When doing your patio, walkway or driveway, you want a surface that is appealing, durable and affordable. Use of stamped concrete is among the most popular of achieving all these because the concrete can be made to look like other luxurious and expensive materials, such as stone and brick pavers. But before making your final decision to use stamped concrete, it is good to know some of its advantages.
Benefits of stamped concrete
1. Ease of installation
One of the major advantages of stamped concrete is ease of installation. To install stamped concrete, you only have to mix concrete, pour it, stamp it and let it dry. This process requires minimum labor and saves time and money.
2. Low cost
The total cost of installing and maintaining stamped concrete ma is quite low compared with that of other paving materials. Major savings are less labor and maintenance costs. One or two people are enough to install a stamped concrete surface, which translates into fewer labor costs. For maintenance, you can do this on your own by sweeping and washing the surface regularly.
3. Easier maintenance
Stamped concrete is usually a solid surface, which makes it easier to maintain compared with natural stones and other single masonry units. With stamped concrete, there are no joints where weeds and grass could sprout requiring you to maintain the surface regularly. With stamped concrete, you will not be required to reseal cracks on the surfaces or at the joints year after year.
4. Longevity
The durability of stamped concrete is affected by several factors such as concrete mix design, installation method, weather conditions and traffic loads. When the concrete is mixed in appropriate proportions, installed properly, used to carry intended loads and maintained suitably, it can last for longer. Therefore it is upon you to ensure that all these requirements are met throughout the lifecycle of stamped concrete.
5. Aesthetics
Stamped concrete can be made to look exactly like other kinds of natural materials including wood, slate, bricks and stones. This makes it a preferred material by many homeowners who want to give their patios, walkways or driveways an appealing look at a low cost. You can personalize the colors, patterns, sizes and styles of the stamped concrete to match those of your exterior or interior home surfaces. Another key advantage is that stamped concrete is available in a variety of colors, textures and patterns, which gives you unlimited options to choose want pleases you most.