Decorative concrete in Lake Forest CA - a colored slab built on a solid base
Tired of a plain gray patio or a worn old slab? We add color and pattern to concrete that's built right underneath.
Complete Lake Forest Concrete Company is a concrete contractor based in Lake Forest, pouring driveways, patios and walks for homeowners here and in cities across Orange County. Decorative concrete adds color and stamped pattern to that same work, and we put it on a slab built right from the base up. I explain the job before I price it, so you know what you're paying for.
- Owner comes out and writes estimate
- Our own crew on every pour
- Job explained before it's priced
Decorative concrete starts under the color
Decorative concrete is an ordinary slab with color added and, most of the time, a stamped pattern pressed into the top. People usually call us when a patio or walk looks tired, or when they want a new one that suits the house. Under the color it's still flatwork, a slab on the ground like a patio or drive, so it needs a packed base, the right thickness and steel inside.
The price moves with the size of the area, the color and pattern you pick, and whether an old slab has to come out first. The schedule turns mostly on that tear-out and on curing, the wait while fresh concrete hardens before you use it. When I come out, I'll look at your slab and give you your own figure in the estimate.
- Tear-out and base. If an old slab is in the way, we break it out, then dig and pack the subgrade, the ground the new slab sits on.
- Forms and steel. Forms set the shape and the slope, and rebar, steel bars laid inside, holds the slab together if it does crack.
- Color and pattern. Color goes into the mix or onto the fresh surface, and the stamp is pressed in while the concrete is still soft.
- Joints and cure. We cut control joints, grooves that tell the slab where to crack, then keep traffic off it while it cures.
- Sealing. Sealer goes on once the slab has cured, so stains and weather stay out of the color.
Color and pattern for your slabs
Decorative work covers new colored and stamped slabs, toppings over old concrete that's still solid, and the resealing that keeps the color looking right.
Stamped patios
Stone, slate or brick patterns pressed into a new patio slab. We size each pour so the crew can color and stamp it before it sets.
Colored driveways
A driveway takes car traffic, so the color method and the slab thickness have to suit the load and not just the look.
Walks and steps
Colored or stamped walks and entry steps that tie the front of the house to the patio out back.
Overlays
A thin decorative topping laid over an existing slab, when that old slab is solid enough for the topping to hold.
Resealing
Cleaning and resealing an older stamped slab, so the color comes back up and the surface stays protected.
Indoor colored floors
Colored concrete works inside the house too, and we pour it as part of our concrete floor installation work for rooms, studios and shops.
If you have something in mind that isn't listed here, like color on concrete retaining walls, call or send the form and ask.
Why decorative concrete is worth doing right
Color and pattern are what you see on day one. How the slab looks a few years from now depends on the base, the joints and the cure under it, and that's where we spend our time.
- Base over finishIf the budget gets tight, simplify the pattern before you skimp on the base, because a pretty slab that sinks is still sunk.
- Water runs awayWe check where the water goes before we form, so the slab falls away from your house instead of toward it.
- No midday poursWe keep the pour out of the midday heat, because a top that dries too fast turns weak and dusty later.
- Joints on purposeControl joints cut on time put the cracks where we chose, not across the middle of your pattern.
- Color fit to useWe help you choose how the color goes in, since color mixed through the slab and color worked into the surface wear differently.
How a decorative job runs
I come out to see it
I meet you at the house, look at the slab and where the water runs, and check whether an old slab can take an overlay or needs to come out.
Options and your estimate
We walk through the color methods and patterns and why one suits your space better, and then I leave you with an estimate for your job.
Pour, finish and walk-through
Once you say go, our crew handles the prep, forms, pour and finish. I check the work at the key steps and walk it with you at the end.
Why people hire us for decorative work
I learned this trade from a boss who made me redo forms until they were right, and I still work that way. Before I price a decorative job, I explain it, so you can ask good questions of anyone you get a bid from.
Owner writes the estimate
I come out myself, look at the slab with you and write the estimate, so the person pricing your job is the one answering for it.
Our own crew does it
Our own crew does the work, and I check it at the key steps, like the base before the pour and the joints after.
Satisfaction guaranteed
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, and to me that starts with the parts you'll never see once the color is on.
Start with a call
Call (949) 619-8295 or send the form below, and I'll walk the job with you before anything gets priced.
Decorative concrete in Lake Forest and nearby
The state licensing board counts forming, pouring and finishing flat concrete as a concrete contractor's work. Someone without that license can only take a job under $1,000, and only if it needs no permit and they hire no one to help. Most decorative slabs cost more than that, so ask anyone bidding for their license. We're fully licensed and insured.
Orange County's stormwater guidance says sweepings from exposed aggregate, a finish with the stones showing, stay out of the street and the storm drain, so on those jobs our crew bags them on site. We do the same work in Mission Viejo and Irvine, often on older patios that owners want to dress up.
Tell us about your slab
Send the area's rough size, the slab's condition and the finish you want. We reply within one business day to set up a free, no-obligation estimate at your property.
Call (949) 619-8295Decorative concrete questions
Should I choose integral color or color hardener for my concrete?
For a driveway or anything that takes traffic, color hardener is the usual pick because it gives a harder surface. Integral color runs through the whole slab, so a chip or saw cut shows the same color, but it won't reach the deepest or brightest tones. Hardener's color sits only on top, so deep damage shows gray, and uneven spreading leaves it blotchy.
Can my old concrete patio in Lake Forest take a decorative overlay?
Only if the slab is sound, because an overlay, a thin topping over the old concrete, has to bond to it. A slab that's heaving, settling or cracked all the way through needs to come out instead, which changes the scope and the budget. I check that first when I come out.
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost in Orange County?
A stamped concrete patio in Orange County usually costs about $9 to $18 per square foot. That's the going range around the county, not our price. Where yours lands depends on the size, the color and pattern, and whether an old slab has to come out first, and the estimate gives you your own figure.
How often does stamped concrete need to be resealed?
One field guide advises resealing stamped concrete every 2 to 3 years, so it's worth planning into the long-term care of your patio or drive. The same guide calls for two thin, even coats, since a heavy flood coat can bubble, turn white and get slick when it's wet.
Will a new stamped concrete slab crack like my old one did?
It can, because concrete cracks, but control joints set in the pattern's grout lines give it a place to crack where the line blends in. One installation guide places the joints there, so ask any bidder where theirs will go. A packed base and steel inside keep a crack from turning into an uneven step.