Stamped concrete is one of the most beautiful and unique ways that you can add flair and pizzazz to your concrete flooring. Most of the time, stamping concrete is best done by the professionals. However, if you are a confident DIY’er who loves to tackle new projects and has the right tools, you, too, can learn how to create beautiful masterpieces by stamping your concrete. Because this procedure is so complicated and uses so many different steps to create the end result, this article is merely a brief overview of how to stamp concrete to produce a lovely design.
First, you must lay the concrete. Make sure that your concrete is at least four inches thick. Next you will color the concrete. (If you plan to mix the color and the concrete while it is still in the truck than you would color the concrete before hardening). Otherwise you can apply color hardener powder to the concrete surface and it will penetrate the top one-eighth inch of concrete and color it very well.
Next you should apply the color release agent. This agent is designed to prevent the stamping template or mat from sticking to the concrete and the coloring powder. In addition to broadcasting the powder over the surface of the concrete, you will also want to brush the powder over the stamping mats, too. You will most likely need about 3.5 pounds of the agent per hundred feet of concrete to be stamped.
Next you will texture the concrete by pressing the stamp mats into the concrete evenly and uniformly. It is very important, even vital, to continue working quickly once you have begun the texturing process. Lay the mats down carefully and tamp down into the concrete. You should tamp firmly enough to get the mat flush with the wet concrete’s surface; however, be careful to not overtamp.
After 24 hours have passed since the texturing and the concrete has now set initially, you will want to take a pressure washer that is high powered and spray the concrete to help remove some but not all of the release agent. As you spray, vary the angle at which the water hits the surface, and try to retain some of the agent in the crevices, grout lines, and some of the deep indentations in the stamp pattern. If you can do this, it will give a more natural colored look to the concrete.
The final step is to seal your stamped concrete. Simply roll it on with a roller paint brush after the concrete has set and is very dry. If you can apply two coats of the sealant, with the two separate coats laid perpendicularly to each other, you will be able to get a good sealing with no brush or roller lines. Once dried, your concrete is now ready for use.
This article is not intended to provide detailed instruction on the process of stamping concrete. Instead, it is designed to give potential stampers an overview of the process used to create unique and beautiful flooring suitable for many different needs.
