Decorative concrete in Goleta CA - a colored, patterned slab built on a solid base
Tired of a plain gray patio or a worn slab? We pour, color, stamp and seal it so it looks good and stays flat.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does decorative concrete involve in Goleta?
Decorative concrete in Goleta, CA is a regular poured slab that we color, press with a pattern while it's still soft, and then seal, so your patio, walk or driveway looks like stone, brick, wood or tile but is still solid concrete underneath.
Most people who call about this have a slab that's dull but flat, or a cracked one that has to come out anyway, and they want the new surface to look better than plain gray. What moves the price is the size of the area, whether the old concrete comes out, how much base work the ground needs, the pattern, the color method and whether the slab gets steel in it. The schedule mostly turns on tear-out and on whether any of the work reaches the street, and the estimate gives you a written figure for your own job.
Is decorative concrete right for your home?
A patio that feels plain
A gray slab off the back door can get a stone or tile look without loose pavers.
Sound slab, tired surface
When the concrete underneath is still flat and sound, the surface may be all that needs work.
Concrete coming out anyway
If a cracked, sinking slab has to come out anyway, the new pour can be colored and stamped.
Matching your house
Pattern and color can tie a walk or patio to the brick, stone or wood on your house.
How we build decorative concrete
On a new decorative slab, we dig out and pack the subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, and set the forms so the surface falls away from your house instead of toward it. We place rebar where the job calls for it, since that steel holds the slab together if it cracks, then pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry out weak and dusty in the heat. While it's still soft we work in the color, press the pattern mats and cut control joints, shallow cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack. Last, we put the sealer down in thin, even coats so it doesn't cloud up or get slick, and I'll tell you up front that resealing is part of owning a decorative surface.
Decorative work often ties into other jobs around the yard. If your patio sits on a slope, concrete retaining walls can hold the grade so the slab has a level spot to sit on, and if you want concrete in a garage, shop or addition, that starts with concrete floor installation.
Stone and slate patterns
These suit patios and pool-side areas where you want a natural, uneven look. The texture also hides everyday wear better than a smooth surface.
Brick and tile patterns
These read neat and regular, so they suit front walks, entries and borders around a plainer slab. They pair well with a house that already has brick or tile trim.
Wood plank patterns
These suit walks and patios next to a house with wood siding or a deck nearby. You get the look of boards with no boards to rot or splinter.
What happens when you call us about decorative concrete?
Call or send the form
You call (805) 285-4985 or send the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps to have the rough size of the area, photos of any old slab and its cracks, and a pattern you like.
I walk the site with you
I ask what the concrete has to carry, where the water goes and which office covers your address. Then I write up an estimate that spells out the base work, color method, pattern and sealer, so you can see where the money goes.
I run the job on site
If you go ahead, I'm there from forming through the pour, the stamping and the finish. You won't be handed off to someone you haven't met.
Clean up and walk it
At the end we clean up and walk the finished surface with you. That's your chance to look it over and ask anything before we leave.
Base or finish on decorative concrete?
Pay for the base first, then the pattern.
The color and pattern are what you see on day one, and the base is buried under them, so when a budget gets tight the base is usually the first thing someone wants to cut. I go the other way, because a stamped slab is still a slab, and no pattern saves one that settles with the dirt.
If the numbers run high, I'd rather pick a simpler pattern or a single color and keep the base work I described above. A plain pattern on a packed base still looks good years later, and a fancy one on raked dirt cracks in places nobody chose.
Examples of concrete work
Look through these examples of concrete work, from driveways and patios to stamped and colored surfaces, to get a feel for what you'd like.
Get a free on-site estimate for decorative concrete
Send the rough size, photos of any old slab and its cracks, and a pattern you like. We reply within one business day to set my visit, and the estimate is free with no pressure to book.
Why Goleta homeowners call Goleta Concrete for decorative concrete
The owner walks every job
I come out to look at your site, write the estimate myself and run the crew through the pour and the finish. You talk to the same person from the first visit to the last coat of sealer.
In business since 2013
I learned finishing on summer crews from people who'd done it for decades, then started this business in Goleta in 2013. That's 13 years of setting jobs up right before the truck shows up, because poured concrete has no do-over.
Licensed and fully insured
In California, someone without a contractor's license can only take small jobs under $1,000 that need no permit and where they hire no one. A decorative slab is real construction, so ask any contractor for their license before you book.
Satisfaction guaranteed on every job
That's our promise, and it's why I'd rather tell you the honest trade-offs at the estimate than what you want to hear. When you're ready, call (805) 285-4985 or send us the form.
Decorative concrete questions
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost near Goleta?
A stamped concrete patio in the Santa Barbara area usually costs about $9 to $17 per square foot, which is a nearby market guide and not our price. Reinforced patios are priced a little higher per square foot than ones without steel, so ask which type a quote covers. I'll write up the figure for your Goleta job at the estimate.
What is the best way to color a stamped concrete driveway?
Color hardener is the common choice for driveways because it gives the top a harder skin that stands up to traffic. The catch is that its color sits in that top layer, so a deep chip shows gray underneath. Integral color runs through the whole slab so a chip shows the same color, and it's the more forgiving pick, though it won't reach the deepest or brightest tones.
Can my old concrete patio be resurfaced instead of replaced?
It can be, when the slab underneath is structurally sound. One maker says its overlay products can bring back a sound but tired slab without tearing it out, and another says primers and crack repair can't promise a decorative topping stays free of cracks. So I look hard at your old cracks before we weigh an overlay against a new pour.
How do I keep stamped concrete looking good, and how often does it need resealing?
Resealing is the main upkeep, and one field guide advises doing it every 2 to 3 years. Count that repeat job in the long-term cost when you compare a decorative surface with plain concrete.
What causes stamped concrete to look blotchy?
Uneven color hardener is a common cause, because it has to be spread and worked in evenly or the color comes out patchy. Before you choose it, ask to see finished color hardener jobs so you know what to expect.
Will a new stamped slab crack like my old one in Goleta?
Some cracking is normal in any concrete, and color and pattern don't change that. What decides where and how much is the base and the joints we set up before the pour, which is why I spend the time there. At the estimate I'll tell you what most likely cracked your old slab.
Thinking about a colored, stamped patio?
Ask for an estimate and I'll come out, walk the area with you and write up a figure for your job.
Other concrete work you might need
Decorative concrete rules and conditions in Goleta
If your decorative work reaches the street side, the city has its own rules. Goleta Public Works issues Encroachment Permits for work in the public right of way along the street, and that permit has to be issued before work starts there. Its list names concrete removal and driveway apron work but not decorative concrete, so it doesn't settle whether your job needs one. The city also bars poured concrete and mortared pavers in the parkway, the planting strip between the sidewalk and the street, so show me your full layout at the estimate. We check with the office that covers your address, and when a permit is needed we handle the application and set up the inspections.
Many of our calls here are for a back patio or front walk that's dull but flat, and others are for a cracked slab that has to come out. We sort out which it is on the visit, and we do the same work on jobs in Isla Vista and Eastern Goleta Valley.