When choosing between stylish stamped concrete and elegant stained patterns, its cost will be the determining factor. The average price for both of these innovative and creative methods plays at $10 to $30. Paints are the cheapest solution. But pure pigments cause chronic concrete damages.
To get to a final decision, if you will stamp or stain or paint the concrete patio, know the factors affecting every cent.
Today, our blog will help you know how to calculate between purely painting, stamped concrete patio cost, and staining cost.
Paint or Stained or Stamped?
A more practical choice if you need the cheapest solution is paint. But paint only lasts a year and needs reapplying a couple of times to maintain a flawless surface. Meanwhile, the two innovative flooring techniques present more valuable consideration. They are worth every penny, too.
1- Design Factor
The most basic design will come at its lowest price. At $10, you can have a basic design – a seamless slate for stamps and a monolithic tone for staining. A single color water-based stained concrete is the cheapest and most cost-efficient flooring design. It goes side by side with acid-washing to mottle the surface. The painting will also cost the utmost 6$ per square foot if you use quality, resistant paints.
Basic stamped designs use a single base color, and it is faster to install since there are no complicated patterns and techniques to add. A basic concrete stamping design starts at $10 to $15 per square foot.
In terms of DIY designing, you can save more with staining. Staining is simple, and you can apply it on your own. Stamping, on the other hand, requires the help of professionals. If you opt for DIY stamping, the challenge for you will be creating your rubber stamps.
If you try to DIY stamp patterns and home-made stencil, you will take much time and effort.
2- Labor Factor
You have probably heard and checked many sources showing DIY stained concrete floors. It is fun, and it pushes you to bring out your creative side. In terms of labor, factor staining is faster than stamping. The materials required for staining is minimal compared to stamping—the same with paints. However, the problem with painting is the time it takes to cure and dry thoroughly.
What is good about working with stamps? Once you have a rubber stencil or stamp-material, you can try placing them on your own. This scenario is where most clients fail. Most think that stamping is easy.
Manually placing the layout of the patterns needs careful attention. A professional concrete contractor carefully layout the stamped overlay designs with precision. Haste makes waste. It is a golden rule.
Stamped concrete installers embraced this principle. Hurrying to stamp the wet cement mix will lead to uneven surfaces.
3- Concrete Condition
Looking at the concrete’s condition will help you eliminate the best for you. Cracks in the exterior concrete are common. Staining covers up the cracks by making it its accent or part of the design. Creases are made for stains. If the damages are minimal and the slabs do not crumble underneath, then you are good with staining.
Refinishing the patio surfaces with staining technique will only cost you around 6 dollars per square foot. If you have a smaller area size to finish, staining will require you less than a hundred bucks.
The same goes for stamped concrete. A smaller area will not require pulling out three-digit numbers from your pockets. The time you will need to is when you see severely damaged surfaces. A concrete overlay is your go-to solution.
So thinking about the slab’s condition leads you to consider the right cost. Probably the deep cracks on the floors had build-up for years. All the time you were saving for repair and maintenance has come.
