If you’ve ever seen it, you know how attractive stamped concrete can be. Patterned, textured or embossed to look like brick, slate, tile, stone, wood or any number of surfaces, stamped concrete is a durable, attractive, affordable alternative to the “real thing”. But have you ever wondered how it’s done? If so, take a minute with us to check out how stamped concrete in Brookfield WI is created. We’ve taken this information from the website of, where you can see actual pictures of the process.
Up to a certain point, a stamped concrete pour is the same as a traditional concrete pour. The framework is installed, the subgrade is compacted, and the wire mesh reinforcement is placed. Then, the concrete, screed and float are placed, just as in a traditional pour. A color hardener is added next, which is worked into the concrete and gives it the color of whatever surface the concrete will look like in the end. Then, the whole thing is troweled. Sounds pretty much like a traditional pour, right?
The interesting part comes next. After a release agent is applied to the surface, stamping tools are used to put the pattern into the concrete in Brookfield WI. Little imperfections are touched up with hand tools, and then if the weather is decent, the extra release agent is washed off. To finish, a sealer is applied to the whole thing. And once everything is done, the same type of concrete used for smooth sidewalks, now instead looks like a fancy brick sidewalk (as an example). So what’s the catch? Is it more expensive than regular concrete?
Stamped concrete in Brookfield WI is indeed a little more expensive than regular concrete. But consider this – on average, stamped concrete is cheaper (and in some cases much cheaper) than the surfaces they are designed to look like. For example, take a pool deck. Stamped concrete can run anywhere from $8 to $18 per square foot, installed. A wood pool deck can run anywhere from $10 to $12 per square foot installed. In most cases, stamped concrete is going to be cheaper for this type of project, and more durable, since concrete requires less maintenance than a wood pool deck would.
