Decorative concrete in Concord CA - a stone or brick look on a sound slab
Tired of a plain gray patio or a worn slab? We check what's underneath, then give it the color and texture you picked.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What can decorative concrete do for a patio or slab in Concord?
Decorative concrete is ordinary concrete given color, texture or shine, through color mixed into the batch, stains, stamped patterns, exposed aggregate or polishing. In Concord, it can make a patio, walk or floor look like slate, brick or natural stone instead of plain gray.
Most people who call me either want a new slab that looks like more than a driveway, or have an old one that's gone dull and stained and want it to look like something again. The price moves with the size of the area, the technique you choose, how many colors and patterns go into it, and whether the old concrete needs repair before anything goes on top. If a pressed pattern is what you're after, our stamped concrete services page goes deeper on that one finish. The schedule turns on the prep and on curing, which is the wait while the concrete hardens enough to carry weight, so you'll be off the patio for a stretch after we finish the surface. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own slab and what it covers.
How do you know your concrete is ready for a new finish?
Plain gray that looks tired
The slab is solid but dull, stained or just not what you want next to the house. That's the easiest case for color, stain or a new top layer, and waiting mostly costs you a patio you don't enjoy using.
Top layer chipping or flaking
The surface is coming off in patches while the slab under it still feels solid. Usually the top was finished weak or has worn through, and if you leave it the flaking spreads, so there's more to take off before a new finish can grip.
Cracks that keep growing
A hairline crack that stays put is normal for concrete, but one that widens or has edges at different heights usually means the slab is still moving. Put a new finish over that and you'll soon have the same crack running through the new finish.
Puddles or a sinking section
Water that sits after rain, or a section that's dropped below its neighbors, usually points to a base that settled or a slab that drains the wrong way. Left alone, the water can end up running toward the house, so this is a repair first and decoration second.
How we do decorative concrete in Concord
If you want the look of stone or brick, I bring samples and we go over them together, but before that I check the existing slab or the ground it'll sit on, because a pretty surface won't fix a problem sitting underneath it. On a new slab, we dig out to firm ground and pack the subgrade, the layer the slab rests on, then set forms and steel, pour, and color and texture the surface while it's still workable. On an old slab that passes the check, we clean it and rough up the top so the new layer has something to hold onto. Either way we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack instead of a random one, then let it cure and seal it. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you simplify the pattern than skimp on the base, because the base is buried on day one and it's what decides whether the nice part stays flat.
Decorative work often sits beside other concrete. A colored patio below a slope may need one of our concrete retaining walls to hold the dirt back, and indoors, concrete floor installation gives you a new slab that can be stained or polished as the finished floor.
Stamped and textured
This suits you if you want the look of slate, brick or natural stone on a patio or walk, because we press the pattern into the fresh concrete and color it to match the material you like.
Integral color
The color is mixed into the whole batch, so a chip shows the same color underneath, which makes it a good fit for a new slab where you want one steady tone.
Stains
Stain soaks into the surface and leaves a mottled, natural look, so it suits a sound slab you'd like to change without adding a new layer on top.
Exposed aggregate
We wash away the top of the fresh concrete to show the stones in the mix, which gives a rougher, grippier surface that suits walks and areas that get wet.
Overlays on an old slab
A thin new layer goes over the old concrete, which works well when the slab underneath is solid but worn, and not at all when it's still moving.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at your slab with you and put a free estimate in writing, with no obligation.
(925) 536-0945- Based in
- Concord, CA 94519
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Concord?
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the final walkthrough, and what you'll have in hand before you decide anything.
Call or send a message
Call (925) 536-0945 or use the form and tell us what you have in mind. We'll set a time for me to come out and see the slab.
Look at the slab together
I check the concrete or the ground, show you samples and explain which finishes suit it and why. You get the estimate in writing, and if the slab needs repair first, that shows up as its own part of the price so it doesn't surprise you later.
Permits, then the work
Once you're set, we check with the city or county about your address and take care of the permit paperwork if one's needed. Then the crew and I do the work, with me on site the whole time.
Walk the finished job
When the concrete has cured enough to walk on, we walk it with you and answer whatever questions you have. I'll also tell you how long to keep furniture or cars off it.
Why Concord homeowners call King Concord Concrete Works for decorative concrete
The owner comes out and stays
I come out to look at your slab and write the estimate, and I'm on site with our small crew of form setters and finishers when the work happens. Most of our calls come from homeowners in Concord and the cities around it, so the person who explained your job is the one you'll see doing it.
In business since 2020
I learned concrete on my own small jobs and on other people's crews, then started this business in 2020. I've seen what happens when someone rushes the prep, and I'd rather explain it to you than repeat it.
Licensed and insured for your job
We're licensed and insured. Decorative work happens right against your house, and you want whoever is doing it to be covered.
Choices explained before you sign
We're best known for laying out the options plainly before anyone signs anything, including which finishes suit your slab and which don't. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, and that starts with you knowing what you're paying for.
The finish is the part you'll look at, but the slab under it is what I check first. Ask for a visit and we'll start there.
Decorative concrete and the work around it in Concord
If your project reaches past your property line, such as a colored driveway apron or a stamped walk that meets the public sidewalk, the City of Concord gets involved. The city issues encroachment permits for any work in or on the public right-of-way, the strip along the street that the city controls, and it requires its own standard plans and specs for sidewalks and driveways there. For work that stays on your lot, I won't guess, so we check with the city or county that covers your address and handle the permit paperwork when one is needed. If you'd like to look ahead yourself, Project Pal on the city's permit center page shows which permits a project needs, gives zoning information and estimates permit fees, which helps you budget before anything starts.
A lot of the calls we get are for patios and walks behind older houses, where the original slab has gone gray and stained and often has a crack or a low corner to sort out before any color goes down. We see the same thing on jobs in Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill, and we handle it the same way, slab first and finish second.
Questions about decorative concrete in Concord
How much does stamped concrete cost per square foot near Concord?
Installed stamped concrete in San Francisco usually costs about $16 to $34 per square foot, and that's the going rate there, not our price. Where a job lands depends on the pattern, the number of colors and how much prep the site needs, and stains or overlays are priced differently. Your written estimate gives the figure for your slab in Concord.
How do I know if my old concrete slab can be resurfaced?
An old slab can take a new top layer only if it's a solid base for it. If it's still settling, has steel rusting inside, moisture coming through or joints that move, covering it rarely fixes the cause, so that problem has to be dealt with first. Sometimes the honest answer is a new slab.
Does rebar stop a concrete patio from cracking?
No, according to an Australian concrete industry paper, steel reinforcement in a slab on the ground won't stop random cracking, but it keeps any cracks that do form from opening wide. Rebar is the steel bar set inside the slab to hold it together. Nobody can honestly promise a slab with no cracks, so the aim is to keep them small and in planned places.
When does a contractor need a license in California?
A contractor needs a license from the California Contractors State License Board when the job needs a building permit, uses additional workers, or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Most decorative concrete jobs pass that $1,000 mark, so ask anyone you're considering for their license.
How long does decorative concrete take before I can use my patio?
You'll need to stay off it until it has cured, which is the time the concrete takes to harden enough to carry weight. Walking comes first, then furniture, and a driveway waits longest before a car goes on it. I'll give you the waits for your finish when we set the schedule.
What is the best way to protect colored decorative concrete?
Sealing it is the usual way. One sealer maker says its sealers protect the surface and bring out the look of colored concrete, and that the film they leave may help guard against stains and chemicals. Which sealer fits depends on the finish, and we'll go over it at the estimate.
Related services for decorative concrete jobs
Concrete retaining walls
If your new patio sits below a slope or a raised bed, a retaining wall holds the dirt back so it doesn't wash onto the finished surface.
Concrete floor installation
Want a stained or polished floor in a shop, basement or addition? It starts with a new interior slab poured flat and ready to take a finish.
Service areas around Concord for decorative concrete
King Concord Concrete Works is based in Concord, California, and works in the cities around it, including Walnut Creek and Antioch. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Concord, CA
Book a visit to check your slab
Have a rough size in square feet handy and tell us whether it's new concrete or an existing slab, so the first visit gets straight to your options.