How To Find The Right Stamped Concrete Installers?
How To Find The Right Stamped Concrete Installers?
When you want to choose a finished surface either for your walkway, driveway, or patio, you wish for an aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective, and durable product. Stamped concrete is a popular choice because it mimics higher end materials like stone and brick pavers at very low cost. With the long-lasting and durability features of regular concrete, stamped concrete adds a highly decorative touch to make it an economical and desirable product.
Benefits of Stamped Concrete
Aesthetics and Choices: You will get a lot of options when choosing a stamped concrete for a landscape. It is available in many patterns, colors, and textures. Mimicking nearly all surfaces from marble to weathered lumber to stone, stamped concrete offers aesthetically attractive surfaces that add to a property’s value. It offers a budge-friendly means to add to your landscape.
Durability: Stamped concrete is an excellent option for people who want a durable material and attractive designs. It is because this material has a dense surface as compared surface because of color hardeners use that create protective layers. It helps elongate the lives of stamped concrete.
Easy Installation: Another advantage of stamped concrete is its easy installation. Installing stamped concrete is much simpler and less labor-intensive as compared to one that is made of pavers. Installing stamped concrete involves mixing, pouring water, and stamping. However, this easy installation comes with possibility of lots of errors. Concrete is a blend of cement powder and water. It this mix contains lots of water, there is a risk of poor finish and rough edges as the concrete quickly adhere to stamps. Premature cracking and bulging is an issue with this material if the mix is very dry.
Cost Effective: Though the cost of stamped concrete depends on the coloring style and materials being used, this material is cheaper as compared to stone and natural wood. It gives people the flexibility to improve their property on a budget. Another reason why stamped concrete installation is cheaper is because it can be stamped over existing surfaces without needing to extract the current flooring. It can save the costs of needing to pull out old flooring.
Now that you know the various benefits of stamped concrete, it is time to find out how can you find the right stamped concrete installers.
Tips to Find the Right Stamped Concrete Contractors
Whether you are looking to decorate or enhance your patio, driveway, or walkway, stamped concrete can be the best option. It is cheaper than most hardscaping materials like natural stone and brick. It is poured like regular concrete, but the textures and patterns are added to the material before the concrete completely dries. Stamped concrete can be shaped to look like wood, tiles, slate, or other materials. You can even add colors to improve the look.
Installing stamped concrete is a very delicate process that needs special tools and expertise. Since the design effects need to be applied on wet concrete, it required planning for the direction of wind and pouring the concrete strategically. So, you need to hire the best stamped concrete Chicago contractors to get the job done perfectly. Below are the tips to hire the best contractors for the process:
Consider their Specialization: Ensure that the stamped concrete contractor you hire is a specialist in stamped concrete since it involves special training and tools. So, ask the contractor what experience he has with pouring this decorative material.
Get References: Request the contractor to give addresses of their previous clients so that you can drive to their location and check their work. You can speak to the homeowners who had got work done by that contractor one or two years earlier about the quality of their work.
Check the Contractor’s Credentials: Most of the local and state trade licenses for stamped concrete installation job falls under home repair/ improvement or concrete pouring categories. So, ensure to ask for their credentials and check them thoroughly. Also, make sure to verify their bonding and insurance for added peace of mind.
Share Your Ideas: The design ideas for patios and driveways are endless. You can offer the stamped concrete Chicago contractor with photos of what you are considering. Discuss your ideas thoroughly with them and allow them to design the ideal space to meet your requirements.
Ask Every Detail: Ask the contractor about removal process of current concrete, thickness of new concrete, base preparation, timelines, and coat. Find out if they provide any warranty for their work.
Find Out About their Back-Up Plan: You should know that weather tends to be the main factor that every concrete contractor faces. Because of weather delays, some jobs may take longer time to complete. So, ensure to discuss about back-up plans in case of delays in the project.
Maintenance: Stamped concrete may last anywhere between 10 to 15 years and needs lesser maintenance as compared to other paving materials. It may require sealing in every 2-3 years based on its usage.
Pricing: Compare the rates of different contractors to find out the market rates. This is an excellent negotiation tool. With this kind of work, going with the cheapest option may not be the best idea always.
Check Insurance: If the contractor is not insured properly, you may run lots of risk. You may end up being liable for any damages or injuries to your property or to the workers. So, speak to the concrete contractor and ensure that they have an insurance policy before signing anything.
Hope that this blog is enough helpful for you. Hire the best concrete contractors with the help of the above-mentioned tips to enhance your driveway, patio, or walkway.
