Your new stamped patio has already cracked in several places, and the contractor says this is normal and basically not their problem. Here is how we build so you never hear that.
When a stamped slab cracks in its first year, the cause is usually under the pattern: a base that was not compacted for clay, a mix without air entrainment, or control joints cut too far apart. We build every stamped patio, driveway, walkway and pool deck with a compacted base, steel or fiber reinforcement, an air-entrained mix and joints at the right spacing.
You get a fixed written price after we measure, a same-day reply during business hours, and a licensed, insured Colorado contractor. Call (720) 782-8086.
Three stories come up again and again from people who had stamped concrete done somewhere else.
It looked great at the walk-through. By the first spring it had cracked along the relief cuts and one corner started sinking. You called, and the answer was that concrete cracks. The fix is not a better excuse, it is the base, the mix and the joints, which we explain below.
The quote was approved, the start date came and went with no call and no show, and your texts go unread. We reply the same day during business hours, the price is fixed and written before any work starts, and we finish when we say we will.
A new stamped pool deck, sealed and shiny, and the first person out of the pool almost wiped out. Sealer with nothing added for traction does that. On pool decks and walkways we add grit to the sealer.
Concrete can crack, and anyone who promises a slab never will is guessing. What is not normal is a stamped slab that cracks across the pattern, heaves or sinks in its first year. That comes from what is underneath and how it was cut, so that is where we spend the effort:
Our work is backed by a warranty. We have poured stamped patios, driveways, walkways and pool decks across Denver for 15 years and more than 500 projects, and the same skilled crew plans, pours and stamps each one, so the pattern lines up and the color stays consistent from edge to edge. Most of our work comes from referrals and repeat customers.
This is the fear that has nothing to do with concrete, and it shows up almost as often as cracking. Here is what you can hold us to:
Stamped concrete can be slippery when wet, especially once a glossy sealer goes on without something added for traction. That is fixable before it happens:
More on decks around water on our pool deck page.
Most stamped concrete runs $12 to $22 per square foot installed. Where you land depends on:
Nobody wants to open the final bill and wonder if they just got robbed. You get a fixed written, itemized price after an on-site measurement, with borders, second colors and tear-out listed before you sign. No hidden charges, no day-of surprises.
Stamped concrete has more surface area and texture than a broom finish. Texture holds water, and water sitting in the pattern goes through roughly a hundred freeze-thaw cycles a winter here, with magnesium chloride from the roads riding in on your tires. That is not a reason to skip stamped concrete. It is a reason to get the mix, the slope and the sealing right.
One honest trade-off: deeper patterns collect dirt, grit and salt in the low points and take more effort to clean. If low upkeep matters most, a shallow ashlar is the easier choice.
The season is short and books early. Usable outdoor weather runs roughly May through September, so calling in February or March gets you a better spring slot than calling in April.
Most residential patios and walkways take 2 to 4 days on site, plus cure time before heavy use. We give you a schedule with your quote.
Rain on a fresh stamped surface can leave pits where the drops hit and a rough, patchy finish. Ask any contractor what happens if rain is forecast on pour day. We will not seal a wet slab, because trapped moisture turns sealer cloudy.
Color is picked at the on-site quote, next to your house and your existing hardscape, not from a screen. More on getting color right on our decorative concrete page.
White, cloudy sealer is usually moisture trapped under a film. New pours cure before the first seal, and we do not seal a wet slab.
We protect your yard, haul off debris and leave the site clean.
We carry 20+ stamp patterns. The most requested:
We'll measure, talk through your options and hand you a fixed written price. No pressure, no hidden charges.
A fine crack running down a cut control joint is the joint doing its job. Chipped edges, a crack wandering across the pattern, or a section that sinks in the first year are not something to shrug off. Those usually trace back to the base, the mix or the joint spacing, which is why we build all three the same way on every job.
Our work is backed by a warranty. Ask us to walk through what it covers when we give you the written price, so you know before anything is poured.
It can be if the sealer goes on with nothing added for traction, so we add a fine grit to the sealer on pool decks and walkways while keeping the finish comfortable underfoot.
Both last when the base is right. Stamped concrete is one slab, so there are no pavers to shift or weed up. The trade-off is a reseal every 2 to 3 years to protect the color and surface. With that, a properly built stamped slab lasts decades.
Get a free on-site quote this week. Honest pricing, no pressure, work backed by a warranty.
