Stamped Concrete in Lyons, IL With the Look of Stone

Stamped concrete starts as an ordinary slab and becomes something that reads, from a few steps away, like slate tiles, irregular fieldstone, old brick or weathered planks. While the concrete is still workable, the crew presses large textured mats into the surface in a planned sequence, then details the edges and seams by hand. Color goes in two ways: a base color mixed through the concrete or broadcast onto the surface, and a release color that settles into the low spots to give depth and the slight variation real stone has. Once the slab has cured, it is cleaned and sealed, which deepens the color and helps the surface shrug off water and stains. The result is a patio, walk or driveway with no individual pieces to heave, rock or sprout weeds between. Getting it right takes timing and a practiced hand, because the stamping window is short and a pattern cannot be redone once the concrete sets. It also still depends on everything underneath, so a stamped slab gets the same compacted base, thickness and control joints as any other pour we do in Lyons.