Question about differences between concrete stain and concrete stamp
 

Hi,
I am thinking about replacing my front yard driveway. Does anyone know/experience on good/bad or advantage/disadvantage between concrete stain and concrete stamp with colors?
Thanks guys

The stamp is permanent. The dye is only permanent if they put the dye in the concrete in the mixing truck. If they ad stain to the surface it wears off. You can have both dyed and stamped concrete. The disadvantage of stamped in my climate (Ohio) is that the surface holds water. The pockets of water freeze in the winter and thaw more slowly than water on a smooth surface. More insidious is if it's done poorly and the stamping is too deep water sits in it in the summer and grows mold, which is as slippery as ice when it gets wet.

I've done dye and it faded FAST!

Most of the concrete stamp & color work I have seen is done after the concrete is poured. They throw various colors (powder) on the fresh concrete and then tamp in the pattern using large rubber mats. Personally I don't think the color will hold up on a driveway. I had multiple neighbors who did stamped and colored walkways and they needed to be sealed every year or so - and still never looked as good as the first year after install.

Concrete stain (acid) is much more reliable but can tend to fade with heavy use. It can be applied on new or old concrete. I did a stain on my poured-in-place BBQ island top and then went over it with a clear coat. Looked amazing for years.

Ever consider pavers ?

I had some done that way and it did not hold up for long even on a deck. I had another job done with the dye added to the concrete at the time it was mixed. The entire pour is colored, not just the surface. It has not faded, and even if it's chipped the color is still there.

We had our driveway poured with colored ( came out if the truck done) slate grey and then stamped with a slate pattern. Finally sealed. Still looks great 5 years later. We have a freezing climate in winter and no problems yet.

The responses have covered all your questions, basically, so now you have to decide which way to go and how durable you want the driveway color.

In short, unless the color is added to the mix so the concrete itself is colored, it will fade and wear away. Stamping is a different issue as it puts a pattern into the wet pour--colored or not. Living in California, you probably won't have freeze or mold issues, but it's good to know about them.

Stained concrete is really meant for interior uses, like counter tops and floors, that can be continually protected by sealants or coverings, like rugs.

If you want a textured surface, stamping is the way to go. Mine has a granite texture, but you can choose from a lot of other patterns. I had mine done like JavaBrewer described with colored concrete (kind of a dark tan color). All the stained examples I've seen were flat concrete and faded after some time. I think it could be restained though. The stamped in color holds up well sheltered from the elements like on patios. The stamped in coloring on my driveway apron has weathered out a lot, but that's largely my fault, because I wasn't attentive as far as sealing it was concerned. I still like it though. Even the sheltered parts need resealing periodically. However it can be reconditioned by rolling it with MEK or some similar solvent periodically, since you don't want too much of a buildup of sealer. I like it a lot. No other place around here has anything like it.

I agree with what's been posted already but wanted to reinforce flyenby's post about considering pavers.

Interesting fact some may not be aware of....pavers are generally more durable than concrete.

If you are just trying to 'dress up' your existing concrete driveway - and have no plans to replace it - that's a different story.

I've also seen situations where the property owner replaced sections of their driveway over time.....to allow for budgeting considerations. It's not as efficient but doing things in phases sometimes makes sense.

Thanks guys,
I like flagstone slate, but it is too expensive. They said that they can stamp the concrete almost like the flagstone pattern. The real flagstone cost more than double, almost triple the concrete price. On color the concrete from the truck, it's cost an extra $1500 or so. For coloring only the surface (before color stamp), it's cost a lot less. I am considering stamp now, but not sure if I should spend for color concrete or just the surface.
Thanks guys.

We are big fans of interlocking concrete pavers. More durable than concrete and can be easily modified going forward.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1485795232.jpg

Definitely go for the colored concrete. There are lots of colors to choose from. I'm assuming the extra $1,500 is for a lot of yards of concrete. I think I only paid a few bucks extra (maybe ten or fifteen) per yard for color when I did mine. That was about eight years ago.

For reference, this is a pic of the patio not long after it was done. JavaBrewer, that driveway is beautiful.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1485795888.JPG

Thanks Evans,
$10-$15 per yard is like $3k for a small drive way, 1,000 sq feet. This is only concrete color. Color stamp is on top of that. Am I right?

Yours looks beautiful.

You can spend more for color now and not worry about it again or you can spend less several times over the years and it will almost certainly end up costing more over the long haul.

rnln. No, the cost per yard at the time was something like $120/yd., which included the color. You will have to go through the normal bid process with the contractors. If I remember correctly, my per s.f. cost was around $4.25 including the color & stamping. I talked to about four or five contractors & as typical the price varied a lot. The one I went with was the lowest, although lowest price wasn't the determining factor. Concrete is concrete, so if it has the right psi rating, the code or better amount of reinforcing, thickness, etc., for specs and all things equal then price is what you look at. At the time, the total s.f. was right at 2,400 and the total cost was somewhere around $9,400.

stomachmonkey, that is right. Thanks.

Evans,
I said $10-$15 per yard is only for concrete color per you said above.
wow. The lowest I got for concrete alone is $6.5/sqft, 4.5" thick (1.5" rebar, 24" center). Include colors and stamp is $9/sqft. I want 6" now, let see.
I just did a portion on the backyard, $6/sqft no color no stamp, 3" thick.
Do you still have info on who you get it from? You did it recently right? Do you have pics of your front driveway?

$6.50/ft seems pretty high to me. That include breaking up and removing an existing driveway?

BTW, you don't need 1.5" rebar, .5" thick is plenty. I usually space mine at 12", some might go 18". Never used 24."

JR

sorry, .5" rebar
This guy didn't mention demo. Someone else mentioned demo is $1/sqft. Let say demo is $1, then it's still $8/sqft include color stamp