Stamped and decorative prices in Houston County
| Finish | Patio, per sq ft | Driveway, per sq ft | 12 by 16 patio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain broom finish | $7 to $11 | $6 to $10 | $1,400 to $2,200 |
| Integral color, broom finish | $9 to $14 | $8 to $13 | $1,700 to $2,700 |
| Exposed aggregate | $10 to $15 | $10 to $15 | $1,900 to $2,900 |
| Broom field with stamped border | $9 to $14 | $8 to $13 | $1,700 to $2,700 |
| Stamped and colored throughout | $13 to $22 | $12 to $20 | $2,500 to $4,300 |
Why double: the concrete, base and steel cost the same as a plain slab. The extra is color hardener, antiquing release, stamp mats, two coats of sealer, a return trip to wash and seal, and two or three more people on the pour, because stamping has to happen while the surface is firm enough to hold a pattern and soft enough to take one. Driveway numbers against plain are in the driveway cost guide.
Patterns and colors that hold up here
The patterns we stamp most are ashlar slate, random stone, wood plank, and a seamless texture skin with a brick or cobble border. Seamless texture costs the least because there are no pattern lines to align, and it hides a repair better than a tight ashlar grid.
Color is two layers. Integral color goes into the mix at the plant, so a chip does not show gray. Color hardener is broadcast on the surface and floated in for a denser top and a second shade, and the release powder leaves a darker tone in the texture. Tans, buffs and terracottas are the safe family in Houston County: red clay tracked across a light gray patio shows, across a buff one it does not. Dark charcoals run noticeably hotter underfoot in August.
A stamped border around a broom-finished field gets the pattern where you notice it, at the edge and the step, for a dollar or two per square foot over plain. It is what we suggest for a long driveway in Stratham's Landing or Vinings Place where a fully stamped drive would be the most expensive thing in the yard.
How a stamped pour goes, and why the crew is bigger
- Base and steel, same as plain. 4 inches of compacted crusher run, 4 inches of 4,000 psi concrete, 6x6 mesh for a patio and #3 rebar on 24-inch centers for a driveway. A stamped slab moves the same as a plain one on red clay.
- Pour early. Trucks from the plant on Foy Evans Drive arrive at first light with integral color batched in and a slightly stiffer mix so the pattern holds.
- Screed, float, hardener. Color hardener goes on in two passes after the bull float. This step turns a four-person pour into six or seven, because the next one cannot wait.
- Stamp in the window. Summer highs run 90 to 95 F with high humidity. Winters rarely hold a hard freeze, so we pour year-round, with the busiest months March through November. At 92 F the surface is ready about 45 minutes after floating and stays workable for roughly an hour. Two people run mats, one tamps, one details edges. Miss the window and the pattern goes shallow wherever the crew finished last.
- Joints. Control joints sawn next morning and hidden in a grout line where the pattern allows. Expansion joint at the house and the pool coping.
- Wash and seal. Pressure wash off the excess release on day two or three. Three to seven days after the pour, two thin coats of solvent-based acrylic sealer, with a slip-resistant grit additive on pool decks and steps.
When stamped concrete is the wrong choice
- Driveways show tire marks. Hot tires on a July afternoon soften acrylic sealer and leave black scuffs, worst on dark colors. They wash off, and they come back every summer.
- It needs resealing every two to three years. Skip it and the color dulls, the surface takes red clay stains, and the texture wears at the high points. Plain broom concrete needs nothing.
- Repairs do not match. Replace one panel after a utility cut and it is a different batch and a different season of fading. On plain concrete a patch is a patch. On stamped it is a permanent square.
- Sealer is slick when wet. Fine on a patio, a problem on a sloped driveway or pool steps unless the grit additive goes in.
- Short ownership. Robins Air Force Base is the county's largest employer. Many homeowners are on a three-year assignment, so we quote with resale in mind and write warranties that transfer to the next owner. If you expect to sell inside three years, integral color with a broom finish or exposed aggregate gets most of the look for 60 to 70 percent of the price and leaves nothing for the buyer to maintain.
Where it is the right choice: a patio or pool deck you will sit on for a decade, where tires never touch it. See the patios and pool decks page for sizes and layouts.
Sealing, repairs and the apron
Resealing is the whole maintenance list. When water stops beading, usually in the third year, the slab is washed, left to dry 48 hours, and rolled with two thin coats; a gallon of solvent-based acrylic covers about 200 square feet per coat. Thick coats trap moisture and turn white, and fixing that means stripping. Pressure wash below 2,500 psi with a fan tip, since a turbo nozzle cuts the texture.
A stamped slab that settles is lifted with 5/8-inch holes and foam, and the holes get a tinted patch; see leveling. Spalling on a sound stamped slab can take a 3/8-inch stamped overlay, covered under repair and resurfacing. A stamped slab that is cracked and moving is replaced.
On a stamped driveway, the apron between the sidewalk and the street belongs to the road authority. A new or widened curb cut on a public road needs an encroachment permit, and we pour the apron plain gray to their spec with the stamped field starting at the property line. For county addresses the office is Houston County Building Inspection, 200 Carl Vinson Parkway, Warner Robins, GA 31088, (478) 542-2018.
Questions we get asked
How much more does stamped concrete cost than plain?
About double. A plain 12 by 16 patio is $1,400 to $2,200; stamped, $2,500 to $4,300. A plain two-car driveway is $5,000 to $8,500; stamped at $12 to $20 per square foot, $9,600 to $16,000. Integral color with a broom finish sits in between.
Does stamped concrete crack?
The same as plain, because under the pattern it is the same 4-inch slab on the same clay. We hide the saw-cut control joints in pattern lines. An unplanned crack shows more on stamped because it runs across the smooth stone faces.
How often does stamped concrete need sealing?
Every two to three years for a patio, closer to two for a driveway that gets tires and sun all day. The signs are water soaking in instead of beading and color that looks dusty after a wash.
Is stamped concrete slippery around a pool?
Sealed smooth-texture stamped concrete is. On pool decks we use a textured pattern and mix a grit additive into the sealer, which takes the wet surface from skating rink to broom-finish grip.
Can you stamp over my existing patio?
If the slab is solid and not moving, a stamped overlay about 3/8 inch thick can go on top, at close to the price of new stamped concrete because the stamping labor is the same. If the slab rocks or has sunk, tearing out and pouring new is the better spend.
Get a written quote
Tell us what you need and where. Sandhill Concrete matches your project with a licensed Houston County concrete contractor, who measures on site, writes the quote and does the work. You hear back within one business day by text or email with a site-visit window, and the written quote states thickness, reinforcement, base and removal so you can compare it line by line.
Other concrete services
Where we work
Based in Warner Robins and working across Houston County: Centerville, Perry, Bonaire, Kathleen, Byron. Not sure if you are inside our area? Send the address with your quote request and we will confirm.