Plain gray patio or a cracked driveway? We pour, stamp and seal new concrete that looks like stone, brick or slate.
Our stamped concrete services in Gilroy give your patio, walkway or driveway the look of slate, brick or natural stone. We texture and color the concrete while it's fresh, then seal it.
Most people who call about stamped concrete have a plain gray slab that's cracked, sinking or just worn out, and they want the look of stone or brick instead. Under the pattern it's still flatwork, our word for flat slabs like patios, walks and drives. So it starts the same way concrete sidewalk building does, with digging out, packing the base and setting forms. Inside a garage, plain garage floor concrete is usually the better fit because it's easier to sweep.
A few things set both the price and the schedule. They're the size of the area, the pattern and colors you pick, the sealer, and how easy the spot is for our crew to reach. Weather and curing also shape the schedule, since curing is the wait while new concrete hardens before you use it. I'll measure the job and write the estimate line by line, so you can see exactly what you're paying for.
Tell us roughly what you want stamped and where it is on your property. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I measure the area myself and check what's under and around it, like the old slab, the slope and where the water runs. Then I write the estimate line by line, so you can see what's in the price and what isn't.
Before the truck comes, we go over the layout with you, including where the joints go and how water will drain away from the house. This is also when we pick the pattern, color and sealer together.
Our own crew works to the plan we agreed on, and I'm on site for the layout and the pour. We cure and protect the new concrete before we hand it over, so the top comes out hard instead of dusty.
Stamped work leaves less room for error than a plain slab. The pattern has to go on while the surface is at the right stage, not too wet and not too hard. That's why we plan the pour around the day's heat, because a slab poured on a hot afternoon sets too fast and can end up with a weak, dusty top. We lay out control joints, the cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack, so they follow the pattern.
Most stamped concrete gets a film-forming sealer, which dries to a thin coat on top, because it brings out the color and keeps water and stains out. Ask every bid you get which sealer it includes. That coat can be slick when it's wet, so near a pool or on any walk that gets wet, we'll ask whether you want grip added to the sealer.
What a stamped concrete job includes:
If your stamped slab is sound but the color has gone flat or water no longer beads on it, a reseal usually brings it back. That's the normal upkeep, and the FAQ below covers it. It's different when the slab is cracked through, sunk or heaved because the ground under it settled. A patch won't hold on that and won't match the rest, so I'd rather replace the section or the whole slab on a properly packed base.
The biggest pieces are the size of the area, how much digging and base work it needs, the pattern and number of colors, and the sealer. When the budget gets tight, people usually want to trim the base first because nobody sees it once it's poured. That's the one place I won't cut, because a nice pattern on settling dirt cracks just like a plain slab. A simpler pattern or a single color is a better place to save.
I learned concrete on commercial slabs and footings. That work teaches you fast that the base, the forms and the layout decide how a slab holds up years later. I started Premium Gilroy Concrete in 2017 to bring that same care to homes, and I still come out to look at each job and take the measurements myself.
We'd rather settle questions on paper than fix them after the truck leaves. We'll tell you plainly what stamped concrete can and can't do for your space. We keep the work area tidy and clean up before we go. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Call (408) 427-8265 and tell us the rough size, how a crew gets to it and whether it sits near a pool.
Tell us where the area is, roughly how big it is, and whether it's near a pool. We reply within one business day to set a time, and the visit is free with no obligation.
Stamped concrete gets resealed when it needs it, not after a set number of years. Resealing is the most common upkeep for this surface. It's time when water and stains stop beading off or the color starts to look flat.
The usual fix is a grip additive mixed into the last coat of sealer. A fresh sealer coat dries to a smooth film that gets slick when it's wet, and the stamped texture alone doesn't make up for it. Near a pool or on any walk that gets wet, we'll ask you about adding it before the job is priced.
Not exactly. A repair on stamped concrete will show, because new concrete and sealer won't line up with a surface that's aged and weathered. That's why we take time on the pattern and color up front, so you pick a look you'll be happy with for years.
In California, concrete work is done by a contractor licensed by the state license board. The board defines a concrete contractor as one who forms, pours, finishes and installs flat and other concrete work. The only exception is minor work under $1,000 in total, and only when the job needs no permit and the person hires no help. The board doesn't allow a bigger job to be split up to stay under that amount. We're licensed and insured. Anyone who comes to your door to sell a job for a licensed contractor also has to be registered with the board as a home improvement salesperson.
It often does, because a backyard is usually harder to reach than a driveway. Getting concrete there can mean wheeling it through a side gate or bringing in a pump. Tell us how a crew gets to the spot when you call, and I'll show the access cost as its own line in the estimate.
Under the industry standard, concrete is fully cured at 28 days, and in Gilroy the real time runs longer or shorter with the season. You can usually walk on it well before then. I'll tell you on pour day when it's safe to walk on, and when you can bring the furniture or the car back.
We're based in Gilroy and take stamped concrete work in Morgan Hill, Hollister and many other cities nearby. Pick your area below, or call if yours isn't listed.
