Decorative concrete in Ventura CA - a fresh look on a slab that's solid underneath
Tired of a plain or worn gray slab? We check what's under it first, then add color and pattern that suit how you use it.
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Can a plain or worn concrete slab be made to look better?
Decorative concrete gives a patio, driveway or walk a finish beyond plain gray, with stamped patterns, color or a thin new layer over a sound slab, and at Masterwork Ventura Concrete we do it across Ventura, CA and the cities around it.
Most folks who call me have a slab that's holding up fine but looks plain or worn, and they're wondering whether to cover it, color it or start over, or they're pouring new and want more than gray, like the patterns we press in with stamped concrete. The price moves with the size of the area, whether we resurface or tear out and pour new, the pattern and color method you pick, and how much repair the old slab needs first. The schedule turns on those same things, plus the curing time, which is the wait while new concrete hardens before you can walk or drive on it, and a city permit if the work reaches the street. Your own figure comes from the estimate, once I've seen the slab.
How we do decorative concrete, from the slab up
Before we talk colors or patterns, I check that the old slab is solid and not heaving or broken through, because a new surface won't fix what's underneath. If it's sound, we clean and prep the top so the new layer grips it, and if it isn't, we tear out and start over from the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, which we dig out and pack hard instead of just raking it level. Then we help you pick a color method that fits how the surface will wear, because a driveway with tires turning on it takes a beating a shaded patio never sees. On new pours we place and finish early in the day so the top doesn't dry out in midday heat and turn dusty later, then cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along instead of a random one, and let it cure before the sealer goes on. When a budget gets tight, people want to cut the base first because nobody sees it after day one, and I'd rather you pick a simpler pattern, because the nicest stamp cracks right along with a slab that settles.
Decorative work often sits next to other jobs. If your patio runs up against a slope, concrete retaining walls hold the ground back and can be finished to go with the new surface, and inside a garage or an addition, concrete floor installation gives you a new flat slab that can take color too.
What changes a decorative concrete job in Ventura
The City of Ventura requires an encroachment permit for any work in its public right-of-way or easements, and driveway construction or repair is one of its examples, so if your new decorative driveway runs out to the approach at the street, that part needs one. For a patio or an overlay that stays on your own lot, that rule doesn't settle the question, so I figure out which city or county office covers your address and we take care of the paperwork with them. The city takes applications online through its Permit Center, which keeps that part of the job moving.
Most decorative calls I get around Ventura are for older patios and driveways that still have life in the slab but look worn, so the first question is usually whether it can be resurfaced. We see the same resurface-or-replace choice on jobs in Oxnard and Camarillo, and we answer it the same way, by checking the slab first.
Decorative finishes up close
Get a decorative concrete estimate for your slab
We reply to every request within one business day, and I come out to look at the slab myself. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, and photos of your existing slab with a note on whether the work reaches the driveway approach help me come prepared.
(805) 507-9817Decorative concrete questions from Ventura homeowners
How much does decorative concrete cost in Ventura?
There's no set price, because decorative work runs on the size of the area, whether we resurface or pour new, the pattern and color method you pick, and how much prep the old slab needs first. One decorative concrete maker says stamped concrete can often cost less than real stone or brick for a similar look, which is why a lot of folks who want pavers end up looking at it. I'll give you a number for your slab once I've seen it.
How do I know if my old concrete slab can be resurfaced?
An old slab can usually take an overlay when it's structurally sound and the new layer can bond to it. If it's heaving, settling or cracked clean through, it needs other repair first, because an overlay only renews the surface and the trouble underneath comes right back through.
What is the best way to color outdoor concrete so the color lasts?
For color that lasts as the surface wears, integral color, which is mixed into the concrete itself, runs through the whole slab, so worn spots still show color with no re-staining. Color hardener, often the base color on stamped work, looks brighter and leaves a denser, smoother top that stands up better to scuffing, so the choice is brighter color on top or color all the way through. Dyes are a different story, since they fade in sunlight and belong indoors.
Do I need a City of Ventura permit for driveway work?
Yes, if the work reaches into the city's right-of-way, such as the driveway approach at the street, it needs the encroachment permit covered above. For that work, Underground Service Alert gets a call at 811 three working days before any digging, and the city gets a call at (805) 654-7767 three working days before construction starts so an inspector can call back about inspection. We take care of the permit paperwork with the city.
Who is allowed to do concrete work in California?
In California, forming, pouring, placing and finishing pavement and flat concrete falls under the state's concrete contractor license. The exception for small jobs now covers work under $1,000, up from $500, and only when the job needs no permit and the unlicensed person has no one working for them on it. For anything bigger, or anything that needs a permit, you want a licensed contractor.
What causes stained concrete to wear out faster?
Traffic, weather, rough use, the kind of sealer on it and how well it's kept up all play a part, according to a concrete coatings maker. That's why I ask how you'll use the surface before we pick a stain and sealer, since patio chairs wear on a finish differently than car tires do.
Get a decorative concrete estimate in Ventura
Call (805) 507-9817 any weekday until 11 PM or weekends until 9 PM, so you can talk it through after work, or send the form whenever it suits you.