Thursday, February 23, 2012
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Frequently Asked Questions about Stamped Concrete

Q) What part of the country do you cover?

A) We are based in Northern New Jersey and frequently serve businesses and residential properties in the New York Metro Area. Click here, to view a partial list of areas covered.

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.