Decorative concrete in San Rafael CA - color and texture over a solid base
Gray concrete that looks tired, stained or worn? We add color, pattern or texture, and we make sure what's underneath can carry it.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Can you make plain concrete look better without tearing it out?
Decorative concrete in San Rafael is a patio, walk or floor finished with color, stain, pattern, exposed stone or polish, either poured new or laid as a thin overlay on old concrete that's still sound.
Most calls start with a patio, walk or garage floor that's solid enough but stained, patched or just plain gray, and the real question is whether to resurface it or start over. The price moves with the square footage, how much patching and grinding the old surface needs, whether it has to come out, and how many colors, borders or patterns you pick, like the ones we use for stamped concrete. The schedule turns on that same prep, on curing, the days new concrete needs to gain strength before you use it, and on any permit the job needs. Your estimate puts a figure on your own surface once I've seen it.
What our decorative concrete work involves
Every job starts with the slab you already have, because that decides everything else. I check for cracks that move, sections that have dropped and spots that sound hollow, and we only put an overlay on concrete that's sound. On those jobs most of our time goes into the old surface, patching, cleaning and grinding it so the new layer has something to grip, and only then do we mask the edges, lay the color or pattern and seal it. When the old slab can't carry an overlay, we tear it out and pour new, which means digging out and packing the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, then setting forms and rebar, the steel that keeps a slab from pulling apart if it cracks, before we color and finish the concrete. The base is the part nobody sees, and it's the first thing people want to cut once the color samples come out. I won't cut it, because a nice pattern over a settling base is just a nicer-looking crack.
Decorative work often sits beside other concrete. Where the yard drops off at the edge of a patio, we build concrete retaining walls and can finish them to go with the surface, and indoors, stain and polish go best on a level slab from our concrete floor installation work rather than an old floor full of patches.
Overlay on sound concrete
This suits a patio, walk or garage floor that's solid but stained, patched or dull, since you skip the tear-out, the haul-away and the wait for a new slab. It only makes sense when the concrete underneath isn't cracking or settling, and that's the first thing I check.
New decorative pour
This suits concrete that's broken, sinking or pooling water toward the house, because a new surface can't fix what's wrong underneath. It costs more up front, but you get a new base, with color or texture built into the pour from the start.
Call (628) 234-2042 before you pick colors if cracks are widening or a section is sinking, because a new surface over moving concrete cracks right along with it.
What happens after you call us about decorative concrete?
Here's how a decorative job runs with us, from your first call to the sealed surface, and where a permit wait can come into the schedule.
Call or send a message
Call (628) 234-2042 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come look at the surface. If you know the work touches the sidewalk or street, tell us then, since that brings in the city.
I measure and write it up
I come out myself, measure, and ask what the surface has to carry and what will sit on it. You get a written estimate that lays out each step, prep included, so you can see what the money buys and compare it with other bids.
We prep, pour and finish
Before any work starts we settle permits, layout and where the water goes, and if your job turns out to need a building permit, the city lists 2 to 6 weeks for residential permits, so that wait goes into the schedule. I'm on site with our crew from forms to finish, and we leave the site cleaned up.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the surface and measure it, and the estimate is free with no pressure to book.
(628) 234-2042What changes decorative concrete jobs in San Rafael
If any part of the work reaches the sidewalk, the street or an alley, the City of San Rafael issues right-of-way permits for construction work there, and a debris box for a tear-out needs one too if it sits on the street or sidewalk, so we settle where the box goes before the haul-away is booked. Whether decorative work on your own lot needs a building permit isn't something I'll guess at, so I check with the office that covers your address, and when it does need one we handle the application and the inspections. It's worth getting right up front, because the city adds fees for work done without a permit, and a permit pulled afterward doesn't approve work that isn't up to code.
Cleanup matters here too. The county's stormwater program treats fresh concrete as a pollutant because it's toxic to fish in the creeks and bays, so we catch our washout on site instead of letting it run to the street drain. We're based in San Rafael and take jobs in many cities around it, and we see the same worn patios and stained walks on jobs in San Anselmo and Mill Valley.
Decorative concrete questions we hear in San Rafael
How much does stamped concrete cost near San Rafael?
Published cost guides put stamped concrete in San Francisco at about $15 to $30 per square foot, and that's the nearest place they price, not San Rafael itself. Where your job lands depends on the prep, the pattern and the number of colors, and your estimate gives you the figure for your own surface.
How do I know if my old patio can be resurfaced instead of replaced?
It can be resurfaced if the concrete is still structurally sound, with no cracks that keep moving and no sections that have sunk. One overlay maker says its product goes only over sound concrete, which saves the cost and mess of a tear-out, and its data sheet names poor surface prep as the most common reason overlays fail. Ask every bidder exactly how they'll prepare your slab.
How often does stamped concrete need to be resealed?
Stamped concrete should be resealed every two to three years. Plan for it as a regular cost of keeping the surface, the way you'd plan for repainting, rather than something the first install covers.
Who is allowed to do concrete work in California?
In California, concrete work is done by contractors licensed through the Contractors State License Board, which covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing flat and other concrete. Someone without a license can only take a job of $1,000 or less, and only when it needs no permit and they hire no one to help. We're licensed and insured.
What causes decorative concrete to crack?
Usually it's control joints, the shallow cuts that give a slab a planned place to crack, that were cut late or skipped, so the crack runs through the pattern wherever it wants. On an overlay, a moving crack in the old slab comes right up through the new surface, which is why I rule those out before we talk colors.
Is decorative concrete worth it for resale in San Rafael?
It can be, since intricate patterns, several colors, borders and custom inlays can add curb appeal and resale value. Those designs cost more and need frequent upkeep to keep their look, so if you'd rather not keep resealing and touching up, a simpler pattern or a single color is easier to live with.
Related concrete work for decorative projects
When a patio or walk sits below a bank of soil, a retaining wall holds that ground back so it doesn't creep onto your new decorative surface.
Stain and polish show every dip and patch in an old floor, so a new interior slab poured flat gives a decorative finish a clean start.
Send photos of the concrete you want changed
Call (628) 234-2042 or use the form with a few photos and the rough size, and I can usually tell before I arrive whether an overlay is worth a look.