Decorative concrete in Covina CA - color and pattern on a slab that holds up
Tired of a plain gray patio or driveway? We check the slab first, then stain it, resurface it or pour new stamped concrete.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Can my plain concrete be made decorative, or does it need to come out?
The short answer: Decorative concrete in Covina adds color or a pattern to a patio, driveway or walk so plain gray concrete looks like a more expensive material. We do it by staining or resurfacing the slab you have, or by pouring new concrete and stamping it.
Most calls start with a slab that works fine but looks tired, or one that's cracked and uneven, and the shape that slab is in decides most of the job. The price moves with the size of the area, whether the old concrete can stay or has to come out, and whether you want color on what's there or a new pour with stamped concrete. The schedule turns on the same things, plus curing on a new pour, which is the wait while it hardens before you walk or drive on it, and any sign-off the city needs. Your written estimate lists what's included for your slab.
How do you know your concrete is ready for a new look?
Plain gray, but solid
The slab is flat, has no real cracks and just looks dull next to the rest of the yard. That usually makes it a good candidate for a stain or a topping, but the longer oil and grease spots sit, the deeper they soak in and the more likely they are to show through new color.
Stamped color gone chalky
Older stamped concrete that looks faded, dusty or rough underfoot has usually gone too long without fresh sealer. If you leave it, the surface itself starts wearing away, and then you're paying for a repair instead of a reseal.
Heaved, sunken or split sections
A slab that has lifted, dropped or cracked all the way through has moved underneath, and no color on top will stop that. Waiting lets water get in under the broken edges, so more of the slab usually has to come out when you're ready.
How we handle decorative concrete, start to finish
I start with the slab you have, because a solid one can take a stain or a topping and a heaved or broken one has to come out, and I'll tell you which you've got before you spend money on a look. On a sound slab, we clean it down to bare concrete so the color or topping grabs, then apply it and seal it. On a new pour, we dig out to firm ground and pack the subgrade, which is what the slab sits on. Then we set forms so water runs away from the house and lay rebar, the steel that keeps cracked pieces from drifting apart. After the pour, we press the pattern in while the concrete is soft and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along so it doesn't crack wherever it likes. The base is the first thing people want to cut because nobody sees it on day one, but I'd rather you pick a simpler pattern than put a nice finish on a base that settles.
Decorative work often meets other concrete. If the patio sits against a slope, a concrete retaining wall can hold the grade and be finished to match, and if you're adding a garage, workshop or room, concrete floor installation gives you fresh concrete that takes a stain well.
Stain on your existing slab
This suits a sound slab you'd rather keep, because a stain soaks into the concrete that's already there instead of covering it. It's usually the least expensive way to get color, and the slab's old wear marks become part of the look.
Overlay on a solid slab
An overlay is a thin topping bonded to the concrete you have, so it suits a slab that's fine underneath but worn, patched or blotchy on top. It can take color and texture, and you skip the cost of tearing out.
New stamped concrete
Stamping presses a pattern into fresh concrete so it looks like stone, brick, slate or wood, which makes it the pick when the old slab has to come out anyway or you're adding new area. It costs more than plain concrete, takes a professional crew to install and needs resealing on a schedule, which I cover in the questions below.
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Covina?
Here's how a decorative job goes with us, from the first call to the final walk-through, and where the city's rules fit in for a Covina address.
- Step 01
Call or send the form
You call (626) 412-8840 or send the form, and we talk through the slab, where it is and the look you're after. Photos help me know what I'm walking into.
- Step 02
I look and measure
I come out, check whether your slab can take color or has to come out, and measure the area. You get a written estimate that lists what's included, so you know what you're paying for before you decide.
- Step 03
Permits first, then dates
If the job needs a permit, we take care of it before anything gets scheduled. Then we set the work dates with you.
- Step 04
Pour day and final walk
I'm on site for the pour, and we keep the work outside the hours the city bars for construction that bothers neighbors, which are 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. and all day on Sundays and public holidays. When it's finished, we walk the job with you before we call it done.
Decorative concrete rules in Covina
For a City of Covina address, applications go through Covina Building & Safety, and the city's handout lists flat work and landscape as needing no permit but needing Planning Division approval. The city names landscaping, exterior changes and adding a patio or porch among the projects that need Planning approval, so plan on that step for a new decorative patio. Work on the driveway approach, the stretch between the street and your property, has its own process. Widening, rebuilding, removing or adding an approach, or building a circular driveway, goes through the city's encroachment permit. Removing or adding an approach, or building a circular drive, needs Planning approval first, and any work in the public right-of-way needs a permit pulled by a state licensed contractor. When a job needs a permit, we pull it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections, and when I come out I go over what the city needs for your address.
Around Covina we see a lot of plain patios and driveways from when the houses were built, many sound enough for color and some sunk at the edges, so we check the base under each one before we talk color. It's the same on jobs in West Covina and Glendora, and we do the same slab check there first.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
We get back to you within one business day to talk through the job, and then I come out, look at the slab and measure it. The estimate is free and in writing, it lists what's included, and there's no obligation.
Why Covina homeowners call Covina Concrete
The owner writes your estimate
I come out, look at the slab and write the estimate myself, and a crew I've worked with for years does the forming, pouring and finishing with me on site for the pour. The person who told you what the job needs is there when it happens.
Concrete full time since 2013
I ran a landscape installation business and kept hiring out the concrete, so I learned it from the finishers I was paying and switched over full time in 2013. We're best known for flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks around a house, and that's the concrete decorative finishes go on.
Fully licensed and insured contractor
We're fully licensed and insured. That's what lets us pull a permit in our own name when your job needs one, and it means you're not carrying the risk while our crew works on your property.
We check city or county first
Some homes with a Covina mailing address are actually in West Covina or a county area, and the city only handles City of Covina addresses. We're based in Covina and work in the cities around it, so we check your address first, because that decides which office we work with.
On a decorative job, how long the look lasts comes down to the slab under it, so that's where I start. Send us the details or call (626) 412-8840, and tell me where the slab is, roughly how big it is and what shape it's in.
Decorative concrete questions from Covina homeowners
How do I know if my concrete patio can be stained or resurfaced instead of replaced?
If the slab is sound and a topping can bond to it, it can usually be stained or resurfaced, but a slab that's heaving, settling or cracked clear through has to be torn out. A stain works on existing concrete, and an overlay is only as good as the slab it's stuck to. I check this at the estimate visit so you know whether your budget is going to a new look or to removal first.
How much does stamped concrete cost in the Los Angeles area?
Installed stamped concrete in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $15 to $30 per square foot. That's the going range for stamped work in the area, not our price, and where a job lands depends on the pattern, the colors, the size and whether an old slab has to come out first. Staining and overlays are priced differently, so your written estimate gives you the number for your slab and the option you pick.
How often does stamped concrete need to be resealed?
The usual guidance is to reseal stamped concrete every 2 to 3 years. Skip it and the surface wears out faster, so count resealing as part of what a stamped patio or driveway costs over the years.
What's the difference between acid stain and water-based stain on concrete?
Acid stain reacts with the concrete itself and leaves a marbled look that's different on every slab, while water-based stain gives more even color and comes in a wider range of shades. Acid suits people who like variation, and water-based suits anyone matching a house color or wanting the slab to look the same edge to edge.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a small decorative concrete job in California?
Yes, unless the whole job comes to $1,000 or less, needs no permit and the person doing it has no employees, which is the only case where the state lets unlicensed workers do minor work. Beyond that, forming, pouring, placing and finishing flat concrete falls under the state's concrete contractor license.
How long does a decorative concrete project take in Covina?
Staining a sound slab is the quickest route, an overlay takes longer, and new stamped concrete takes longest because the old slab has to come out and the new pour has to cure before you use it. In Covina, any Planning approval has to come first too, so I go over the timing for your job when I come out.
Related concrete work for decorative projects
Concrete retaining walls
When a decorated patio or walk ends at a drop-off or a hillside, a poured wall keeps the edge from washing out and gives it a finished border.
Concrete floor installation
If the stained look you want is indoors, a new interior slab poured flat and clean gives the color an even surface to soak into across the room.
Get your slab checked before you choose
Call (626) 412-8840 or send the form now, because getting on the calendar early leaves room for any city sign-off before the work starts.