Surfaces and slabs, each written as a spec
Eight pages, one per surface or slab type: stamped patterns, colored and stained concrete, exposed aggregate and broom, flagstone and natural stone, pool decks and coping, outdoor kitchen and fire feature hardscape, shop and barn slabs, and RV, boat and garage pads. Each explains the finish, the slab under it and what the quote should say, with sources.
Stamped concrete patterns
Stamped concrete is a plain slab textured while it is still soft, so the pattern you choose decides most of the look.
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Colored & stained concrete
Concrete takes color four ways: pigment mixed into the batch (integral), a color hardener floated into the surface, a reactive acid stain that changes the top of a cured slab, or a water-based stain or dye that soaks into it.
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Exposed aggregate & broom finishes
Exposed aggregate shows the stone in the concrete by washing the surface paste away before it hardens; broom finish drags a damp broom across floated concrete for a non-slip texture.
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Flagstone & natural stone
Flagstone can be dry-laid on a compacted stone and sand base with sand or polymeric joints, or mortar-set on a reinforced concrete slab with grouted joints.
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Pool decks & coping
A pool deck is a slab that gets wet, hot and barefoot traffic all summer, so the finish has to grip when wet and not bake.
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Outdoor kitchens, fire pits & seating
We handle the concrete and stone: the patio, the pad an island or fireplace sits on, block or stone bases, seat walls and steps.
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Shop & barn slabs
A shop or barn slab carries a building and whatever rolls into it, so it is quoted in parts: field thickness, the thickened edge or turndown that carries the walls, the steel in each, the compacted pad it sits on, the vapor retarder if the inside will be finished, and the joint grid.
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RV, boat & garage pads
A motorhome, a loaded boat trailer or a truck in a detached garage puts its weight on a few square inches of tire, so a pad for them is 5 to 6 inches thick with edges thickened by an inch or two, rebar set mid-slab on chairs, a compacted base and a slope that drains.
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