Decorative concrete in Sunnyvale CA - a finish you chose from a real sample
Tired of a plain gray patio or a worn, flaking slab? We add color and texture you've seen in a sample first.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What can decorative concrete do for my Sunnyvale patio or driveway?
Decorative concrete in Sunnyvale gives a driveway, patio, walk or floor a finished look with color, stain, texture, exposed stone or polish. It can go on a new pour or as a thin bonded layer over a slab you already have, so the concrete looks like part of the house instead of plain gray.
Most folks who call me want one of two things. Some want a new patio or driveway that's more than plain gray, and others have an old slab that's still solid but looks tired, chipped or stained. The price mostly comes down to how big the area is, whether we pour new or lay an overlay, how much repair the old concrete needs and how many colors and textures you want. The schedule turns on that repair work, how quickly you settle on a sample, what the city asks for and the curing wait before you can use it. After I've seen the site, you get a written estimate with your own figure. If you're starting from bare ground, our concrete patio construction page covers the slab itself.
How do you know your concrete is ready for a decorative finish?
Flaking or chipping on top
Thin patches of the surface peel off, often where water sits or cars turn, and that usually means the top layer was weak or has worn through. Left alone it keeps spreading, and every new loose spot is one more repair before a decorative layer can go on.
Hairline cracks across the slab
Fine cracks usually mean the concrete shrank or shifted a little, and if the slab is still flat, we can repair them and cover them. Wide cracks with one side higher than the other point to trouble underneath, and the longer you wait, the more water gets in to wash out the base.
Stains that won't scrub out
Oil spots, rust marks and mismatched old patches are mostly a looks problem on a slab that's otherwise sound. That's often the best time to call, because a sound slab is the one a stain or overlay works on.
How we handle decorative concrete, new or over an old slab
On every decorative job, we mix a small sample first so you can see the color and texture in real daylight, because a color chart or a phone screen never quite matches what comes out of the mixer. If we're covering an old slab, we fix its cracks and flaking first so the new surface has something sound to hold onto. On a new slab, we dig out the soft dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on. We set the forms so water runs away from your house, and we pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't dry out weak and dusty. Then we work in the color and texture and keep the slab covered while it cures, the waiting stretch where concrete gains its strength. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you pick a simpler finish than skimp on the base, because a pretty top on a raked-over base settles and cracks with the dirt like any other slab.
Decorative work often ties into other jobs around the yard and the house. If your patio sits against a slope, a concrete retaining wall holds the soil back, and we can color or texture its face to go with the slab. Indoors, a colored or polished floor starts with concrete floor installation done flat and level, since a polish shows every dip.
New colored or textured slab
This suits you if the old concrete is cracked through, sinking or coming out anyway, because we start fresh with a dug-out, packed base. You pick the color and the surface before the pour, from a broom finish, the light grooves that give your shoes grip, to exposed stone.
Overlay on the slab you have
This suits a slab that sits flat and solid but looks worn, stained or patched, because a thin bonded layer gives it new color and texture without a tear-out. If your slab is heaving or broken through, I'll tell you, since an overlay only holds as well as the concrete under it.
Get a free estimate for your decorative concrete
We get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come look at your slab in person, and the written estimate is free with no obligation.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about decorative concrete in Sunnyvale?
Here's how a decorative job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll deal with along the way.
Call or send a message
I come out to look at the site, ask how you'll use the space and talk through a new pour versus an overlay. Have any photos of a look you like handy.
Get your written estimate
You get a written estimate based on what we talked through on site. Before anything goes on the schedule, we check what the city asks for on your project.
Approve the sample, then we build
Once you've signed off on the sample, our crew does the prep, the pour or overlay and the finish. I check in on site as it goes.
Walk the finished job together
When it's done, we walk the job with you and go over how to look after it. That includes how long to stay off it while it cures.
Why Sunnyvale homeowners call Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete for decorative work
Trained on a city crew
I poured sidewalks and curbs on a city crew and fixed what roots and time had broken, then started this business in Sunnyvale in 2013. That's where I learned that a slab is only as good as what's under it, which matters even more when you're paying for the finish on top.
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at the site and write the estimate, and our own crew does the work with me on site checking it. The person who talked color with you is the one watching it go down.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured, which is the first thing I'd check with any contractor working on your property. Every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
On a decorative job, the part I care most about is the prep you'll never see. Send us a message or call (669) 348-0343 and tell me about the slab you've got and the look you're after.
Decorative concrete, walls and floors in Sunnyvale
In Sunnyvale, the city's One-Stop Permit Center at City Hall reviews building plans, with Building, Fire, Planning and Public Works Engineering all working through it. It asks first-time applicants to call so they learn the process, the documents needed and whether the project needs plan review. The city keeps a list of work that doesn't need a permit for single-family homes and duplexes, but it also says every project is different, so I don't guess about a decorative job. Before we schedule anything, we check with the city on what your project needs, and if it calls for a permit, we pull it, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector on site.
Around here we see a lot of original driveways and patios that are still solid but worn, stained or patched over the years, which is just the slab an overlay suits. When the concrete is broken up from tree roots or settling, I'll tell you plainly it's a replacement, and we find the same mix of both on jobs in Cupertino and Mountain View.
Questions about decorative concrete in Sunnyvale
How much does decorative concrete cost in Sunnyvale?
There's no set price, because it depends on the size of the area, whether we pour new or lay an overlay, how much repair the old slab needs and how many colors, stains or textures you want. Tight access for the crew and a lot of hand detail add to it, while one color and a simple texture keep it down. I'll give you your own number in a written estimate after I see the site.
How do I choose between color hardener and integral color?
Pick color hardener if you want stronger, richer color on the surface, and integral color if you'd rather have color mixed through the whole slab. Integral color usually goes in faster because it comes in the mix, but light and bright shades are much harder to get with it. Hardener is a powder broadcast by hand onto the fresh concrete and worked in with a float or trowel, so it only colors the top layer.
What is the best way to put decorative concrete over an existing slab?
The usual way is a bonded overlay, a thin cement-based layer that sticks to the old slab, put on only after the old surface is repaired and roughened so the new layer has something to grip. That roughening is done by grinding the surface, called mechanical profiling, or by acid etching, and one materials maker's guide calls mechanical profiling the first choice and the safest method. Ask any contractor how they'll handle cracks and flaking before the new layer goes on.
Will a new decorative concrete patio crack like my old one?
Concrete can crack, but we decide where by cutting control joints, the straight grooves you see in a slab, early enough that the shrinking concrete cracks along them instead of across your finish. A packed base and water running away from the house do the rest, because most random cracks I see started with dirt that settled or got soaked.
Who do I call in Sunnyvale about a permit for my concrete project?
The city's Permit Center at City Hall is the office to call, as I mentioned above. If you're working with us, you don't have to make that call yourself, because we check before anything goes on the schedule.
What state license does a concrete contractor need in California?
California's Contractors State License Board has a concrete contractor class for anyone who forms, pours, places, finishes and installs pavement, flat work like driveways and walks, and other concrete work. The board also lists a separate concrete-related services class that covers curing, floor hardening, coloring concrete and concrete restoration.
Related concrete work around a decorative job
Concrete retaining walls
When a yard slopes toward a new patio, a retaining wall keeps the soil and runoff off your slab and gives you a level spot to build on.
Concrete floor installation
If you want a stained or polished floor in a garage, shop or addition, it starts with a flat, level interior slab poured for that finish.
Service areas for decorative concrete near Sunnyvale
Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete is based in Sunnyvale, California, and we do decorative work across it and the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, including Santa Clara and Palo Alto, and they aren't the only places we go.
Book a visit to plan your decorative concrete
Call (669) 348-0343 or send the form with a few photos, rough measurements and a finish you like, so I can bring ideas that fit your slab.