Stamped Concrete?

[Purron]

I want to redo the entrance to my house. If you look at the attached picture, you can see it needs help. I am considering having it covered with "stamped concrete". Here's a website showing what it looks like: Salzano Concrete

My brother in law had a walkway done at his place and I thought it looked great. Just wondering if anyone is familiar with samped concrete or has any other suggestions for redoing this area.

 

[tryan]

Get references from the contractor ... a friend had a patio and walk way stamped. The color (burnt orange) was not applied evenly. So now it looks like somebody spilt something every 4 feet (blotchy). Still better than what they had; but worse than they expected.

 

[Westernskies]

Look at colored epoxy concrete overlays. Very popular here in PHX. No demolition, just a thin layer troweled over the top- the finished job can look like stone, tile, or a monolithic pour. In and out in a day.

 

[Purron]

I e-mailed two companies who do this kind of work and one already came back with a $2,500 estimate. Seems a bit pricey to me since the area is only about 12' by 6', but hey, I tend to be a tightwad. I'm going to check out the epoxy concrete overlay suggested by bigwonderfulwyoming. Also, I will check references as suggested by tryan. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Dawg52]

I e-mailed two companies who do this kind of work and one already came back with a $2,500 estimate. Seems a bit pricey to me since the area is only about 12' by 6', but hey, I tend to be a tightwad. I'm going to check out the epoxy concrete overlay suggested by bigwonderfulwyoming. Also, I will check references as suggested by tryan. Thanks for the tips!

Wow, that does seem high for an area that size. I like the grayish tint as shown on the link you provided.

 

[ERD50]

You could tile over them. Pick a tile rated for outdoors (see links) and with a non-slip surface:
tile over outside steps cement - Google Search
tiling over cement porch - DoItYourself.com Community Forums
Ceramic Tile Advice Forums - John Bridge Ceramic Tile - Help with outside Steps

-ERD50

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I'd second BWW's suggestion about epoxy concrete overlays. In my experience stamped concrete looks like, well, stamped concrete when you're close up - especially if hairline cracks occur outside the faux mortar lines. It's your front stoop - you want it to look good.

Masonry solutions also are pretty classy.

 

[jIMOh]

did you look to see if pavers are cheaper than stamped concrete?

I looked into doing a patio and like the look of pavers better and prices were comperable.

 

[Purron]

I'd second BWW's suggestion about epoxy concrete overlays. In my experience stamped concrete looks like, well, stamped concrete when you're close up - especially if hairline cracks occur outside the faux mortar lines. It's your front stoop - you want it to look good.

Masonry solutions also are pretty classy.

I googled "epoxy concrete overlays" looking for companies in Northern Virginia who do this kind of work and stuck out. This is a big metro area - just 20 miles from DC and the county I am in (Fairfax) has a population of over 1 million people. This is also a high income area so I would think there would be local companies who would do this kind of work. Any suggestions on finding them?

 

[Westernskies]

I googled "epoxy concrete overlays" looking for companies in Northern Virginia who do this kind of work and stuck out. This is a big metro area - just 20 miles from DC and the county I am in (Fairfax) has a population of over 1 million people. This is also a high income area so I would think there would be local companies who would do this kind of work. Any suggestions on finding them?

Home Depot does a lot of it out here through their licensed contactor program. Might check with them.

Alos try : Resurfacing Concrete Contractors in Arlington-Reston-Charlottesville and Northern Virginia - The Concrete Network
Good Luck.

 

[Purron]

Home Depot does a lot of it out here through their licensed contactor program. Might check with them.

Alos try : Resurfacing Concrete Contractors in Arlington-Reston-Charlottesville and Northern Virginia - The Concrete Network
Good Luck.

Wow - thanks! I didn't find this link in my searching. There are about 6 Home Depot stores within 20 miles of my house, so I will check with them too.

 

[Walt34]

A half-hour (probably less) with a pressure washer will work wonders on the porch. Mine faces north and gets mildew on it too. Once or twice a year is fine. If you don't want to buy one any tool rental place has them.

An epoxy made for garage floors is an option too, but that porch will need cleaning first.

 

[Purron]

A half-hour (probably less) with a pressure washer will work wonders on the porch. Mine faces north and gets mildew on it too. Once or twice a year is fine. If you don't want to buy one any tool rental place has them.

An epoxy made for garage floors is an option too, but that porch will need cleaning first.

Thanks for the suggestion Walt34. The problem is, the concrete is pitted and cracked in places so it will need more than a power washing. I will look into the epoxy though. Guess this didn't show up so well in the photo. I should add my DH and I plan to put our place up for sale within a year or so and are slowly working on getting it "show ready". He's joining me in retirement next April and since I'm already retired, I'm getting into sprucing the place up. Funny how you live with problems like this then get motivated to get them fixed when thinking about selling the place

 

[HFWR]

Check for bags of "concrete resurfacer" or some such at Lowes or HD. It's about $20/bag, so for maybe a hundred bucks you could resurface it yourself. There's a chart on the bag to help determine how many bags needed per sf to achieve a certain depth.

 

[ChrisC]

I had my stoop and walkway done a few years ago with exposed aggregate concrete. I'm not sure you can see it well in this picture.

 

[wallygator69]

VERS-A-COVR

I had my entry way done by these guys 6x8ft and my patio which is 20x20 for $1850 or so. They are a franchise and not every where but it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch trowel on application which would fill in your problem areas.

One down side is you can't put it on the vertical stair surface. But they can paint it a color that matches the rest.

Good luck.

W

 

[Urchina]

I'd second Walt34's suggestion to powerwash it first. Then I'd do one of two things:

1. Apply a concrete stain (a pretty easy DIY option; you can get the stain at most home-improvement stores) OR

2. Put a masonry veneer over the existing steps. You could do this in brick or in something like natural stone. So long as your existing stoop is structurally sound it should work out fine.

For an example of veneers: Boulder Creek Stone. I've never used this and have no idea of the quality, but it's more for illustrative purposes anyway.

 

[Purron]

I'd second Walt34's suggestion to powerwash it first. Then I'd do one of two things:

1. Apply a concrete stain (a pretty easy DIY option; you can get the stain at most home-improvement stores) OR

2. Put a masonry veneer over the existing steps. You could do this in brick or in something like natural stone. So long as your existing stoop is structurally sound it should work out fine.

For an example of veneers: Boulder Creek Stone. I've never used this and have no idea of the quality, but it's more for illustrative purposes anyway.

Hey, another good suggestion! I'm in no rush to do this project and really appreciate all the input. I want to take my time and do something both cost effective and attractive. After all, the entrance to your home is important, particularly when you are considering selling within a year or two.

 

[jimnjana]

Try powerwashing.

 

[tryan]

came back with a $2,500 estimate

YIKES! Why pay top dollar for the imitation when real stone/tile can be had.