Decorative concrete in Port Angeles WA - a finish that's yours and holds up
Stuck with a plain gray slab or a worn patio that's chipping? We pour and finish decorative concrete that suits your house and keeps its surface.
What can decorative concrete do for my yard in Port Angeles?
Decorative concrete in Port Angeles is flatwork, meaning the patios, walks and slabs poured flat on the ground, given color, a stamped texture, a stain or an overlay so it looks like part of your house and not a plain gray pad. Many of these techniques can be mixed, and we enjoy helping you combine them into a look that's yours.
The first thing I ask is what the space is for, because a front walk, a patio for a long table and a spot for a hot tub each call for a different finish. Price moves with the size of the area, how many techniques you want to layer, whether an old slab has to come out and how much digging the base needs, and a sloped or tight lot adds to all of that. The schedule turns on the weather, the days new concrete needs to cure and gain strength before you use it, and whether the work reaches the public sidewalk or street, since that can bring in a city permit. If you want a pattern pressed in, stamped concrete is one of the techniques we'd talk through, and the estimate I write gives you your own figure with what's in it and what isn't. We're based in Port Angeles and work in Sequim and the cities around it.
What happens after you call about decorative concrete?
Call or send us a note
Call (564) 203-7120 or use the form, and tell us roughly how big the area is and what look you have in mind. We'll set a time for me to come out and see it.
I come out and estimate
I come out myself, walk the site and ask what you've got planned for the space before I say a word about finishes. The written estimate spells out what's in it and what isn't, from the base to the color, so you know what you're paying for.
We sort the city and prep
Once you're ready, we sort out anything the city needs and prep the ground. On permitted work in the public right-of-way, the inspection is requested before any concrete goes in, and the city's engineering staff check the work against the permit and city and state standards.
We pour, finish and walk it
I'm on site with our crew for the pour and the finish, and we keep watch on the surface while it cures. When it's done, we walk the finished job with you and go over how to treat it through its first winter.
How we do decorative concrete, and the work that often goes with it
We start by digging out and packing the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, because a base that's only raked level settles with the dirt and takes your pattern down with it. I check where the water runs so the slab falls away from the house, then we set forms and lay rebar, steel inside the slab that holds it together, where the job calls for it. We pour early in the day rather than in midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and then we finish with whatever mix of color, stamp and stain you picked. Control joints, shallow cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack, go in on time and line up with the pattern so a crack doesn't wander through the middle of your design. If the budget's tight, I'd rather you pick a simpler finish than skimp on the base, because the base is hidden on day one and it's the part you can't fix later without tearing everything out. I'm just as fussy about the plain parts, the mix and the curing, since those are what keep a decorative surface from flaking.
Decorative work often ties into other jobs, and those are the ones I like figuring out. On a sloped lot, a terraced patio usually needs concrete retaining walls to hold the ground, and we'd rather plan the wall and the slab together than fit one around the other. Indoors, color and stain only look as good as the slab under them, so when the floor is new we plan the concrete floor installation with the finish in mind.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
We respond within one business day to set a time, and I come out myself to look at the space and write up a free in-person estimate. There's no pressure to book, so take the estimate, ask your questions and decide when you're ready.
Decorative concrete questions in Port Angeles
What does stamped concrete cost in Port Angeles?
Stamped concrete installed across the US usually costs about $12 to $30 per square foot, and that's a national range, not a Port Angeles quote or our price. Where your job lands depends on the size, the pattern and colors, how much base work the ground needs and whether old concrete comes out first. I'll write up an estimate on site that shows exactly what's in it. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Do I need a city permit for concrete by the public sidewalk in Port Angeles?
Yes, if the work will physically affect a street, sidewalk or other public right-of-way, because the city issues a Right-of-Way Construction Permit for that kind of concrete work. When that work is valued above $3,500, the city requires the permit applicant to be a licensed and bonded contractor. We look early at whether your job reaches city land, and when it needs a permit we handle the paperwork with the city or help you get your questions to the city's permit staff.
How do I keep new decorative concrete from scaling?
Start with the mix, because guidance from a Michigan concrete industry group says concrete without entrained air, or with too little, can be a non-durable mix that may scale, which is the top flaking off in thin layers. Entrained air is tiny bubbles mixed in on purpose, so ask any installer you're weighing whether their mix uses it. The same guidance says curing compounds or secured plastic sheeting keep the new surface from drying out in the first few days so it reaches full strength, so plan on it staying covered or treated that long.
What is the best way to melt ice on new decorative concrete?
Sand for traction is the safer choice on new concrete, because the Michigan concrete group's guidance says deicing chemicals on young concrete greatly raise the chance of scaling. It also says calcium or magnesium-based deicers should stay off concrete entirely, while rock salt may be used in moderation to melt ice. Keeping a bucket of sand by the door before the first freeze makes that easy.
Do Port Angeles stormwater rules apply to a large decorative concrete patio?
They can, once the project gets big enough. The city's stormwater code sets the trigger for stormwater controls at 2,000 square feet of hard surface or 7,000 square feet of disturbed land, so check the current figures with the city if you're covering a large area. Smaller projects that have to meet the city's basic stormwater requirements can use the city's pre-engineered templates, and the city offers rebates for low-impact development on both new construction and reconstruction projects.
How do I check a concrete contractor's registration in Washington?
Look the business up on the Verify a Contractor tool from the state Department of Labor & Industries, which shows whether its contractor registration is active and whether its workers' comp account is active and paid up for any employees. The state requires every construction contractor to register with the department and to be bonded and insured. We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to look us up before you book.
Related concrete work
Concrete retaining walls
When a patio sits on a slope, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back so the decorative slab has level, packed ground under it.
Concrete floor installation
If you want a stained or colored look indoors, it starts with a new concrete floor poured flat and suited to the finish going over it.
Call about your decorative concrete project
Call (564) 203-7120 or use the form with the rough size of the area, the finish you like and whether the work reaches the public sidewalk, so I can show up with the right questions.