While I normally embrace the wonders and joys of decorative concrete applications, I feel I must also report on the other side of the coin: no matter what the color or pattern of the stamp reflects, it’s still concrete. Your new patio may look like a beautiful blackboard, but it’s not. is concrete. What does this mean? Well, it means that although concrete has limitless design options and can be made into almost any design, mimicking many other building materials; It has minor limitations. An experienced decorative concrete contractor knows this and will install it according to industry standards to best prevent cracking or discoloration.

That being said, these issues do crop up on occasion. Let’s start with the cracks in your new stamped concrete pool cover. First, expansion joints are cut into the concrete to prevent cracking. However, everything from heavy loads traveling over stamped concrete to settling of soils under the concrete can cause cracks, regardless of expansion joints. Proper seam cutting should and in most cases alleviate this problem. Second, when concrete cures, it shrinks. This can also cause cracks and even the most experienced concrete contractor cutting the best expansion joints in the world will not always win that battle. Lastly, a somewhat common “side effect” of stamped concrete is the formation of hairline cracks around the lines made by the stamping tools once the surface begins to harden. This is called “crusting” and will usually occur due to sun and wind. Obviously, the sun and wind will accelerate the hardening of the concrete surface. Another reason why crusting occurs is due to the color of the concrete. Darker colors, as we all know, attract the sun’s rays and absorb heat. Stamping tools with deeper grout lines to create designs such as random stone or slate patterns often aggravate crusting. Many people feel that these hairline cracks add to the appearance of the stamped concrete design, giving it an “Old World” appearance. This aged appearance generally lends itself to the overall design. These blemishes are generally considered attractive. Although cracks can be repaired, the end result of the repair tends to be much more apparent than the unrepaired crack.

Now let’s move on to coloring mishaps. Actually, “mishaps” is not the right word here. A “mishap” would happen by accident. What I’m referring to here is customer acceptance of the finished color in their new concrete. Depending on the method of coloring the concrete (and there are quite a few), different factors come into play for the concrete contractor to mix the color chosen by the client. However, as a customer, a few things are required of you to make sure you’re getting the color you want. A good practice would be to find photos of finished colored concrete patios, et. para. that show the color you are striving for and send it to your contractor. However, it is key to understand that there are variables related to the coloring or tinting of the concrete that can affect the color result. Sometimes the stars align and the concrete color turns out exactly as envisioned. And then there are times when this is simply not the case.

For example, here are some conditions that can, and most often will, cause color variations:

• The customer is not available during color mixing. This will be a problem because if the client is not present to approve the color prior to installation, you may end up with a beautiful new colored concrete patio that is too dark or too light, or just not right. It is important that the client is present during color mixing to ensure happiness with the color.
• Concrete work requires more than one truckload of concrete. Color will vary slightly from batch to batch. This is to be expected and should be understood from the start.
• Finished concrete color does not match sample chip or color chart. Never expect the end result to completely match the sample chip or color chart. Samples are just that: samples. The sample chips and color charts are intended to be more of a guide for color. Mixing concrete colors is not an exact science and should not be considered as such. After all, even the best decorative concrete contractor in the area is only human!
• Concrete placement at different ages. Placing concrete at different ages will cause a slight color variation. This should be taken into account during larger concrete projects, although it should not be more than a slight variation.

Keeping all of the above in mind, plus understanding that job site conditions and seasonal weather issues can affect the bottom line, you should have a happy customer in the end. However, an owner who is not aware of these things, but has a clear idea of ​​what he wants in terms of color, may end up disappointed. The contractor doesn’t want that, and certainly the owner doesn’t want that either. Understanding early on that color variation is normal should keep the customer happy until the very end.

Obviously, no one wants to spend their hard-earned money on a particular job that they consider imperfect. As with any major home improvement purchase, proper research on decorative concrete applications will educate you on what to expect in terms of installation, appearance, design, maintenance, and repair. The most important aspect of this article is the desire to make the customer happy by keeping the lines of communication open between you, the homeowner, and the concrete contractor; as well as prepare you with important knowledge to take into account when designing your specific project.