Q)
What is Stamped Concrete (aka Architectural
Concrete)?
A) Stamped Concrete is the amazing
process whereby color and texture is
added to normal concrete. The end result
is a beautiful product that has the
natural look of brick, slate, stone,
or tile.
Q)
Does Stamped Concrete look "fake"?
A) Absolutely not. Even experienced
concrete masons have been fooled by
the amazing authenticity of Stamped
Concrete. See for yourself, visit
the Photo Gallery page.
Q) How long has
Stamped Concrete been around?
A) Surprisingly, Stamped Concrete
has been around for almost 50 years.
Q) What's different
about today's Stamped Concrete versus
that of the past?
A) Today's Stamped Concrete
achieves a level of realism that greatly
surpasses that of the past. Years
ago Stamped Concrete was capable only
of simulating a pattern. It lacked
any kind of definition or resolution.
Through technological advances, Stamped
Concrete shed it's pattern-like look
and is now virtually indistinguishable
from the real thing.
Q) Can Stamped Concrete
be found in commercial environments?
A) Absolutely, Stamped Concrete
can be found throughout the world
at many distinguished hotels, casinos,
resorts, etc. A famous example, for
instance, would be Disney World.
Q) What makes Stamped
Concrete better than other products
such as wooden decks or interlocking
pavers?
A) It is widely regarded that
wooden decks are very maintenance
intensive. This is a fact, unfortunately,
that most people find highly objectionable.
Secondly, wooden decks have the not
so desirable quality of being quite
commonplace. As for interlocking pavers,
settling of the installed pavement
and rampant growth of weeds are two
characteristics that have always been
vehemently criticized. Interlocking
pavers, which incidentally are manufactured
out of colored concrete, have the
inherent flaw of dramatically settling
within only a few years time. The
result is a wavy, unsightly up and
down appearance. Additionally, interlocking
pavers have the loathsome tendency
to foster weed growth that can ultimately
become very pervasive.
Q) How much does
Stamped Concrete cost?
A) Remarkably, Stamped Concrete
sometimes cost less than interlocking
pavers and may cost considerably less
than wooden decks. Final estimates
will vary depending on job conditions,
nature of work to be completed, etc.
Q) How is Stamped
Concrete colored?
A) Traditionally, color is
broadcast onto the surface by hand
followed by assimilation into the
surface using hand tools. Stamped
Concrete installed by Concrete by
Design is taken a step further by
mixing most colors directly inside
the concrete. The result is Stamped
Concrete that is colored throughout
from top to bottom. Although certain
select colors have to be applied using
the traditional method, the majority
of colors can be mixed inside.
Q) How well does
Stamped Concrete fare in the winter?
A) Even the coldest, snowiest
winters do not pose a problem. In
fact, Canada is home to a significant
percentage of the world's Stamped
Concrete installations.
Q) Does Stamped
Concrete become slippery when wet?
A) As a level of precaution,
Concrete by Design applies anti-skid
to each and every Stamped Concrete
installation. This anti-skid does
not alter the beauty of the finished
product and is highly effective in
eliminating slipperiness.
Q) Is there any
chance that it might crack?
A) This is perhaps more likely
with everyday regular concrete. It
should be noted that Stamped Concrete
installed by Concrete by Design achieves
a level of crack prevention exceeding
almost all others in the industry.
Numerous measures are taken to highly
reduce the likelihood of any crack
occurring. According to our latest
research, we are the only company
in the Northeast that uses both Wiremesh
Steel Reinforcement and Polypropylene
Fibermesh Reinforcement in 100% of
all our Stamped Concrete installations.
These and other measures very significantly
lower the probability of a crack occurring.
Q) What kind of
maintenance is necessary?
A) There exists two different
maintenance plans depending on your
desires. One option; the first and easiest, is
absolutely no maintenance at all.
No maintenance is required to keep
the strength of the concrete at it's
highest. In addition, not maintaining
the Stamped Concrete will result in
a natural aging of the colors that
some people find desirable. It must
be noted, however, that Stamped Concrete
has the wonderful attribute of appearing
perfectly brand new after a reseal.
In fact, in our experience Stamped
Concrete looks even better after a
reseal than when originally installed.
Therefore, we recommend resealing
once every 1-2 years to reinvigorate
the colors to a level of beauty that
even surpasses that of the original
installation.
Q) If I choose
to reseal, how much will it cost?
A) Although sealer can be
purchased and applied easily with
just a roller, it is recommended that
the application be performed by a
professional. Services that reseal
start as low as 25 cents per square
foot and remarkably, this includes
the sealer.
Q) Do all contractors
use the same installation methods?
A) Positively not. Through
experimentation and testing, Concrete
by Design has developed a unique concrete
mix designed specifically for Stamped
Concrete. This unique concrete mix
is much more conducive toward the
special needs of Stamped Concrete
than that of a normal everyday mix.
In addition, there are certain installation
techniques which are performed exclusively
by Concrete by Design that dramatically
enhance the quality of the Stamped
Concrete.
Q) Can we pay with a credit card?
A) Yes. We are happy to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
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