Decorative concrete in San Bernardino CA - color and texture on a solid base
Plain gray patio or a tired old slab? We add color, texture and the right sealer so it looks the way you want.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
How do I make a plain or worn concrete slab look better?
Decorative concrete in San Bernardino gives a new or existing slab color, texture or shine through stamping, stains, integral color, exposed aggregate, polishing and sealers, so your patio, driveway or walk looks like part of the house instead of a plain gray pad.
Most people who call me have a slab that's sound but plain, or an old one that's stained, patched and faded, and the first question is whether to cover it or tear it out. The price moves mostly with size, whether we're placing new concrete or an overlay, how much prep the base or the old slab needs, and how involved the finish gets, since a stamped pattern in two colors takes more labor than a stain and seal. The schedule turns on that prep and on curing, the wait while fresh concrete hardens before it's sealed or used, and you'll get your own figure on a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't.
How we do decorative concrete, from the base up
Not every decorative job needs new concrete, so I start by looking at what you have and asking how you'll use it, then tell you straight whether an overlay can dress it up or it's better to start over. On a new slab, our crew digs out and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and sets the forms so water runs away from the house, because no color or pattern can save a slab that settles or holds a puddle. We set rebar, the steel inside that keeps cracks from spreading apart, then pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry before we finish it, work in the color and texture, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack. If something has to give in the budget, I'd rather simplify the pattern than skimp on the base, because you can reseal a finish later but you can't fix what's under it without tearing it out. Once the slab has cured, we seal it with a sealer picked around the look you want.
Decorative work often sits right next to other concrete. A colored patio on a slope may need one of our concrete retaining walls to hold the yard back, and the same finishes work indoors, where concrete floor installation gives a stain or polish a sound surface to start from.
New decorative slab
This suits you if there's no slab yet, or the old one is cracked through, sunken or sloping toward the house. Since we redo the base, the color and pattern start out on solid ground.
Overlay on the slab you have
This suits a slab that's sound and level but looks tired, because a decorative layer goes over it and you skip the tear-out. If yours is cracked through or still moving, the overlay will follow it, and I'll tell you that at the estimate.
Decorative concrete permits and jobs in San Bernardino
Before we plan a decorative job here, I sort out the permit question, because San Bernardino requires a building permit for structural work, with a few small exceptions. One of them covers driveways and sidewalks that sit no more than 30 inches above the ground, aren't over a basement or a room below and aren't part of an accessible route, the path that has to work for wheelchair access. A decorative patio or a raised slab isn't on that list, so I don't assume either way, and since each city and the county run things a little differently, I check with the right office for your address first. If your project reaches out toward the street, questions about an encroachment permit, the city's okay for work in the public right of way, go to the permit counter through the city's public works line at 909-998-2420. If you'd rather do the work yourself on your own one- or two-family home, the city's building and safety office will usually issue you the permit, as long as you show you live there, do the work yourself and sign that nobody you hire falls under California's workers' comp laws.
A lot of our decorative calls around here are patios and driveways that are solid but plain, or older concrete that's faded and patched, and many of those are good overlay jobs once I've checked that nothing underneath is moving. We get the same kinds of calls on jobs in Highland and Redlands, and we do the work the same way there.
Why San Bernardino homeowners call San Bernardino Concrete Company for decorative concrete
I look at every job myself
I ran crews here for another contractor for years before starting this business in 2020, and I still come out to see every slab before we price it. I'm there for the pour and the steps that matter most, so the person who planned your job is the one watching it get done.
Licensed and insured, own crew
We're licensed and insured, and our own crew does the work instead of a sub you've never met. On a decorative job that matters, because the look depends on the same hands placing color across the whole slab.
Set up for city permits
The city only issues permits to properly licensed contractors who also hold a current city business license, and a contractor with employees has to show workers' comp proof when the permit goes out. When your job needs a permit, we take care of it and set up the inspections, and it's fair to ask anyone else you're comparing to show you theirs.
If you've got a slab you'd like to look better, send us a few details about it and the finish you have in mind, and I'll come take a look.
Request a quoteGet a written estimate for your decorative concrete
Send the form and we'll reply within 1 business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at your slab, ask how you'll use it and give you a free written quote on site. It's obligation-free, so you can take it and think it over.
What happens after you call about decorative concrete?
Call or send the form
Call (840) 222-9185 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. A few photos of the slab help me start thinking before I get there.
I look at your slab
I check the base, the cracks and where the water runs, ask how you'll use the space and tell you whether an overlay will work or it's time to start over. You get a written estimate that says what's included and what isn't, so you know exactly what the number covers.
Permits, then the work
If the job needs a permit, we handle that first, then our crew does the work with me there for the pour, the color and the sealing. I'll tell you when the slab has cured enough to use before we leave.
We walk the finished job
I go over the finished slab with you before we call it done. I'll also show you what to watch for so you know when the sealer needs attention.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost in San Bernardino?
A poured stamped concrete patio in San Bernardino usually costs about $9 to $17 per square foot, which is the going rate in the area, not our price. Reinforced concrete pushes a patio toward the higher end, and that range covers stamped patios only, so stains, overlays and other finishes get priced on your written estimate.
Do I need a permit for a decorative concrete driveway in San Bernardino?
Usually not, if it's a ground-level driveway that fits the city's driveway exemption I described above. If yours is raised, sits over a room or is part of an accessible route, it falls outside that, so we check with the city for your address and handle whatever permit the job needs.
Can my old concrete patio get a decorative finish?
Usually yes, because a decorative overlay is a layer of cement-based material bonded over existing concrete to dress it up, level it or restore it. It can take color and texture much like a new slab, and I'll check at the estimate whether yours is solid enough to take one.
What is the best sealer for stamped concrete?
A film-forming sealer, the kind that sits on top of the surface, is the most common choice for stamped concrete because it deepens the color. Most penetrating sealers soak in and leave the color about as it is, so they suit you if you like a more natural look, and we pick the one that matches what you're after.
How long does stamped concrete have to cure before it's sealed?
It has to cure before sealing, and how long that takes changes with the curing method, the temperature, the humidity and the concrete mix, so I set the sealing day by the slab, not the calendar. Sealing too early, or laying sealer on too heavy, can spoil the look you paid for.
How often does stamped concrete need resealing?
Reseal when the surface stops shedding water and stains or the color starts to look flat, rather than on a set schedule. Resealing every year just for extra gloss builds up a layer that's slow and costly to strip off. A reseal goes best out of direct sun, which can cause bubbles and a weak bond with the old coat, on a day when the slab will keep cooling for 3 to 4 hours afterward, which sometimes means an evening job.
Other concrete work that goes with a decorative job
Concrete retaining walls
If your new patio sits on a slope or the yard keeps washing onto it, a concrete wall holds the soil back so the decorative slab has level, steady ground.
Concrete floor installation
When you want the same colored or polished look inside, in a garage, shop or room addition, a new concrete floor gives the finish a sound, level surface to start from.
San Bernardino, CA
Show us the slab you want to dress up
Send a few photos, a rough size, whether it's new or existing and a finish you like, and I'll come out already thinking about what will work.