Decorative concrete in Yucaipa CA - a finish you can see on a sample before the pour
Plain gray concrete that looks tired next to your house can get the color, texture and finish you actually want.
- Service
- Decorative concrete
- Call
- (909) 768-8077
How do you know your concrete is ready for a decorative finish?
A plain slab that looks dated
You've got a flat gray patio or walk with a worn broom finish, the fine ridges dragged in for grip, next to a house and yard that have moved on. Usually the concrete is fine and just plain, and waiting only means another season of a space you don't enjoy using.
Stains and patched spots
Oil marks, rust or old patches that never matched leave a slab looking blotchy even after a good wash. A stain or overlay can often cover that if the slab underneath is sound, but the more patches pile up, the harder it gets to make one surface look even.
Cracks, sinking or puddles
Cracks that keep widening, a corner that's dropped or water pooling toward the house usually point to a base or drainage problem, not a surface one. Color on top won't fix that, and the longer it settles, the more of the slab has to come out before anything decorative goes down.
What goes into a decorative concrete job in Yucaipa?
Decorative concrete in Yucaipa is flatwork, the patios, walks and driveways that lie flat on the ground, finished with color, stain, a stamped pattern or an overlay so it fits your house instead of looking like a plain slab. The look is what you see, but the base under it decides how it looks a few years from now, and you'll wait a few days after the pour while it cures before you use it.
Most people who call about this have a plain slab that looks tired, or a new patio, walk or driveway coming and want it to look like it belongs with the house. The price moves with the size, the finish you pick, how many colors or techniques you combine and whether old concrete has to come out or the base needs work, and the schedule turns on any permit, the weather and the days the concrete needs to cure. If the budget gets tight, I'd cut a color before I'd cut the base, because nobody sees the base on day one, but a slab that settles with the dirt takes the nicest finish down with it. The written estimate I send spells out what's in the job, so you know what your number covers.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough size of the area
- Which surfaces you want included
- Cracks, sinking or stains on old concrete
- Where rainwater runs and puddles
- How you use the space
- Photos of the look you like
How we do decorative concrete
We've been pouring and finishing since 2013, and I still start every decorative job by asking what's under the slab, because a finish only looks good as long as the ground under it holds. We dig out to firm subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, pack the base, make sure water runs away from your house, and set forms and rebar, the steel inside that keeps cracks from pulling apart. This is where I get to have some fun, mixing finishes or stains to get the look you have in mind, and we can make a small sample of your finish so you see it before the main pour. Then our own crew of finishers places and finishes the concrete, cuts control joints, the shallow lines that tell the slab where to crack, and keeps it curing until it's ready to use.
Decorative work often sits next to other concrete. On a sloped yard, which we see a lot around here, a patio usually needs concrete retaining walls to hold the ground behind it, and we can finish the wall to match. Inside, a stained floor starts with concrete floor installation poured with the finish already planned.
Other concrete work that goes with it
Concrete retaining walls
When your yard slopes, a wall holds the hill back so a new patio gets level ground instead of a bank creeping onto it.
Concrete floor installation
For a shop, studio or room addition, a new interior slab is the easiest time to plan a colored or stained floor.
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Yucaipa?
Call or send a request
Call (909) 768-8077 or use the form from Yucaipa or the cities around it in the Inland Empire, and we'll set a time to come look. Photos of the look you like help me plan the visit.
Walk the site with me
I measure, check the ground and where the water goes, and ask how you'll use the space. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what's in the job, so there's no guessing what the price covers.
Handle permits, then pour
Once you say go, we handle any permit the job needs with you, and if the work reaches the public right-of-way, like a drive apron at the street, the City of Yucaipa's Engineering Division issues the encroachment permit for work on that public strip and inspects it. Then our crew preps the base, pours and finishes, and I'm usually right there with them.
Cure it and walk through
We keep the concrete curing and tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for cars, so nobody uses it too soon. Then we walk the finished work together, with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Questions before you book decorative concrete
Which finishes count as decorative concrete?
Decorative concrete covers the proven techniques that give flatwork an attractive finish, including decorative concrete poured in place, stains and overlays. Many of them can be combined on one surface, so it's worth asking how two looks you like would work together.
Can decorative concrete be poured in hot weather?
Yes, and concrete placed in hot weather generally lasts about as well as concrete placed in mild weather, as long as its strength is right and curing keeps the surface from drying out. Heat dries the top fast and makes it set sooner, so hot weather guidance calls for placing and finishing outside the hottest part of the day when possible and finishing without sprinkling water on the surface, and we plan summer pours around the heat.
How long does new decorative concrete need to cure?
In hot weather, curing should start as soon as finishing is done and keep going for at least 3 days, so the job runs past pour day. Curing is the wait while the concrete is kept from drying out so it gains strength, and we'll tell you when it's ready to walk on and when it's ready to drive on.
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost?
Across the US, installing a stamped concrete patio usually costs about $24 to $29 per square foot. That's a national figure, not our price, and your Yucaipa number depends on the size, the pattern and colors and what the base needs, so the written estimate is where you get it.
How much can a contractor ask for up front in California?
For a home improvement job, California caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. After that, each payment should be listed clearly in the contract and match work already done or materials already delivered to your house.
How do I check a concrete contractor's license in California?
Use the License Check tool on the Contractors State License Board website, since the board licenses and regulates contractors in the state, and its C-8 Concrete Contractor classification covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing flatwork. The same site lets you file a complaint or report unlicensed work, and we're fully licensed and insured, so look us up before you sign with anyone.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
We reply to every request within one business day to set a time, and I come out to look at the site myself before you get anything in writing. The estimate is free and done at your property, with no pressure and no obligation.
Explore our services and areas
Services
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Plan your decorative concrete finish with us
Call (909) 768-8077 or send the form with the rough size, the finish you like and whether the work reaches the street, so I show up ready for your job.