence issues. BC :smile0002: