Stamped concrete services in Saint John IN - the color you picked, sealed right

Your price comes down to the size of the area, whether we tear out and haul old concrete, the pattern and colors you pick, and how much base work the ground needs. One color and one all-over pattern keep the cost down, while borders, a second color or hand detail around steps and edges add labor. I measure and give you a written price that spells out what's included.

You can color stamped concrete three ways, and they don't swap for each other. Integral color runs through the whole mix, color hardener is floated into the fresh surface, and stain goes on after the concrete cures. Since two of those go in while the concrete is still wet, we pick the method with you before the job starts.

Ask to approve a sample cast with the same materials and methods as your slab before the pour. One color maker's guide says finished color shifts with the cement and stone in the mix, how wet the mix is, and how it's finished and cured, so a chip on a chart is only a starting point. When a close match matters, we show you a sample first.

Start with the mix by asking whether it includes an air-entraining admixture, which adds tiny air bubbles during mixing so the concrete holds up better to freezing, thawing and deicing chemicals. A guide written for the Chicago area says stamped concrete should be resealed every two to three years to protect it from snow and freeze-thaw. For the first winter, a concrete group in Alberta advises clean sand for traction on new concrete instead of deicing salts like calcium, magnesium or sodium chloride.

The Town of St. John's Building and Planning Department takes building permits, which the city requires before you construct any new building or place another structure on your property. The city's permit portal also says anyone in the business of building, repairing or altering should register their company, and it takes applications online, though you can also email permit2@stjohnin.gov or bring a hard copy to the department. We're fully licensed and insured, and we check with the building office in Saint John or whichever nearby city your job is in, then handle the permit when the job needs one.

Most cracks come from ground that settles under the slab or from control joints that were cut late or skipped. Control joints are planned grooves that give the slab a place to crack along a line instead of across your pattern, so we cut them on purpose and pack the base the way I described above. Concrete can still crack, but when the base and joints are right, cracks usually stay in the joints.