Decorative concrete in Duarte CA - color and finish on a slab built to hold them
Faded, worn or plain gray concrete gets a new color and finish, on a new pour or an old slab sound enough to keep.
- Service
- Decorative concrete
- Call
- (626) 416-2143
How do you know your concrete is ready for a new finish?
Faded, stained gray slab
The patio still feels solid underfoot, but it's blotchy, stained and dull no matter how often you hose it off. That usually means only the surface is worn and the slab may be fine, which is the best case for a topping, so waiting mostly means looking at it a while longer.
Top layer flaking off
You see thin patches of old coating or color peeling up, often where people walk the most. It usually means the top lost its grip on the slab, and the longer it goes, the more comes loose and the more prep the fix takes.
Cracks that keep growing
A crack that's wider every year, or one with a lip you can catch a toe on, tells you the slab is still moving. If it's left too long, a slab that could have been resurfaced can turn into a tear-out.
Should you color new concrete or resurface the slab you have?
Decorative concrete adds color or a decorative finish to flatwork, which is our word for patios, walkways and other flat slabs, and at Custom Duarte Concrete we do it two ways in Duarte. We pour new colored concrete, or we bond a thin topping over an old slab so a worn surface looks new again.
Most people who call already have a slab, usually a plain gray patio that's seen better days, and the real question is whether to cover it or start over. That choice moves the price more than anything else, followed by the size, the color method and how much crack and joint work the old slab needs, and the estimate puts your own figure on it after I've seen the job. The schedule mostly turns on whether the city needs plans first and on curing, the wait while new concrete hardens before you use it. California's licensing guide describes a concrete contractor as the one who forms, pours and finishes flat concrete, and we're fully licensed for it, based in Duarte and working across the cities around it.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough size of the slab
- New pour or existing slab
- Cracks, flaking or old coatings
- Color or finish you have in mind
How we do decorative concrete, new or over an old slab
On an old slab, the first thing I do is check whether it's sound enough to resurface, and if it isn't, I'll say so, because a topping only lasts as long as the concrete under it. On new work, our crew digs out and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and checks where the water runs so the slab falls away from the house. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you skip a fancier finish than skimp on that base, since it's the part nobody sees and the part you can't fix later without a jackhammer. I go over the color options with you and how much finisher skill each one asks for, then we pour early enough to stay out of the midday heat, finish the surface, cut the control joints on time so the slab has planned lines to crack along, and let it cure. We're insured, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Decorative work often sits next to other jobs. If your patio is cut into a slope, a concrete retaining wall holds the hill back so the new slab isn't fighting it, and if you want color indoors or in the garage, that starts with concrete floor installation.
Other work that goes with decorative concrete
Concrete retaining walls
When a yard slopes toward the patio, a wall holds the soil back and gives the colored slab level, steady ground to sit beside.
Concrete floor installation
For a room addition, shop or garage where you'd like the floor to carry the color, we pour a new interior slab from the base up.
What happens after you call about decorative concrete in Duarte?
Call or send us a message
Call (626) 416-2143 or use the form, and on the phone you'll usually get me, which surprises people more than it should. We set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I look at the slab or the spot for a new one, ask a lot of questions and write up the estimate myself. It tells you whether an old slab can take a topping or needs replacing, which color method fits and what the whole job costs.
We check the permit side
Before anything is scheduled, we find out whether your address falls under the city or the county and what the job needs from that office, then tell you who's handling each piece. In Duarte, a first plan check usually takes one or two weeks, and the city takes plans at its counter, not online or by e-mail.
Prep, pour and a walkthrough
Our crew does the prep, forming, pouring and finishing, and I'm on site to check the work. When it's done, I walk the finished slab with you.
Common questions about decorative concrete work
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost?
Installing a stamped concrete patio across the US usually costs about $25 to $29 per square foot, and that's a national figure for the market, not our price. What you'd pay here depends on the slab I find when I come out, and the estimate puts your own figure on it.
Do I need a permit for a patio in Duarte?
Yes, Duarte requires a building permit to build, alter, repair or demolish any building or structure, patios included, and plans go in at the counter of the Community Development Department. Drainage or grading work done alongside it needs its own permit, and anything in the city right-of-way, the strip along the street, needs a separate Right of Way Permit pulled by a licensed contractor from Public Works. For walkway, driveway or resurfacing questions, call Community Development at 626-357-7931 ext. 230 or 235.
Can my old slab be resurfaced instead of replaced?
It can if the slab is structurally sound, because an overlay is a thin bonded topping and it's only as good as what it's stuck to. How well it bonds, the texture of the old surface and the moisture in the slab decide whether it holds, so the slab gets checked first. An overlay only stands in for tearing the slab out when the slab passes.
How much deposit can a contractor ask for in California?
A California contractor can ask for a down payment of no more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the total contract price, whichever is less. It's a state rule from the Contractors State License Board, so check the deposit on every quote against it before you sign.
What is the best way to color concrete, color hardener or integral color?
One pigment maker's guide says color hardener gives a denser, more durable surface that holds up better to wear, but it takes more time, effort and finisher skill than integral color, and badly applied hardener can peel away later with weather and wear. Integral color is usually mixed in at the ready-mix plant, so the contractor has less control, the mix itself affects the shade and even color gets harder to keep on a bigger job. Which one fits depends on the space and on the crew, since hardener is only as good as the hands putting it down.
What causes cracks in a decorative concrete overlay?
Usually they come up from the slab underneath, when the old control joints and working cracks, the ones still moving, aren't carried up through the new topping. Carried through, the topping moves with the slab, and if they're skipped, cracking from below tears it.
Get a decorative concrete estimate for your slab
We reply to calls and messages within one business day. I'll set a time to come out, look at the slab and write up a free estimate on site, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
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
Get your slab checked before picking colors
Call (626) 416-2143 or send the form with the slab's rough size, whether it's new work or an old slab, and any work planned by the street, so I know what to look for when I come out.