In our last post, we looked at a few of the benefits of stamped concrete patios. Why? That’s an easy one: we are a Northern Colorado concrete company (Cesar’s Concrete, in case you didn’t realize), and spring is fast turning into summer. The latter point listed means that we are soon going to be able to waste away the evenings taking in our beautiful Colorado sunsets while sipping on a glass of wine, applying mosquito repellent, and making sure the little ones don’t end up hurting themselves too bad, right?
Hey, nothing is perfect, but anything that will help us enjoy these cool evenings and spectacular sunsets that much more is worth looking into.
That is probably the exact reason you are here — to learn more about stamped concrete patios, if you are able to “DIY” it, and the like. Before we get into the DIY portion, we need to settle the score with our readers.
In our last post, we promised to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of getting a stamped concrete patio installed in your home. We failed to include that portion then, so we will fulfill our promise now.
Cons Of Stamped Concrete
There are only three drawbacks to speak of: lack of color choices, the fact that it isn’t “genuine” stone or brick, and the potentially hazardous deep depressions.
- Color choices – make sure you get your concrete dyed while it’s being mixed, otherwise you might need to go the route of surface colorants. Such colorants tend to flake away over time.
- Real brick and stone – Although it’s likely that only “stone nerds” will be able to tell or care, it technically isn’t genuine stone, brick, or tile. But we have the feeling that you are okay living with the tension of that decision, given the fact that you are on a local concrete contractor’s blog in the first place.
- Stamped concrete creates indents and depressions into the patio. Keep that in mind if you have someone in your family or among your friends with differing ability.
Stamped Concrete Installation: Can You DIY?
As we mentioned in our previous post, there are a plenty of reasons that the average Joe wouldn’t enjoy doing a project of this magnitude and precision on their own. Among them were the facts that concrete is heavy, it needs a correctly-installed base of gravel and sand, the project requires special tools (and the skill to know how to use them), not to mention the fact that there are no take-backs when it comes to the permanence of concrete!
Contact Cesar’s Concrete
Sure, we have a horse in this race — we are a Northern Colorado concrete company that has been providing folks with affordable concrete repairs and installations for a quarter of a century. We openly admit we’d love to earn your business. First, we are good at what we do. Secondly, we realize it takes years of experience to get good at what we do. In a future post, we just might go through some of the basics of stamped concrete and patio installation. But do us both a favor and save yourself the trouble. Get your free estimate from Cesar’s Concrete today!
