Plain gray slab looking tired? We pour stamped, colored concrete and help you choose a color that wears the way you'll use it.
Decorative concrete in Murrieta, CA usually means stamped concrete. We color the slab, press it with rubber mats while it's still soft and then seal it, so your patio, walk or driveway looks like stone, brick, wood or tile instead of plain gray.
Most people call us because a backyard slab looks flat and tired, or because they want a new patio or driveway that looks like more than gray concrete. Stamping gives you that look in one pour. The pattern only stays good if the slab under it stays put, so I spend as much care on the dirt and the forms as on the color.
The price moves with the size of the area, the pattern you pick, how the color goes in, whether an old slab has to come out first and how close we can get a truck. The schedule turns mostly on the prep, on how much old concrete comes out and on the sealing step at the end. Your written estimate after I measure gives you the figure for your job.
You'll notice the color and pattern first. Three things you won't see in the finished patio decide how it looks a few years from now, so these are what we watch.
The subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, is hidden the day we pour, so it's the first place people want to save money. I'd cut back on the pattern before I'd cut back on the base, because a fancy surface over raked dirt settles and cracks along with the ground.
Control joints are shallow cuts that give concrete a planned place to crack as it shrinks, so it doesn't pick a random one. A trade guide advises cutting them into the pattern's grout lines so they blend into the design, and you can ask us where they'll sit in the pattern you choose.
On stamped work, stain is usually a finishing or repair tool rather than the main color. Acid stain gives a mottled, varied look, while water-based stain colors more evenly, so the choice comes down to whether you want variety or an even tone.
Here's how a decorative job goes with us, from the first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step along the way.
Call (951) 477-4538 or fill out the form with the rough size of the area, a few photos and whether it's a patio or a driveway. That tells me what I'm coming out to see.
I come out, measure the area, look at where water will go and ask how you plan to use the concrete, since that steers the color choice. Then you get a written estimate.
Our own crew digs out and packs the base and sets the forms, and I check those forms before we pour. Then we place the color, stamp the pattern, cut the joints and seal it.
When it's done, I walk the finished work with you, show you where the joints sit and go over what the sealer will need from you in the years ahead.
The biggest decision on a decorative job is how the color gets into the concrete, and I'd rather settle it at the estimate than have you live with it after the pour. Richer, brighter tones look great on day one, but a chip or a scrape can show as a pale scar later. We talk through how you'll use the slab, then weigh those two things together.
Decorative work often ties into other concrete on the property. If the patio sits against a slope, we can build concrete retaining walls to hold the ground beside it and give the slab a clean edge. If the slab you're picturing is indoors, our concrete floor installation work covers that, and we'll plan both jobs so they fit together.
The color runs through the whole slab, so a chip or a saw cut shows the same shade as the surface. It's the simplest choice and ages without pale scars, though you give up the deepest, brightest tones.
The color sits in a hard top layer, which is why a trade guide calls it the common choice for driveways and anything that takes traffic. If something gouges deep, the gray underneath shows through.
We'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your property to measure, and the estimate is free, written down and comes with no obligation.
(951) 477-4538The city's Department of Public Works/Engineering Division issues permits related to grading, streets, storm drain, easements and right of way encroachments. Its list doesn't name decorative concrete, so it's the office to ask about your job. If we aren't sure whether a job needs a permit, we check with that office before we start. When one is needed, we handle the application and meet the inspector on site.
Many city permits and payments can be handled through the city's online permit center, which is open around the clock. Most of the decorative calls we get in Murrieta are for backyard patios, front walks and driveways at family homes. We do the same work across the cities nearby, including Temecula and Menifee.
I come out for the estimate and measure the job myself, so the person you talk to is the one answering for the numbers. Our own crew does the work. I check the forms before any concrete goes in, because once it sets, there's no easy way to fix a mistake.
I grew up on a family farm, patching barn floors and setting posts, and learned the trade on other people's crews before starting this business in 2020. That's six years of running our own jobs. We're licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
If you're weighing a stamped patio or a colored driveway and want it measured before anyone guesses at it, call (951) 477-4538 or send us the form. Tell me roughly how big the area is, and I'll set a time to come out and look.
A wall that holds back a slope can give a hillside yard a level spot for a patio and a clean edge to finish the pattern against.
If the concrete you need is indoors, such as a workshop or an addition, this is where we cover pouring a flat, level floor.
We're based in Murrieta and work across the cities around it, including Temecula, Menifee and Fallbrook. If your city isn't named on the site, give us a call and ask.
A stamped concrete patio in Riverside, California usually costs about $9 to $18 per square foot. That's the going rate for patios in the area, not our price. Your written estimate after I measure gives you the figure for your own patio.
Yes, sealing is a required step on stamped concrete, because the sealer protects both the color and the surface. A trade guide advises resealing every 2 to 3 years, so it's worth planning for as regular upkeep rather than a surprise.
A freshly sealed stamped slab can be slick when wet. The fix is a traction additive mixed into the final coat of sealer, which is worth asking about for a patio near a hose or a walk that gets rain.
Trade association guidance says stamped concrete goes best outside hot weather, strong winds and low humidity. When a pour has to go ahead in those conditions, early morning or late evening is the most practical time. Weather like that dries the top too fast, which can leave a weak, dusty surface later.
California's C-8 Concrete Contractor classification covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing pavement, flat and other concrete work. The Contractors State License Board licenses and regulates the state's construction industry, so it's the agency behind that classification. Our own license and insurance are covered above.
Move patio furniture, pots and anything stored along the edges before we arrive, and keep a clear path from the street so our crew can get equipment back. If sprinkler lines or yard lights run near the area, tell us where they are so we can plan around them.
We're open seven days a week from 8 AM to 9 PM, so you can call (951) 477-4538 or send the form whenever you have a minute to look at your yard.
