Paver Patio Project

A friend has part of his driveway paved,and the part by the garage is concrete, he asked the concrete guy if it had a guarantee, the concrete guy replied, " I guarantee it's gonna crack"

 

New construction when House was built. Poured concrete slab foundation then the paver bricks installed over the slab,

 

Stamping and coloring concrete may not be as simple as you think.

 

I’ve colored concrete before. The process of stamping doesn’t seem anymore difficult.

 

I used the foam things about 6 years ago on a friends project and they worked just fine. Patio still looks like the day we put it down. It saved a ton of moving sand and gravel. There was still a bit of sand but once you got the trick of leveling the sand it went real quick.

 

If you’ve never poured concrete, I’m not sure I’d start with a stamping project, without going and watching it be done. The guys who do it can give you tips as to how to lay out your pattern, when to start stamping, etc. We have a couple area guys who are known for doing it, so it’s easy to find a job to watch. YT may be an option, as well.

Pour thicker than people recommend, which is usually 3”-4”. Everyone’s suggestions always result in cracked concrete. Thicker is stronger and will last a lot longer. I have nothing less than 6” for patios, areas of my driveway are 13” thick, and the culvert in the ditch has 36” over it. I’ve had a semi-tractor on my driveway and have no cracks, other than where my keylock is placed. Also, I don’t have a base and all the other BS people say one has to have. The earth is constantly shifting and settling, especially over mine subsidence like where I live. Compacted earth, gravel, and sand settles away from the underside of every slab, around here. It’s a lot of extra labor, equipment, and material for a light-use area. Pour thick and roll on.

You’ll need expansion joint along existing surfaces. I like the rubber product option and just hammerdrill and tapcon it to wherever I need it.

Better practice with your sprayer and stains, to kind of get an idea of how it’s going to spray out. A piece of visqueen or plywood is useful for that. Be sure and seal it, afterward.

Diagonal and diamond relief cuts definitely look the nicest.

Some concrete suppliers have floating equipment available for loan or rent.

Oversecure your forms, so you don’t have a blowout or bow.

If you’ve never done this type of work, don’t have basic carpentry equipment, or plenty of helping hands, you may contract it out. It’ll be cheap insurance, versus screwing it up, having to bust it out, and start over.

Pavers are a lifelong headache, unless they’re installed over concrete and adhered in place. Unless it’s a high-end property requiring that specific look, I wouldn’t even consider them.

 

That’s how I’m beginning to feel in reference to the pavers. As I indicated earlier, I have two completed cement projects under my belt and the stamping process from my understanding does not seem all that daunting.

 

There's more skill in finishing with a broom and an edge than stamping. The skill comes in as when to start the stamping, how hard to hit the rubber mat, how much of the release color to leave on when sealing, how to apply the sealer, where and when to cut the control joints.

 

Can this info be gained through YouTube video?

 

Some. But a lot of it is from experience using the same products over and over.

Are you thinking of stamping the actual full slab or pouring a slab and then using a topping/polymer concrete layer specifically for stamping?
Using a polymer layer is nice so you can do smaller areas at a time and arent under pressure to stamp a whole patio before the slab sets...oops too slow. bust it up and pour again.

If you want the look of stamped with out the hassle you can use stains and stencil patterns on that look like stamping, but no 3d effect.

 

But, the issue with that stuff is longevity. Have you ever seen anything semi-rigid put over concrete stay on the concrete? Weather, expansion/contraction, moisture, etc all manage to pop off whatever was supposed to last a lifetime.

 

Yeah there are some good overlays out there. They are based on portland and use the polymer for extra strength in the thin section. For a patio I wouldnt be worried about a delamination as long as proper cleaning and priming is used. No if the slab has gross movement all bets are off so bad concrete there can kill your stamping. But doing a 1/4 -3/8 overlay is easier to DIY in my opinion than a full slab. You can do it with a lot less stamps as you dont have to haul ass or risk having the whole slab set up on you.

But your right it is a top layer and if done poorly could fail big time, so there is that risk. But its an option.

 

I’me just a tad bit inebriated now and will have to reread this several times again within the next 24 hours cause it’s not comprehensible at the current moment.

I can say that I most likely will be going with a stamped colored patio WITH a fire ring with a grill.

Just an FYI, no one should drink & WERA BBs

 

Yea I think much of it can be learned from a video. The good thing about the stamp process is, there's a lot of forgiveness in the process. As long as the colored concrete is fairly straight, the rest of the process can be finished at a later time. I'm always there the next day to clean, cut, seal, most of it can be finished weeks later (cutting should be finished the next day) The release color can sit there for a long while. I'm pretty certain, if you're handy, and have done a few concrete projects before, you can handle this. It is a very dirty job though!

 

You're right, those overlays have come a LONG way in terms of adhesion, strength, and overall looks. But he's starting from scratch, he might as well do a full thickness colored pad. Some of the broadcast methods of casting colored powder over wet concrete does work well, but you're limited to the original color of the concrete. Plus those are much more likely to lose the broadcast color when or if the sealer starts to fade away. If the sealer goes away, you can broadcast more color then, but that creates a lot more maintenance.

 

Those products are much better than they were just a few years ago. I've done quite a few thin overlays and they have held up fine for years. Butterfield makes an overlay with a 5200 psi rating at 1/4", over structurally sound concrete. Like most projects, it's in the prep. Grind down the slab and it will adhere very well. And always use the best sealer you can find.

The overlays are expensive though, it's almost as costly to overlay than it is to bust out the slab and start over.

 

Well, since concrete work is what i've done for the past 32 yrs....I may have some halfway decent thoughts concerning decorative concrete.

I worked 10 yrs for a company whereas 90% of our work was high-end decorative work. Talking homes in the millions.
The work had to be absolutely perfect.

Most 'expert' contractors will use color hardener vs integral colored concrete. Colored hardener is stronger, more durable, brighter, allows to repair colored concrete in the future to exact color matching. Integral mix is the cheaper, easier, less durable way of stamping concrete. A lot of everyday concrete scrubs use the integral mix. Homeowners don't know any better or the difference, usually.

I just did a few stamped side jobs....I don't miss the work, but do miss the big $$ it brings.

 

some municipalities have ordinances about maximum "impermeable" surfaces on a property and thats why folks are compelled to use pavers vs concrete. Especially true in zero lot line parcels.

 

except Roy?