Stamped Concrete in Fargo, ND

Stamped concrete gives a patio, front walk or driveway the look of stone, slate, brick or wood, poured as one slab. In Fargo it is popular because it looks like pavers but has no joints for weeds and ants and no individual pieces for frost to lift. The tradeoff is that stamped concrete needs more care than broom finish: the texture holds water and the color depends on a sealer. In a city with 51 inches of snow a year, a sanded and salted street out front and freeze-thaw cycles all winter, how the job is finished and maintained matters as much as the pattern.

What happens on a stamping day

Prep is the same as for any outdoor slab: excavation, compacted gravel, reinforcement and air-entrained concrete. Color is added in one of two ways. With integral color, pigment goes into the truck and tints the full depth. With a color hardener, powder is cast across the fresh surface for a richer tone. Next comes a release agent, often in a darker shade, which collects in the recesses and gives an aged look. Then the stamping mats are laid and pressed in order across the slab while the concrete is still workable. The window is narrow: stamp too soon and the texture sags, too late and the mats barely mark it.

Choosing a pattern for Fargo

• Ashlar slate and random stone patterns hide control joints well and are the most forgiving outdoors.
• Cobblestone and brick suit walkways and borders but have deeper grooves that hold more ice.
• Wood plank works on patios and pool-side areas, less so on driveways.
• Borders in a contrasting pattern or color around a broom-finish center keep cost down and give better traction where you walk most.

For steps and the walk from the driveway to the front door, we usually suggest a lighter texture or a slip-resistant additive in the sealer. Smooth, sealed stamped concrete can be slick with frost on it.

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Keeping it sealed

A sealer deepens the color and slows water and salt from entering the surface. HomeGuide's guides put sealing at about $1 to $3 a square foot and suggest redoing exterior concrete every 2 to 3 years. Here, late summer or early fall is the best time, so the surface heads into winter with fresh protection. Shovel with plastic blades instead of metal, and keep rock salt off new stamped work its first winter; sand gives grip without the damage.