Decorative concrete in Pasadena CA - a finish you can afford and keep looking good
Plain gray concrete that looks tired next to the house? We add color, pattern and texture to a slab built right underneath.
What should you know before adding decorative concrete in Pasadena?
Decorative concrete in Pasadena gives a patio, walk or driveway color, pattern or texture through stamping, stains, overlays and other cast-in-place finish work, and those methods can be combined so the look fits your house. We start with the base underneath, because a finish is only as good as the slab it sits on.
Most of our calls come from people whose plain or worn slab makes the yard look unfinished, and who want something that looks good without turning into a weekend chore. The price moves with the size of the area, how detailed the design gets and how much ground prep the site needs, and the schedule turns on the permit question and the weather on pour day, so I'll measure and put your own figure in a written estimate. We're licensed and fully insured, based in Pasadena and working across the cities around it, and if a slope needs holding back first, we build concrete retaining walls too.
How can you tell your patio or walk needs new decorative concrete?
Sometimes the sign is just a slab you're tired of looking at. Other times it's damage, and that matters, because a new finish on a bad base cracks right along with it.
Your patio is plain gray and looks unfinished next to the house and the landscaping around it.
Old stamped or stained concrete has gone dull and faded, which usually means the sealer wore off.
Cracks wander across the slab, usually because control joints, the cuts that tell concrete where to crack, were skipped.
Sections have sunk or tipped, usually because the ground under them was raked flat instead of dug out and packed.
Water pools on the patio or runs toward the house, which means nobody checked the drainage before the pour.
The top is chipping, flaking or dusty, often from a pour in midday heat that left a weak surface.
If water runs toward the house or a section keeps sinking, call (626) 345-7318 now rather than waiting, because a new finish can't go down until that's fixed.
What happens when you call us about decorative concrete in Pasadena?
Here's how a decorative job runs with us, from the first call to the walk-through at the end. I'm the one you'll see at the estimate, and I'm on site while our crew does the work.
Call or send the form
Call (626) 345-7318 or use the form on this page, and we'll set a time for me to come look. It helps to tell us the rough size of the area, the style you have in mind and whether the work runs out to the street.
I measure and write it up
I come out, measure, ask how you'll use the space and walk you through what I'd do and why, including the upkeep each design will need. You get a written estimate with the price for your size and design, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
We sort out the permit
Before any digging, we settle whether the job needs a permit and who's pulling it, and put that in writing. The city can review simple projects that meet its over-the-counter limits in as little as 5 to 10 minutes, while complex plans take about two to four weeks, and that sets the earliest start date.
We build it and walk it
Our crew digs out and packs the base, forms it, pours it and puts on the color and pattern, with me on site running the job. When it's done, I walk it with you and go over the sealing it'll need.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, measure and give you a free written estimate, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
- Call
- (626) 345-7318
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Decorative finishes, design choices and the base underneath
Most decorative work comes down to a few methods. Stamping presses a pattern into fresh concrete, stains add color, and an overlay puts a new decorative layer over an existing slab, and these can be mixed for a look that suits your property. Indoors, the same color work can go on a new concrete floor. Which one fits depends on the slab you've got and how much care you'll give it.
Your design sets both the price and the upkeep. A basic stamped design with one pattern and one color is easier to look after, mid-range designs add more color or texture, and high-end work with detailed patterns, borders and custom inlays costs more and needs frequent care to keep its look. A fancier design looks great on day one, so I'll tell you straight what it takes later and help you pick a look you'll still want to keep up.
When a budget gets tight, the base is the first thing people want to cut, because nobody sees it once the color's down. I won't cut it. The subgrade, the packed ground the slab sits on, plus the drainage away from the house and where the joints go, decide whether that pattern stays flat and in one piece, and fixing a finish over a bad base costs more than building the base right.
Decorative concrete questions from Pasadena homeowners
How much does stamped concrete cost near Pasadena?
Stamped concrete in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $15 to $30 per square foot, and project size, design complexity and local contractor rates decide where a job lands. That's the market's range, not our price, and a single-pattern design sits lower than one with borders and inlays. I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I measure.
How often does stamped concrete need resealing?
About every two to three years, according to a Los Angeles cost guide, with the rest of the care centered on protecting the surface from sun and wear. Plan that reseal as a regular cost of keeping the finish, and I'll go over what your design needs at the final walk-through.
How do I apply for a permit for a decorative patio in Pasadena?
Applications and fees go to the city's Permit Center at 175 North Garfield Ave., and its Zoning Permit covers paving, fences, landscaping and similar work. Anything that reaches the sidewalk or street falls to the city's Public Works division, which handles permits and inspections on the public land along the street. When a job needs a permit, we sort out who's pulling it before we start and handle the paperwork on the ones we pull.
What is the best time of day to pour decorative concrete?
The best time is whenever the weather's favorable, and one concrete producer's hot weather guide advises scheduling the pour for that part of the day or night. It matters more on decorative work, because hot weather can make the finished color less even, and on a colored slab you'll see it. So your start time may move, and I'll tell you ahead of time if it does.
What kind of contractor does decorative concrete in California?
A concrete contractor, which the state's contractor licensing board defines as one who forms, pours, places, finishes and installs flat and other concrete work. A decorative patio or walk is that kind of job. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm on site running the job while our crew does the work.
What should a concrete contract include in California?
State rules say a home improvement contract must carry certain information, notices and disclosures that protect you, so look for them before you sign. Any change after that has to be in writing, easy to read and understand, and tell you about your right to cancel. We put the permit question in writing too, before work starts.
Other concrete work that pairs with decorative finishes
Concrete retaining walls
If your decorative patio sits against a slope, a retaining wall holds the soil back so dirt and runoff stay off the new finish.
Concrete floor installation
Want that color indoors too? A new concrete floor can take a stained finish in a room, studio or addition, and it starts with the same base work.
Call about your decorative concrete project
Call (626) 345-7318 or use the form now, because getting the estimate early leaves room for any permit review and for picking a pour day with good weather.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM