Stamped concrete services in Sunnyvale CA - a patterned slab that sits flat and drains
Tired of a plain gray patio or a cracked walk? We pour, color and stamp a new slab built on a packed base.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What is stamped concrete, and is it right for your Sunnyvale yard?
Stamped concrete is a poured slab that we color, press with rubber stamp mats while it's still soft, and then seal, so you get a patterned, colored patio, walk or driveway in Sunnyvale from one solid slab.
Most folks who call me have an old gray patio that's cracked and tipping, or a bare patch of yard they'd like to turn into a concrete patio that looks like more than plain concrete. The price moves with the size of the area, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and how fancy you go on the pattern and color. The schedule mostly turns on what the city asks for and the weather around pour day, and your written estimate gives you the figure for your own job.
How do you know it's time for new stamped concrete?
Cracks that keep widening
If the cracks in your old patio keep opening up, or one edge has dropped below the rest, the base underneath usually settled because it was raked level and never packed. Stamping over it won't fix that, and the longer water gets underneath, the further the slab tips.
Water pooling by the house
When rain sits in a low spot or runs back toward your foundation, the old slab was poured with the fall going the wrong way. Every storm soaks the ground along your house wall until the slab is replaced with the slope going away from the house.
Stamped finish gone dull
If an existing stamped patio looks chalky and the color has faded, the sealer has usually worn off. Left that way, dirt and water work into the surface and the color keeps fading, so it's worth cleaning and resealing before it needs more.
How we handle stamped concrete services
We dig out the old slab and the loose dirt, then pack the subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, because no pattern can hide a slab that settles. We set the forms so the surface falls away from your house, pour early in the day before the heat can weaken the top, and color it one of the two ways below. The big choice is how the color goes in, through the whole slab or just on top, and I'll show you how each one looks after a chip. Release powder, the fine dust that keeps the mats from sticking, gives more color contrast than a liquid release, but it floats and can stain, so we cover your house walls and any paving close by before we stamp. Then we press the mats, cut the control joints, the planned grooves that give the slab a place to crack, right into the pattern's grout lines so they blend in, and seal it in two thin, even coats, since a heavy coat bubbles, turns white and gets slick when wet.
Stamped work usually sits next to other concrete. A matching path to the front door is part of our concrete sidewalk building, and if your garage slab is cracked or sinking, I can look at garage floor concrete on the same visit.
Integral color through the whole slab
The color is mixed into all of the concrete, so a chip or a scrape from a dragged planter still shows color, which suits driveways and busy patios. An older national guide says the shades run softer and less bright than hardener colors, so look at samples before you choose.
Color hardener on the surface
Hardener colors only the top of the slab, which keeps the cost down and suits a patio that gets lighter use. If something chips deeper than that layer, plain gray shows through, so ask which method your estimate includes.
Get a stamped concrete estimate for your yard
We get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look at the area and write an estimate that's free, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA 94087
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about stamped concrete in Sunnyvale?
Here's how it runs from your first call to the final walk-through, so you know who you'll see and when you'll have a number.
Call or send the form
Call (669) 348-0343 or use the form and tell me roughly what you'd like stamped and where it sits on the lot. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I visit and write the estimate
I look at the site, ask how you'll use it and talk through patterns and colors with you, then you get a written estimate that spells out the base work, the pattern and the color method. We check what the city asks for before anything goes on the schedule.
We pour, then walk it together
Our crew does the work with me checking in as it goes. When it's done, we walk the finished slab with you and go over how to look after it.
Why Sunnyvale homeowners call Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete for stamped work
The owner writes your estimate
We're based in Sunnyvale, and I come out myself to look at your yard and write the estimate, then I'm back on site checking while our own crew does the work. You deal with the same person from the first visit to the pour.
City crew training, in business since 2013
I learned concrete on a city crew pouring sidewalks and curbs and fixing what tree roots broke, and I started this business in 2013. That job taught me a slab is only as good as what's under it, which is why I talk about the base before the pattern.
Licensed and insured in California
In California, home improvement contractors are licensed by the Contractors State License Board, and we're licensed and insured. Ask to see that from anyone before they pour at your house, us included.
When you've got an area in mind, contact us and I'll come out and take a look.
Stamped patios, walks and permits in Sunnyvale
In Sunnyvale, a building permit is what gives you legal permission to start new construction or a remodel, and the city's Permit Center explains what each project needs. Whether your stamped patio or walk needs one is a question for the city, so before we schedule, we check with them, and if your job calls for a permit, we pull it, handle the paperwork and meet the inspector on site.
Plenty of yards here have big old trees, and on a city crew I fixed a lot of slabs that roots had pushed up. We look for roots during the dig-out and talk with you about where the slab edge should stop, the same as we do on jobs in Santa Clara and Cupertino.
Questions about stamped concrete in Sunnyvale
How much does stamped concrete cost in Sunnyvale?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the site, because the size, the tear-out, the base work, the pattern and the color method all move it. If the budget's tight, I'd go with a simpler pattern or one color before I'd cut the base work, because the base is hidden on day one but it's what keeps the slab flat. The estimate puts your figure in writing.
What causes cracks in stamped concrete, and can they be avoided?
All concrete tends to crack, stamped or plain, so a completely crack-free slab isn't possible and you should plan for some cracking. What we can control is where it shows, which is why we pack the base and set the joints in the grout lines, as described above.
How often does stamped concrete need to be resealed?
A trade field guide says to reseal stamped concrete every 2 to 3 years, so plan on it as a regular cost of keeping the color. Clean the surface first and keep the coats thin, for the same reason we do when it's new.
What permits does Sunnyvale require for stamped concrete?
The city says owners must apply for a Planning permit for all residential exterior changes, additions and new construction, and any work in the public right-of-way, the city's land along the street, needs an Encroachment Permit. We check with the city on which ones your job needs before it goes on the schedule.
How long does new stamped concrete take before I can walk or drive on it?
Walking on it comes well before driving on it, and both wait on curing, the time the concrete needs to sit undisturbed while it gains strength. I'll tell you both days on pour day, because the mix and the weather that week change them.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a small concrete job in California?
In California, someone without a license can only take jobs within a $1,000 limit, up from $500, and only when the work needs no permit and they have no workers. A stamped slab takes a crew, so ask to see the license before you sign.
Related concrete work around a stamped slab
Concrete sidewalk building
A stamped patio often needs a way to reach it, and a new walk from the driveway or gate keeps the path flat, even and easy underfoot.
Garage floor concrete
If your garage slab is cracked, stained or sinking near the door, a new floor sits flat again and sends water out the door instead of pooling.
Service areas for stamped concrete around Sunnyvale
Vertex Sunnyvale Concrete is based in Sunnyvale, CA, and we pour stamped concrete across it and the cities around it. The 12 cities listed here, including Mountain View and Los Altos, have their own pages, but they aren't the only places we work.
Book your stamped concrete site visit
Have the rough size of the area, where it sits on your lot and a pattern or color you like in mind, and we can talk through real choices on the first visit.