Decorative concrete is the use of concrete for the aesthetic improvement of a structure and its integral parts such as floors, walls, driveways, and patios.

Why decorative concrete?

There are several reasons to consider decorative concrete for your next project:

Cost — decorative concrete floors compare favorably with wood, ceramic, or quarry tile floors when amortized over the life of the floor. When elaborate designs and complex patterns are incorporated, concrete can save money when compared to marble or slate.

Craftsmanship — decorative concrete installed by a quality concrete craftsman offers an unlimited color palette. Every application is unique and can be customized to meet the desires of a homeowner.

Durability — when properly installed, concrete is one of the most durable materials on earth. Properly maintained, decorative concrete will last for many decades.

Health — decorative concrete is a great alternative to carpeting for people suffering from respiratory ailments and allergies.

Optimal Radiant Heating — whether in a slab-on-ground or cement-based topping, decorative concrete is ideal for use with radiant floor heating due to its excellent thermal mass properties.

How does decorative concrete get its color?

There are a variety of ways to achieve the distinctive colors found in decorative concrete. With integral coloring, the products are introduced at the ready-mix concrete plant and come in dry, liquid, or granular form. Coloring mixed throughout the concrete allows for full-depth color. 

Using white cement in place of traditional gray portland cement can allow for additional color choices. Dry-shake color hardeners are applied topically to freshly placed concrete, coloring the top 3/16 inch of the surface. The advantages of the dry-shake method include improved finish ability, an unlimited range of colors, and a hard, abrasion-resistant surface. 

What are my options?

There are a variety of techniques available to achieve the desired look:

Concrete Countertops — these can be cast-in-place at the customer’s residence or pre-fabricated off-site and delivered for installation and finishing. The ability to integrate sloped drain boards, brass rails, and removable cutting boards and/or incorporate items such as crushed glass or seashells into the design adds to their appeal.

Polished Concrete — grinding in successive passes with diamond tools over the concrete surface creates a high-luster finish similar to marble. This is one of the fastest-growing processes in decorative concrete because of its distinctive look and reduced maintenance costs.

Skim Coats and Micro Toppings — a thinly applied material placed atop existing concrete can be layered in multiple lifts to create dimensional effects. Finishes can be broomed, troweled, or textured. These cement-based toppings provide great durability with a distinctive look.

Stamped and Textured Concrete — using this method, semi-hardened fresh concrete is stamped with special tools that make plain concrete mimic materials such as slate, stone, or brick. With advancements in stamping tools and coloring methods, it’s almost impossible to distinguish between natural materials and decorative concrete.

Stamped Overlay — a decorative poured-in-place topping made from colored or uncolored cementitious high-performance material is placed on top of existing concrete, then textured and stamped. Many of the same techniques used with traditional stamped concrete can be used when stamping an overlay.

Stenciled Concrete and Overlays — cobblestone, and other shapes.

Decorative Concrete Installation Process

Installing decorative concrete is a sensitive process that requires proper planning. Most homeowners consider it as something less important that can be left at the end of the construction phase and will the lowest possible cost. 

In the past decades, concrete came with limited finishes like colored, acid-etch stained, and stamped. Today, there is a huge variety of finishes to choose from for horizontal and vertical surfaces like:

• stamped
• textured
• integral and dust-on
• colored
• acid etch
• dye (water and solvent), 
• stampable overlays, 
• self-level overlays, 
• micro-toppings, 
• stencil, engraved, 
• form liners
• diamond-polished 
• sandblast
• exposed aggregate 
• coatings (epoxy, urethane, and acrylic).

There are so many creative options that are only limited by the concrete contractor’s creativity and imagination. This is what makes decorative concrete such as an attractive option. The problem is that decorative concrete is very sensitive to a wide range of variables that can negatively affect the final result. 

1. Create a full description of how the final product should look.

Before contacting any contractors to provide you an estimate for the installation of decorative concrete make sure you create a detailed description of how the final product should look like. Based on your specs the contractor will decide and inform you of what is physically, aesthetically, and financially possible. 

Tip: It is important to focus first on the requirements of a good installation otherwise the concrete might meet the technical requirements but not be suitable for aesthetic reasons.

2. Choose the right decorative concrete contractor

The skill level and experience of decorative concrete contractors will vary but if you want very creative work, you must hire a contractor who can deliver at the highest levels. Contractors will typically specialize in particular types of decorative concrete so you must know how to seek out the right one for your project.

You might also have to hire a place and finish concrete contractor if you are working with a decorative concrete contractor who doesn’t do that.

Carefully Schedule the work of other trades to avoid undue damage to the concrete

Decorative concrete is highly susceptible to damage compared to other finished floor surfaces. This damage can even occur before the installation starts. It can happen during and it can happen after also. To avoid unnecessary damage to your concrete, you must schedule its installation at a time when there is no other work ongoing. This will be your best shot at a damage-free installation.

3. Provide the right protection for the finished work

Everybody assumes concrete will continue to get hard over time and as such, there is no need to worry about its structural integrity afterward. This is not the case. Concrete is still vulnerable as it ages over time. Its exposure to the elements will bring about physical and chemical changes that continue to weaken it over time. This is why it is very important to have a plan to protect the finished work.

The covering material to be used must allow moisture vapor from the concrete to escape without allowing any other product capable of staining to reach the surface of the concrete. This is a very critical issue. Since the concrete contractor cannot be expected to stay on the job until the concrete fully cures this responsibility falls squarely on the general contractor. The concrete contractor can suggest the best protective products to use and if possible assist with the first-time installation

4. Negotiate an agreement with client/owner on post-occupancy maintenance

There must be a sustainable plan in place even before construction work begins. This should be part of the discussions with your building team, the clients, and facility staff. There are so many ways to seal decorative work but the generally accepted standard dictates that pedestrians walk on the sealer and not on the concrete. If the client wants a natural concrete look, then you can make use of penetrating sealers that will restrict the pore openings to prevent dirt and other staining materials from penetrating the surface

Diamond –polished floors are a lot more difficult to maintain. Owners will usually want these floors to have a shine about them but dirt and grit become abrasive under foot traffic thus dulling the shine over time. There are a couple of big-box retail companies with maintenance programs that can help remove dirt and grit regularly.

5. Choose the right decorative concrete contractor

There must be a sustainable plan in place even before construction work begins. This should be part of the discussions with your building team, the clients, and facility staff. There are so many ways to seal decorative work but the generally accepted standard dictates that pedestrians walk on the sealer and not on the concrete. If the client wants a natural concrete look, then you can make use of penetrating sealers that will restrict the pore openings to prevent dirt and other staining materials from penetrating the surface

Diamond–polished floors are a lot more difficult to maintain. Owners will usually want these floors to have a shine about them but dirt and grit become abrasive under foot traffic thus dulling the shine over time. There are a couple of big-box retail companies with maintenance programs that can help remove dirt and grit regularly.