Concrete Paving Preparation and MaintenanceStamped ConcreteColoured Concrete

22 steps to a beautiful stamped concrete finish

By September 29, 2020 November 24th, 2022 No Comments
Cobble Finish – Stamped Concrete

For more than 30 years, Panorama Concrete has delivered concrete solutions to residences and commercial properties in Adelaide. We’ve perfected the art and craft of laying down stamped concrete so that the end result is a wonderful complement to the property, increasing its value.

However, this can only be achieved with attention to detail during the pre-planning phase, and a thorough and meticulous approach on the day of pouring the concrete. With many Adelaide concrete companies to choose from, we believe it is our approach to our projects which sets us apart and allows us to deliver the high standard of projects we’re known for.

The 22 steps we follow to deliver our stamped concrete solutions to a high standard of workmanship.

  1. Once you’ve selected the stamped concrete solution for your property, we finalise your contract and schedule your project for the earliest possible completion date.
  2. Your Concrete Consultant will prepare a site plan of the work to be done. We’ll send two copies of the plan to you and make sure we’ll all in agreement with the following:
    • We need you to check that everything on the plan meets your project requirements. If it does, please sign and return one copy of the plan to our office. The other copy is for you to keep.
    • At this point, you can make additions or alterations. These need to be noted in red pen on the copy of the plan which is returned to our office. Or you can phone your Concrete Consultant to discuss further.
    • Once we’ve received your copy of the contract with amendments, we will contact you to confirm that the changes have been noted and will be actioned.
  1. From this point onwards, our Works Manager will be handling your project. They will contact you to introduce themselves, discuss the project, timeframes and when your project will be placed on the schedule of work.

We do our best to meet your specific timeframes. If you are planning any special events, we need to know as soon as possible so we can discuss suitable dates for the stamped concrete paving installation. 

Tile Finish - Stamped Concrete

Preparing Your Site Ready For Stamped Concrete Paving Installation 

  1. You may have selected someone else to do the site preparation for your stamped concrete installation. If this is the case, your Concrete Consultant will give you our sheet “Tips for a Quality Site Preparation” to assist your Site Preparer with our requirements.

When your site preparation is complete, you will need to contact our Works Manager to confirm your site is ready for our concreting team.

  1. If we are doing the site preparation, we’ll schedule the date and contact you the day before our Site Preparer is due to discuss arrival times.
  2. On the scheduled day, our Site Preparer will arrive with a truck and bobcat.
  3. Preparing your site properly may involve some or all of the following tasks depending upon your situation and requirements:
    • Arrangement of white ant treatment
    • Removal of old concrete or pavers
    • Removal of soil
    • Introduction of rubble (fill)
    • Removal of rubbish if required
    • Removal and replacement of invert and water tables
    • Checking that levels fall away correctly
  1. After the site preparation is complete, we arrange for steel reinforcing to be delivered to your site which is part of the concrete pour.

On The Day Of Stamped Concrete Paving Installation

  1. On the day before installation, we will phone you to confirm that we’ll be on site early the next morning, confirming the day’s events and to give you the name of your concreter. We will also double-check your choice of stamped concrete colours and patterns and run through anything else you need to know for your own convenience.
  2. The big day arrives! Your concreters are on site nice and early. They will commence by installing all of the formwork for that day’s pour. The formwork ensures that we install a nominal 100mm of concrete in the shape outlined in your plans.
  3. Once the formwork has been installed in the area, we will ask you to check and make sure that everything is to your liking before any pouring happens. This gives you an opportunity to provide a final approval and to make any minor adjustments.
  4. The best quality steel reinforcing (F72 thickness or larger if required) is then cut to shape and placed where required.
  5. Your concrete which has already been ordered will then arrive. We use the highest quality concrete from Quality Assured Companies. If you have chosen integral (colour through) concrete, your chosen colour is already in the concrete mix.
  6. The concrete is then placed into the formwork and poured to specified levels.
  7. We will now begin trowelling the concrete. If you have chosen a cast on colour, we will begin to add your choice of colour to the mix.
  8. After we have finished trowelling, we will cover the concrete with a release agent. This stops the stamped concrete moulds from sticking to the concrete and helps to soften and blend the finished look.
  9. We now start the printing process by systematically placing the stamped concrete moulds on the concrete to create the pattern and texture.
  10. Once the printing has been completed, the concrete paving is allowed to harden before we come back to cut joints, clean and seal.
  11. Before we leave the site, our concrete team will clean up and remove any excess materials relating to our work.
  12. When the concrete has cured enough, we will return to high pressure clean the paving and cut in the control joints. These assist in managing concrete cracking which can be caused by ground movement and other elements which are out of our control.

Sealing Your Stamped Concrete Paving

  1. We’ll return to seal your concrete and this will depend on the weather. If the Weather Bureau is predicting rain soon, we may want to delay sealing the paving until drier weather conditions.
  2. After the project has been sealed, the surface will be touch dry in 1-2 hours but we advise not walking on it for 6-8 hours. If the stamped concrete paving is in a driveway, vehicles should be kept off for 4 days.

Your Stamped Concrete Project is now complete, and you will have the satisfaction of professional high quality concrete paving to increase the value of your property and enhance your lifestyle.

Tile Finish - Stamped Concrete       Tile Finish - Stamped Concrete

Concrete After-care

Now that your stamped concrete paving is installed and complete, there is very little maintenance required to keep it good condition. If you want to occasionally wash or clean it with a garden blower, this is usually sufficient.

Do you need to reseal your stamped concrete paving?

There are no firm rules about when or if your paving will need to be resealed. Some of our customers prefer their concrete paving to weather into a natural look over time.

Some people prefer to keep their paving looking more like new, so a reseal may be needed every 2-3 years. Whatever your individual taste, the option to reseal is there if you need it. You can do it yourself and we have sealers available with instructions, or we can do the concrete sealing for you.

Concrete Cracking

As our Concrete Consultants would have discussed with you already, hairline cracks occur in concrete. Our experience tells us that it is better to leave a crack alone rather than trying to repair it. Cracks will open slightly in summer and close in winter due to soil movement and temperature. If a crack is filled up in summer, the fill material can be forced upwards, and make the crack more noticeable in winter.

Panorama Concrete has been installing concrete paving since the early 1980s. If you walk past our older jobs most of them look in good condition. Probably all of them have a couple of hairline cracks somewhere but you won’t see them without looking for them. Unlike concrete pavers, over time stamped concrete paving comes out ahead. You won’t ever get sunken pavers with weeds growing up through the pavers and you won’t notice cracks as much.

Other Services Available

Panorama is an Adelaide concrete company that provides a one stop shop service. This means we look after all those additional jobs your project may need such as:

  • Installation of storm water drains
  • Installation of planter beds
  • Installation of curbs & small retaining walls
  • Installation of artificial turf
  • Placement of moss rocks
  • Installation of concrete steps
  • Additional bobcat levelling and landscaping (while we are on site)

For more information about our concrete project management services, please click here.

 

Cobble Finish – Stamped Concrete

Stamped Concrete Paving has many benefits over concrete pavers

Stamped concrete paving has several benefits over concrete pavers which you can read more about here. There are many designs to suit modern and traditional or heritage homes. If you prefer the paver look, our handcrafted saw-cut concrete style looks like a high end paver but without the weeds, subsidence or maintenance.

Call Panorama Concrete for a beautiful stamped concrete paving installation

With more than 30 years’ experience laying concrete, we’re an Adelaide Concrete company that has perfected the art and craft of laying down concrete to last you a lifetime. Phone us on 08 8272 9611 to chat with a friendly consultant or send an email to enquiry@panoramaconcrete.com.au.