On this project our team broke away and removed an old concrete patio and walkway, prepped for a new concrete patio that features stamped concrete borders, a stamped concrete patio with grouted decorative saw cuts, and a step / landing with a light architectural wash and custom stamped nosing. Scroll down to see the different steps in our process.
Prior to removing and hauling away the existing concrete we brought out the laser level to establish all the finished concrete heights, and began excavating. On all projects we excavate so there is sufficient room for at least a 4” thick gravel base, and a 4” thick concrete slab. After grading the gravel, we saturate the gravel base and then run a plate compactor over it.
On a project like this when there is no specific design or plan, we meet with the homeowners and have a site walkthrough, oftentimes marking the job out in spray paint to make sure we are on the same page as the homeowner and for visual aid when forming. For this decorative concrete patio we formed inner borders that divided that patio into sections. In addition to the inner borders, we formed a landing and a small step with custom stamped nosings that we make ourselves.
For the first pour on this project we poured the step and landing with the custom stamped nosings and the inner stamped concrete borders. The face of the landing and step features a light architectural wash, this is achieved by washing a thin surface layer of the concrete away, lightly revealing the rocks in the concrete. Now that the borders, step and landing have been poured it is time to pour the rest of the patio.
On the second and final pour of this project, we poured the rest of the patio. This patio was stamped using slate texture skins and features grey and charcoal colours, that were added during the pour using colour hardeners. Colour hardener is a cement based colour additive for concrete. Colour hardener is one of the few methods used for coloured concrete.
A day after the pour the decorative saw cuts were laid out using chalk so that the homeowners could have a visual of what the cuts would look like before starting cutting. Once the design for the saw cuts was approved by the homeowners we began cutting. After the cuts have been finished we then go back and slightly widen each cut using a grinder to prep for grouting.
The entire project is then given a wash to rid it from any dust or debris it may have accumulated during the saw cutting, and removal of forms. Once washed this stamped concrete patio is ready for grouting.
The final stage of this project: grouting. Using hand tools, grout is inserted into each saw cut. Applying grout to the saw cuts on a stamped concrete project gives it the appearance of natural stone, or cut and placed tiles.
Here is a final look at this custom stamped concrete patio, we used 6 shades of greys and its shows. With the grouted decorative saw cuts it looks very close to natural slate as was our intension. The
perfect outdoor living space to entertain, relax, and enjoy!
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