Building a Backyard Patio Made Beautiful with Stamped Concrete

A backyard patio is the perfect place for sitting beside the pool, having a cookout, 

or just lounging and reading a book. In order to fully enjoy your backyard, though, 

you need landscaping that creates a relaxing atmosphere. Specifically, your patio 

needs to be inviting -- beautiful and attractive, not cold and grey. With stamped 

concrete, it’s easy to transform an otherwise plain slab of concrete into a 

stunning backyard patio.

Stamped Concrete is Beautiful

A well-designed stamped concrete patio will dismantle any misconceptions that 

concrete is merely a utilitarian building material. Stamped concrete is still an 

affordable, strong and versatile building material, as all concrete is. It’s also 

aesthetically pleasing, though.

Stamped concrete is available in any number of colors and patterns. For 

instance, a stamped concrete patio might resemble:

• large, pink blocks of granite
• subdued, non-uniform pieces of flagstone
• square, grey sections of slate
• uniform, patterned bricks

Alternatively, bolder colors or more abstract designs can be worked into stamped 

concrete patio.

Create a Customized Stamped Concrete Patio

With many colors and patterns available, the possibilities are virtually limitless. 

Working with a creative contractor that has installed many stamped concrete 

patios, you’ll be able to design something that is practical, beautiful and unique to 

your backyard. No other building material makes building an inviting backyard 

patio easier than stamped concrete.

Your Backyard: A Better Alternative to Pavers!

Don’t be too hasty to chose pavers or bricks for you backyard!

2. Stamped Concrete Contractors are less costly than Stone/Bricklayers and Masons:

Brickwork and stone masonry are beautiful, but they’re also costly. Depending on the scope of a landscaping project, hiring someone to lay bricks or build a stone walkway could cost as much as, or more than, the rest of your project. For homeowners in Arizona who want an affordable alternative that looks good and withstands the state’s harsh climates, stamped concrete contractors can make concrete look like carefully laid bricks or imported stone.

2. Stamped Concrete is an Affordable Alternative:

The initial phase of installing a decorative concrete patio or walkway is the same as all other concrete work: The concrete is poured. Before it dries, though, stamps are pressed against the concrete so that it takes on the pattern of the stamps. Once the stamps are removed, the concrete’s power washed and coated with a protective concrete sealer.

Because all of this work takes significantly less time than laying bricks or stones, stamped concrete contractors are able to charge significantly less than bricklayers or mason for the same quality of work. Additionally, concrete’s easier to maintain, since it’s all one slab, not multiple pieces fit together in a carefully arranged puzzle.

3. Stamped Concrete Looks Like Brick or Stone:

Stamped concrete contractors can make decorative concrete look like almost any brick or stone you’d like. They can color the concrete so it matches another building material, and they have a variety of stamps to choose from. A few common stamps include:

• large, irregular stones
• square, adjacent pieces of stone
• nicely ordered bricks

For some ideas on how to implement these patterns, check out the pictures on a top Phoenix stamped concrete company.

Talk with a Stamped Concrete Contractor

If you’d like a brick or stone patio or walkway, but don’t have the budget for it, talk with a stamped concrete contractor about using stamped concrete to create the look you want. No matter what look you’d like, they can likely make your dream become a reality, right in your yard.

Need some extra Color in your Life???

Add Color to Your Pool Deck with Decorative Concrete

The main feature of many backyards in Arizona, pools are much more than a place to go for a swim. When properly incorporated into well-designed landscaping, they can be transformed into a backyard oasis. Specifically, decorative concrete can frame a pool so that it invitingly entices people to relax and refresh. As the heat of Arizona’s summer begins to set in, think about how a stamped overlay could give your pool a new, welcoming feel.

Decorative Concrete Frames Pools:

Like a photograph or painting, pools look best when they are well framed. Obviously, they can’t be mounted in an 8-in. by 10-in. wood frame and mat, but they can be nicely set within a border of decorative concrete. Stamped overlays, as decorative concrete is sometimes called, come in a wide range of colors and designs. Depending on the shape of your pool, size of your yard and other landscaping, you might:

• use light greys and blues to match the pool’s water
• opt for light, sandy colors that reflect the sun’s heat
• have a pattern stamped only into the pool’s border
• incorporate a pattern throughout the entire pool deck
• create a separate sitting area on the pool deck with a different color of concrete

The possible ways to frame a pool with stamped concrete are innumerable, limited only by your imagination. (If you’re lost for ideas, Houzz has some beautiful pictures. Can you believe these are all concrete!)

Stamped Concrete is Pragmatic

A highly practical solution, stamped concrete doesn’t just look good around a pool. It’s also easy to walk on, provided you don’t include deep grout lines that can collect pool water and be uncomfortable in bare feet, and highly affordable. Installing a stamped overlay is less labor-intensive than laying individual tiles, and the materials typically cost less as well.

All in all, decorative concrete is practical, less expensive than other options and looks just as good. If you’d like to turn your pool into a haven of refuge from life’s worries, where you can swim, relax and chat with friends, talk with us at Ultimate Concrete Coatings to see how decorative concrete could transform your pool from a raw piece of artwork into a finished masterpiece. It’s all in the framing, and we can help.

Improve the looks of your pool with COOL Cool Decking!

In the hot temperatures of Phoenix, a pool is a must for cooling off and relaxing. Having a unique, high-quality pool deck around this essential water feature enhances the beauty of the home and increases year-round enjoyments. With pool resurfacing from Ultimate Concrete Coatings, homeowners can have the pool deck of their dreams that's safe, long lasting, and cooler to the touch in Arizona temperatures.

Style and comfort

Phoenix temperatures can reach over 100 degrees for at least half the year so it's vital that all exterior surfaces withstand and resist that heat effectively. An ideal product for pool resurfacing in Phoenix is Kool Deck by Mortex. Sometimes mistakenly called "Cool Deck" (or Kool Deck), this material creates a stunning surface for patios, pool decks, walkways and other landscape paths. Kool Deck is a cement surface as strong as the base concrete and is available in various colors and textures. It lowers the surface temperature of concrete significantly, is environmentally safe, and withstands thermal expansion and contraction better than concrete. Kool Deck is also easy to clean and complements the style and shape of any pool.

Surface versatility

Concrete has evolved into an extremely versatile surface, especially for pool resurfacing in Phoenix. With concrete overlays, pool decks obtain the appearance of slate, flagstone, granite or other hand-troweled textures. Grout lines and grout in the surface add to the unique beauty of concrete overlays and the color options available make the surface adaptable to the homeowner's desires. Each pool resurfacing for Phoenix application is custom designed by experienced professionals who understand how to achieve the appearance of river rock, tile, brick and cobblestone with concrete. By layering the colors, the concrete gains a natural stone depth and appearance that is easily cleaned and is nonskid for safety.

Fresh look

Even the most durable surfaces suffer damage, fading, and wear over time and that is why pool resurfacing in Phoenix plays a key role. With pool deck resurfacing, the area around the water feature receives restoration to better than new with a different color, texture, and pattern, if desired. Worn pool deck surfaces are not only unattractive; they can also be slippery and unsafe. With a quick, efficient process, a new pool deck restores the water feature and surroundings into a lovely oasis that combats the Arizona heat effortlessly.

For anyone in need of pool resurfacing in Phoenix, Ultimate Concrete Coatings has exactly the right products and expertise to get the job done. 

Horrible looking Concrete?

You probably chose concrete for your driveway, garage, patio or walkway because of its durability and reputation for giving even the toughest stains the cold shoulder.

So if a little dirt and grime has marred the surface, this is no time to grow fickle on your surface of choice. Concrete responds surprisingly well to gentle cleaning treatments – and some elbow grease. Whether you wish to clean standard or decorative concrete, begin by sweeping the surface to clear it of topical dust and debris. Then proceed accordingly:

Clean Standard Concrete

• Hose down the concrete, paying special attention to corners and crevices, where dirt usually accumulates. Your goal is to remove even more dirt and to leave the surface slightly puddled with water.
• Sprinkle the concrete with a granular cleaner, such as Bartender's Friend or Comet.
• Scrub the cleaning agent into the floor with a push broom.
• Hose down the concrete.

If your concrete is particularly dirty, or contains oil and grease stains, consider using a power washer instead of a hose for extra cleaning power. Whether you decide to rent or buy this handy tool, choose one with a psi (pounds per square inch) of 3,000 and a flow rate of at least four gallons per minute.

Clean Decorative Concrete

• Run a dust mop or a microfiber cloth over the surface to remove fine dust or particles that might be left over from sweeping. Your goal is to remove the last barrier between you and the concrete surface.
• Pour a few tablespoons of mild dish soap into a bucket. (Do not use vinegar or ammonia, both of which could damage decorative concrete.) Fill the bucket with warm water.
• Use a mop to clean the concrete in small sections. Replenish the mop with the sudsy solution frequently and wring it out before applying it to the concrete.
• Refill the bucket with warm water only and mop the concrete again to remove any soapy residue.

When you're finished, your concrete should look as clean as it did when it was installed. It might even give you ideas to take the process one step further and change the color or add a coating to enhance its durability. That's when it's time to call Ultimate Concrete Coatings, Phoenix's premier indoor and outdoor concrete specialists. We're teeming with creative ideas for your home – and look forward to sharing every one of them with you.