Decorative Concrete in Gautier MS - Color you approve on a sample first
Plain gray slab that looks tired, or a new patio you want to stand out? We add pattern and color on a base that holds.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What can decorative concrete do for my patio or driveway?
Decorative concrete is concrete with a pattern or color worked into the surface, either stamped or colored with acid or water-based stain, and usually finished with a sealer that deepens the color. In Gautier, MS we use it to make a driveway, patio or walk look like it was planned along with the house.
Most folks who call us have a plain slab they're tired of looking at, or they're planning a new concrete patio and want more than flat gray. The price moves with the size of the area, stamping versus stain, how many colors you want, how much base work the spot needs and which sealer you pick. The schedule mostly turns on the weather, the curing time, which is the wait while new concrete gains strength before anyone uses it, and when the sealer can go down. I'll give you your own figure once I've seen the spot with you.
How can you tell your slab is ready for a decorative finish?
A slab that looks unfinished
The house has new paint or a new porch, and the patio or walk is still the same flat gray it was the day it was poured. If the concrete is sound, stain or a stamped section can change that, and if you're already planning new concrete nearby, it's easier to settle the color now than add it later.
Color worn off where people walk
There's a lighter path where everybody walks while the edges still look the way they did. That usually means the stain or sealer on top has worn through in the busy lane, and the longer it goes, the more that bare concrete soaks up dirt and the uneven look spreads.
Cracks running through the pattern
A crack cuts across the stamped stone or brick instead of following a joint line. That usually points to the ground underneath moving, and if it keeps moving, more cracks show up and the pattern gets harder to match, so the first thing I check is what's under it.
How we put in decorative concrete
On a new slab we start under it, digging out the soft dirt and packing the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, firm and even, then setting the forms so water runs away from the house. We pour, stamp or finish the surface, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack instead of a random one, then let it cure. Stain color can surprise you, because the same stain can come out a different shade on two slabs depending on the mix, the curing and the finish, so we make a small sample for you to approve before we do the whole area, and I'll explain how each sealer looks and when it can go down. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you pick a simpler pattern than cut the base work, because you'll see the finish every day but the base is what keeps it in one piece.
Decorative work often sits next to other jobs we do. On a sloped yard, concrete retaining walls hold the ground back so the patio below stays put, and we can color them to go with it. Inside, our concrete floor installation gives you a slab that can be stained and sealed once it's cured.
Stamped pattern
Stamping presses a stone, brick or wood pattern into fresh concrete, so it suits a new patio, walk or driveway where you want texture as well as color. It happens on the day of the pour, so we plan it from the start.
Acid stain
Acid stain gives earth tones like tan, brown, terra cotta and black, so it suits folks who want a natural, mottled look. It's the one where the sample matters most, because the slab itself has a lot to say about the final shade.
Water-based stain
Water-based stain comes in nearly any color, including bright shades, pastels and white, so it suits a design built around a particular color. It has little to no odor and no strong acid, which makes it safer to handle around a lived-in house.
Get a decorative concrete estimate and a plan for your color
We reply within one business day. Estimates are free, on site and come with no pressure and no obligation, and I'll look at the spot with you and explain what I see before I put anything on paper.
- Based in
- Gautier, MS 39553
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Gautier?
Here's how a decorative job goes from your first call to the day we hand it back to you, and who handles each part.
Call or send the form
You call (228) 263-3738 or fill out the form, and we set a time for me to come out. It helps to have the rough size of the area, how you use it and any colors you have in mind.
I look, measure and ask
I look at the spot, measure it and ask how you'll use the space, then lay out your choices in plain words. You'll know what pushes the price up or down, like stamping versus stain or extra base work, before anything goes on paper.
Check the office, then schedule
Before we set a date, I point you to the city or county office for flood zone and permit questions. That way nothing holds up the start once the crew is booked.
Build, stain, seal and explain
My crew and I prep the base, pour and finish, and the full stain goes on only after you've approved the sample. Then I walk you through how to care for it while it cures, including when it's ready for the sealer.
Why Gautier homeowners call Gautier Concrete for decorative work
The owner looks at your job
I come out to look at the job myself, and my crew of finishers and laborers does the work with me on site most days. The person who heard what color and pattern you wanted is there when they go down.
In business since 2017
We've been pouring flatwork, the driveways, patios and walks that lie flat on the ground, since 2017, and most of our calls come from homeowners in and around Gautier. That's nine years of explaining the reasons before anything gets poured, so you know what you're paying for.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're fully licensed and insured. Ask to see it when I come out, because you should know who's responsible on your property before the work starts.
A satisfaction guarantee behind it
Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Concrete is hard to undo, so I'd rather go over something one more time before the pour than leave you guessing after it.
Have the size of the area, how you use it and your color ideas handy, then send us your project details or call (228) 263-3738.
Building decorative concrete in Gautier and the cities nearby
In Gautier, building questions go to the city's Planning and Building Department, which takes calls at 228-497-8000. The city counts paving, grading and digging as development under its flood ordinance, and a project that will disturb land has a runoff checklist filed with the building permit application before work starts. Whether your patio or walk needs a permit depends on the job and the lot, so I won't guess at it. Before we start, we check with the city or county office for your address about what the job needs, and we walk you through the paperwork so you know who's handling each piece.
A lot of houses around here sit raised, so the slab beside or under the house becomes the patio and the place everybody sits, which makes it a good spot for stain. Summer heat is the other thing we plan around, because concrete finished in the middle of a hot day can end up with a weak, dusty top, so we pour early. We see the same heat and the same kinds of houses on jobs in Pascagoula and Ocean Springs, and we work across Jackson County, over to Biloxi and into south Mobile County.
Questions about decorative concrete in Gautier
Which concrete stain holds up best on a busy walkway?
Acid stain is usually the better pick where foot traffic is heavy, because water-based stain sits closer to the surface and wears faster where people walk the most. The catch is color, since acid stain stays in earth tones, so on a busy walk you're weighing the color you want against how it'll wear.
What causes stamped concrete to crack?
Uneven settling is the usual cause, because when the ground under a stamped slab sinks in one spot and not another, the concrete cracks wherever it wants and the pattern is ruined. A firm, even subgrade keeps the design in one piece, so ask any contractor how they'll prepare the ground before they pour.
Does a concrete contractor need a state license in Mississippi?
A contractor doing residential remodeling or additions over $10,000 in Mississippi needs a license, according to a summary of the rules from the Mississippi State Board of Contractors. The board is the one that licenses residential contractors, so ask to see that license before the work starts.
How much does stamped concrete cost in Mississippi?
Installed stamped concrete in Mississippi usually costs about $12 to $25 per square foot. That's a statewide market figure, not our price, and where your job lands depends on the pattern, the number of colors, the base work and the sealer. Your own number comes from the estimate, after I've seen the spot.
What is the best way to seal stained or stamped concrete?
Pick the sealer by the look you want and how soon you want it sealed. One installation guide says to wait a full 28 days before putting down a solvent-based acrylic sealer, which darkens the concrete to a wet look, and suggests a breathable water-based sealer with a more natural, matte finish if you want to seal right away.
How do I take care of sealed decorative concrete in Gautier?
Keep up routine care that matches your sealer and how much traffic the area gets, since one sealer maker says that's what decides how the finish looks and lasts. The same maker warns that some cleaners and equipment, or the wrong use of them, can dull a sealed surface over time, so follow your sealer's care instructions. Walk-off mats inside and outside help, and heavy-traffic spots may need resealing more often.
Related concrete work around a decorative finish
Concrete patio construction
A new patio is the easiest place to plan stamping or stain from the start, since the pattern and color get decided before the concrete is poured.
Concrete retaining walls
If your patio sits below a slope, a wall keeps soil and runoff from washing across it, so the stained or stamped surface isn't fighting the yard.
Concrete floor installation
A new interior slab for a shop, sunroom or ground floor can be stained and sealed later, which gives you a finished floor without covering the concrete.
Decorative concrete service areas around Gautier
Gautier Concrete is based in Gautier, Mississippi, and we pour and finish decorative concrete in the 12 cities below, from Pascagoula to Biloxi. Those are the ones with their own page, and we work in plenty of places in between.
Gautier, MS
Talk through your decorative concrete finish
Bring your color ideas and a rough size of the area, and you'll finish the visit knowing which finish and sealer fit the way you use the space.