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Jun 05
0

Cook Outdoors More Often with a Kitchen Patio

Posted by | Stamped Concrete | No Comments

If you love to cook, you probably do so by all sorts of means, including an outdoor barbecue. If that’s the case, you may sometimes wish you had a better outdoor setting in which you create your summer treats. You can have the kitchen of your dreams; actually, you can have two. Turn your patio into an almost-complete second kitchen when you feel the need for adventurous cooking.

Stamped Concrete Makes a Sturdy Setting for Kitchen Patio

Outdoor kitchens are attractive additions to homes. They help make outdoor spaces more inviting, and more like extra living spaces. You can make them as simple, or as extravagant as you want. If all you need is a nice place on which to set your grill, and on which your guests can set themselves, you can have it. Beautiful stained, stamped concrete makes the patio floor, and a concrete retaining wall makes a lovely centerpiece and place to sit.

If you want something more, you can make room for all the accessories you have in your indoor kitchen. Concrete can serve as the frame for all appliances that need to be installed, like refrigerators, sinks, and more. You can even have cabinets if you want them. Of course, stained concrete makes excellent countertops for outdoor cooking.

Stained and stamped concrete are both beautiful and functional. Concrete can be stained and stamped to suit almost anyone’s style; if you want the look of natural stone without the cost, for example, concrete can offer it. Even more importantly, it’s durable. You can chop, dice, cook, and do it all outside; your concrete kitchen patio will remain beautiful through the years.

Find out all that concrete can do for you. Get the outdoor kitchen patio of your dreams for this coming summer, and do it soon. Contact Stamped Artistry today.

May 15
0

Create an Inviting Patio with Concrete Seats and Walls

Posted by | Retaining Walls, Uncategorized | No Comments

You already know that you can create a comfortable space on your patio with décor and furniture. Did you know that you can make the patio part of that décor and furniture? With short walls of stamped and stained concrete, you could have a beautiful, inviting outdoor space with extra seating for anyone you could think to invite.

Seats Made of Retaining Walls

These seat walls are essentially retaining walls set at a height that is low enough for comfortable seating, but high enough to create an enclosure. If you place them directly onto the already-existing patio, you change very little about the space size overall, while still adding seating space. If you place them directly next to the patio, you could maximize the space.

Make the Most of the Space

Well-designed seat walls are simple ways to create an entertainment space on your patio. They are also relative inexpensive. These short walls can be made of the same concrete style as your patio, or they can be made of a different stamp style and stain for a creative contrast. You have attractive, extra places for people to sit, or for décor, such as plants and flowers, sculptures, etc.

These walls have the potential to make your patio more visually diverse. Rather than looking out and seeing a flat landscape, you look out and see colorful variety. If you enjoy outdoor spaces in winter, or enjoy cooking outdoors, you could even set a concrete fireplace or cooker at the center so that you can converse with everyone around you as you enjoy the fire.

If you like the look, you are not limited to a single retaining wall. With one low retaining wall for seating, and another on top of that one, off set enough to create a back for that seat, you have concrete seats with backs, or double the seating area for those who don’t mind sitting on the uppermost wall. You also have yet another way of creating visual variety on your patio.

Find out more about create an inviting patio with concrete seats and walls by contacting Stamped Artistry today.

May 03
0

3 Ways to Upgrade Your Pool with Concrete

Posted by | Pool Renovations | No Comments

Your pool is an escape; it offers you the luxury of a vacation spot at your home. It is natural that you want a way to make your pool the deluxe getaway of your dreams. It doesn’t take an incredible amount of money and expensive materials to make that happen, nor does it take a lot of time and work. In fact, all you may need to enhance the appeal of your little backyard oasis is some relatively small changes. You may be amazed at the beautiful result of small changes, like the following three, when you upgrade your pool with concrete.

Raised Concrete Platform

Relax in the sun, or under some type of constructed shade, with a perfect view of all the beauty of the water. Keep an eye on the children in the water, sit with feet in the water and have conversations with people below you in the water, and more. A raised concrete platform offers you all this. It can be as simple, or as complex as you want in terms of color, style, and size. Even a small, simple platform can make a significant difference in your pool’s stylish appearance.

Swim-Up Bar or Table

Even a small place for people to swim up and have a drink, or take a bite can make your pool area seem even more classy. You could have a overhanging bar, or semi-circular “table” extending from the pool’s side and out into the water so that people can swim up to the edge, or float up in floating seats, and relax while eating and drinking in the comfort of the pool. Again, stamped and stained concrete is perfect for an addition like this.

Infinity Pool

You don’t have to be incredibly wealthy, or stay at a fancy hotel to have a pool with an infinity edge. If you have a slope near your pool, you can create the infinity illusion with a pool wall stopping at the top edge of that slope. It could be far easier to create that glamorous, luxurious style than you think.

Do you want more ideas about ways to upgrade your pool with concrete? Ask the experts at Stamped Artistry.

Apr 18
0

Create the Ultimate Gorgeous Garden this Spring with Stamped Concrete

Posted by | Stamped Concrete | No Comments

Spring is coming; those beautiful days have already started appearing, and soon there will be more. It can be a short-lived season, however, depending upon where you live. So, take advantage of it while it’s in full swing. Get started on your beautiful garden now so that it will bloom fully early on, and look its best throughout the whole season, and into summer. Do this by caring for plants, and by creating the perfect décor with stamped concrete.

Create Your Paradise

Stamped concrete is not merely for floors, driveways, and patios. Anyplace you want the ground to look nice is where you should place stamped concrete. That means you can have a beautiful place to sit directly in the center of your garden, or yard, if you like. The concrete will look like beautiful, natural stone, and will last through the years as it’s incredibly durable and resistant to the elements.

Add even more to your garden centerpiece. Place beautiful stamped and stained concrete at the base. Then, add a concrete fireplace, or a fountain. Place potted flowers around your comfortable outdoor furniture, and you can even add wooden coverage with vines and flowers. In the end, you have a beautiful, lasting outdoor space.

Build lovely walkways through your bushes and flower beds where you can take strolls, and enjoy the weather, and the sight of your well-tended garden. These can lead from the house to your sitting area, and all around. You could also have a sturdy place on which to put your kneeling pad and care for your plants.

The possibilities for stamped concrete in your garden are limitless. At Stamped Artistry, we will work with you to great your Eden. Call us today to get started and be ready for the days when spring is in full bloom.

Apr 05
0

Upgrade Your Flooring with Vertical Concrete Resurfacing

Posted by | Uncategorized | No Comments

If you have been searching for a way to upgrade your home or patio flooring, and all the options so far have been rather dull, then perhaps you have not yet seen the possibilities of concrete resurfacing. You can make your floors appear three-dimensional with concrete that has been formed, stamped, and stained to look like beautiful natural stone.

Rooms and Flooring

Stamped and stained concrete can look like many different types of natural stone. You can enhance the look of floors inside and outside of your home—living rooms, dining rooms, patios, and much more. When the years have weathered your floors, replacing them can still be too expensive for your budget, and patching may result in areas that simply don’t match. Vertical concrete resurfacing is applied over your existing flooring, or other surface, and adds a vertical lift. It can be installed almost anywhere; it can even cover the entire surface, if necessary.

While this resurfacing is often used for fireplaces and backsplashes, it can also be used to create short verticals, like steps, or retaining walls. You can cover imperfections, or create a new surface to give the space a different look. If you are bored of the flooring from the kitchen to the dining area being the same, use vertical concrete resurfacing to not only change the look of the floor, but to create a short, vertical step leading into the room.

More Than Floors

Retaining walls serve many purposes in your landscape. Whatever yours may be, you vertical concrete resurfacing can revitalize your concrete retaining wall and turn it into a beautiful part of your yard. Line it with flower beds, create a new space for seating that overlooks the wall, and much more.

Upgrade your home and patio flooring, your backsplashes, and your retaining walls with vertical concrete resurfacing now. Ask us how at Stamped Concrete.

Mar 20
0

Brighten Your Garage with Metallic Epoxy Coating on the Floors

Posted by | Metallic Floors | No Comments

How is your garage looking these days? Have you wished that it was nicer, a place you really want to be? Your garage can be more than a place to store your car and belongings. You can make it anything you want. This might require some organization, cleaning, and decorating. There are innumerable possibilities for sprucing up your garage, and you might consider adding nicer floors, like metallic epoxy coating, to the list.

Metallic Epoxy Coating for Your Garage Floors

You don’t want just any flooring for your garage. You need something attractive, something that inspires you, but you also need something durable. Concrete has the ability to give you all of this. There are all kinds of stamping and staining you can do with concrete, including the metallic look. Give your garage floor strength, color, and flash with metallic epoxy coating.

Despite being colorful and shiny, epoxy floors are durable. That’s why they are great for high-traffic areas like garages. There are many types of metallic concrete flooring, and all that colorful variety is made with solvent, or water-based coating. They can also have texture, too; they’re highly-customizable. You could create a gorgeous floor that not only makes your garage look much better, but it also resist the wear and tear the usually happens in a garage.

It all lies in the polymer resin layers. You add metallic pigments for color, and then it all hardens to create that shiny, durable floor to spice up your garage. Thanks to the selection of colors and process of application, no two metallic epoxy floors are exactly alike, which means your garage floor will be uniquely yours.

Clean up the garage and get ready to make it a place you want to be with better organization, and gorgeous, durable metallic flooring. Call Stamped Artistry today for all your concrete-based flooring needs.

Mar 06
0

Unsightly Tire Marks on Your Driveway

Posted by | Stained Concrete | No Comments

Do you hate the tire marks that lead onto and off of your driveway? They are unsightly and they’re not easy to remove. We want to be proud of our homes and feel good about them when we come home. Those pieces of rubber that make their way from your tires onto your nice driveway may seem superficial, but they can ruin the aesthetic of your driveway, and even affect the overall appeal of your home in your eyes.

Removing Tire Marks

When you have stained, or stamped concrete, or both, you have nothing to worry about in terms of durability; your concrete is safe from your tires, as well as most other damage that may occur during the years it serves as your driveway, or any other flooring at your home. That means it will survive your attempts to remove tire marks.

Sometimes, these marks are easy to remove. If they are not terribly old, or they are not very thick, it will be easier. It is also easier if your flooring is well-sealed. Coated floors resist the rubber much better, and so are much better when it comes to cleaning. You can always try soap and water, first. If that doesn’t work, try vinegar.

If you’re having trouble with old-fashioned methods, sometimes a simple degreaser will help. There are also stronger, over-the-counter solvents that may help. Before moving on to stronger solvents, you want to make sure that your concrete is well-sealed. Different seals withstand different solvents better than others, and while they are strong enough to resist many cleaners in the short-term, that doesn’t meant that they’re right for your concrete in the long-term.

When you need help maintaining your concrete flooring and driveway, trust the professionals at Stamped Artistry. We will help you create, install, and maintain your concrete floors.

Feb 23
0

Weather-Worn Concrete Basics

Posted by | Stamped Concrete | No Comments

If you have concrete flooring, it’s very durable. It will survive all the abuse you can throw at it for years. It could even last for a lifetime. While your standard concrete sidewalk will crack because it gets such little care, professionally stained and stamped concrete is beautiful, and it remains that way. It is sturdy, reliable, and stylish as long as you want it in your home, or around it. Of course, if your concrete is exposed to the elements, it will need a little extra care. But, weather-worn concrete is very manageable.

Managing Weather-Worn Concrete

The first step in managing weather-worn concrete that is exposed to the elements is defending it. When your concrete is first installed, it should be protected with good sealant. This is the first line of defense against the weather. Nearly all stamped and stained concrete comes with some form of protection.

If you start to see damage on your concrete, never leave it any longer than necessary. As long as you make an effort to care for your floors, you can avoid most damage. Or, you may only have mild issues with which to contend. Fixing them will probably be easy, like a good clean and more sealant. Major problems might call for resurfacing.

For mild damage, a professional can scrub your floor if it has a brushed finish. If you have a smooth, shiny finish, then you might need resurfacing for professional care. Concrete that is both stamped and stained may call for even more repairs; that process could need re-staining and overlays. All this depends upon your floors and the extent of the wear and tear, which is why you don’t want to let it get to that point.

To avoid it, set a schedule for maintenance. You won’t have to do much. Keep your floor relatively clean. Add new sealant as often as is recommended by your concrete expert. When cleaning, use only the tools and solutions recommended by your professional, too.

At Stamped Artistry, we install and repair your concrete, and we’ll advise you on care. Contact us today for issues with weather-worn concrete.

Feb 12
0

Update Your Pool Deck Before Summer

Posted by | Pool Renovations, Uncategorized | No Comments

It’s still cool, even cold in much of the U.S. However, the weather is slowly warming. Soon it will be spring, and then summer. It all seems to come quickly when we’re busy with our lives. This means that swimming weather will soon be upon us, as will weather comfortable enough for enjoying your outdoor deck. Don’t wait for that weather to be in full swing. Update your pool deck before summer has a chance to start.

Pool Deck Upgrading

If you already have a pool deck, take a look at it. How old is it? When was the last time you had it cleaned, sealed, and any other maintenance? There are a lot of choices when it comes to your pool deck. You’re never stuck with what you have, even if you’re worried about price.

Stamped and Stained Concrete

Stamped and stained concrete make beautiful pool decks. As a material, concrete is one of the strongest things you can buy. It will last for years with very little maintenance. And, it can have virtually any appearance you want; this is not your standard sidewalk concrete.

Rather, this concrete can be stamped and molded to look like much more expensive materials. It can look like stone, brick, and more. It can be stained with natural-looking colors, or with gorgeous colors for a more creative design.

You don’t have to worry about water causing slips and falls, either. These decks are sealed to protect against the elements, including the sun, rain, and more, and have texture and anti-slippage coverage to help eliminate that risk. They’re safe for you, your children, and your guests.

Get your dream pool deck for summer, and even for spring. Be ready as soon as warm weather hits. Just call Stamped Artistry.

Feb 01
0

Stamped Concrete or Concrete Pavers for Your Patio

Posted by | Uncategorized | No Comments

Your patio plays an important part in your home’s appearance if you use it often. If you don’t, you may often wish that you had a nicer space that makes you want to spend more time there. Your patio could play a major part in your home’s welcoming landscape and new concrete flooring could be the way to make that happen. If so, there’s still the question of what sort of patio flooring would be better: stamped concrete or concrete pavers?

Stamps vs. Pavers

You have plenty of choices when it comes designing your patio, and those choices aren’t necessarily limited when you settle on a material. Either concrete pavers or stamped concrete can be laid to create beautiful patterns. And, both of these floors could last a lifetime with the proper care. They are also potentially affordable, if your budget is a concern.

Concrete pavers are generally easy to install. They don’t require a lot of maintenance and your options for design are basically unlimited. They work for patios, walkways, decks, gardens, and more. Pavers are installed one-by-one, and so the process can be a little time consuming. It’s relatively easy process however, and none of that affects the long-life they can have. Plus, if you ever need repairs, it’s usually easy to replace the pavers.

Stamped concrete is poured concrete that is stamped and stained to look the way you want it. Primary colors and accent colors give it beauty, and seals give it shine. Your design options are many with this type of patio flooring, too. These floors may require more care than pavers. However, many people find they’re worth it. Plus, installing is a less slow process. Repairing this floor may cost more, too.

In the end, your patio needs to have the look you want, at the price you want. Put the details that mean most to you in a hierarchical list—cost, look, maintenance, time to install, repairs, etc. That will help you decide between stamped concrete or concrete pavers. We can help at Stamped Concrete, too. We’ll help you choose, and we’ll install. Just call us.