Planning a patio or walk and want more than plain gray? We help you pick a color, texture and sealer that wear well.
Decorative concrete is concrete given color and texture through stamping, stenciling, integral color or exposed aggregate. In Tiburon, it turns a patio, walk or driveway into a surface that looks finished next to the house and holds up to the way you use it.
Most people who call about decorative concrete are planning a new patio, walk or driveway and want something better than plain gray. They usually ask three things first: what it costs, how long they'll be without the space, and whether it'll crack like the old one. The honest answers come down to what's under the slab and what's on top.
The price moves with the size of the area, how much digging and base work the ground needs, and how much hand work the finish takes. A two-color stamped pattern keeps our crew busier than one color with a broom finish, which is a light swept texture that gives shoes some grip. For your own figure, I'll walk the site, measure and write an estimate that spells out what's included.
How long you're without the space depends mostly on Tiburon's permit step and the weather, and I cover both in the Tiburon section below. Whether the slab cracks comes down to the ground under it, which is why I'll talk about that before we ever get to color.
These choices decide how a decorative slab looks, how well it holds your footing and how it wears over time. The finish and sealer points here are general industry guidance, not Tiburon rules.
With exposed aggregate, the top is washed back to show the stones. That gives a rugged, nonskid surface that stands up to heavy traffic and weather extremes, so it suits steps and busy walks where grip matters, and it needs little care beyond sealing and an occasional cleaning. Decorative aggregate comes in many types and sizes, so look at samples first.
With integral color, the pigment goes into the concrete before the pour, so the color runs all the way through instead of sitting on top. A chip or scuff shows the same shade underneath, which is why it's a common base under a stamped pattern.
A topical sealer put on too heavily or too early can spoil the look of the surface. It's fair to ask any contractor, us included, when the sealer goes on and how much gets applied, and you should get a plain answer.
Here's how a decorative job runs from the first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll deal with at each step, so the order of things doesn't surprise you.
Call (415) 429-4397 or send the form and tell us what you're planning, whether that's a patio, a walk or a driveway. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I come out, look at the ground and where the water runs, and ask how you plan to use the space. Then I measure and write up an estimate in plain words that spells out what's included.
We sort out what the city or county asks for, including any design review a new driveway needs, and wait until the permit is in hand. Then our crew digs out, packs the base, pours and puts on the finish you picked.
When it's done, we walk the finished slab with you, point out the joints and the sealer, and talk through how to tell when it's ready for resealing as it wears.
I start every decorative job by asking how the space gets used, because that decides the finish more than any photo does. A dining patio, a shady side walk that stays damp and a path the kids run down each wear differently. So we pick a finish that suits the foot traffic first and the color second, and then we talk through which sealer fits the look you're after.
The part I won't trim is the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, even though nobody sees it once the color is down. When a budget gets tight, it's usually the first thing people want to cut. I'd rather simplify the pattern, because a decorative slab on loose, unpacked dirt settles and cracks right through the design. We also check where the water runs, so the slab falls away from the house.
We cut control joints on time and line them up with the pattern where we can. Those are shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack. We also plan pours around midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top. Where a patio needs ground held back beside it, we can pair it with concrete retaining walls, and the same color choices can carry indoors with concrete floor installation.
A topical, film-forming sealer is the usual pick for stamped concrete because it deepens the color. A penetrating sealer generally needs fully cured concrete, and most types leave the color as it is, so the choice changes both the look and when the sealer goes on.
Integral color with a broom finish keeps the hand work and the price down, and it still looks warmer than plain gray. A stamped pattern looks closer to stone or brick but takes more crew time, and you'll see that spelled out in the estimate.
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the site, measure and write up a free on-site estimate in plain words. There's no pressure and no obligation.
(415) 429-4397The Town of Tiburon requires a building permit for concrete patios, sidewalks and other hardscape, so a decorative patio or walk here needs one before anything is poured. Creating, widening or expanding a driveway also goes through design review, which adds a step to the calendar. We find out what your job needs, help with the paperwork and wait until the permit is in hand. The Building Division answers permit questions if you'd like to ask yourself.
Tiburon says work done without a required permit faces substantial fines, which is one more reason we wait. Its rainy season runs October 15 through May 1. During those months, the site has to be kept so no soil or debris washes into storm drains or onto a neighbor's property, so a winter job takes more planning to keep everything contained.
We do the same decorative work in Mill Valley and Sausalito. I find out what that city or county asks for on your job rather than assume Tiburon's rules carry over. Around here, most calls are for patios, entry walks and garden paths that people want to look finished next to the house.
I taught myself concrete on small jobs around my own place, then learned the rest working next to people who'd been at it for years. I started this business in Tiburon in 2020. Six years in, I still come out to look at each job myself, write the estimate and stay on site with our crew while the work gets done.
We're best known for explaining what we're doing and why before anything gets poured, and I'd rather answer a question twice than have you wondering about it later. We're fully licensed and insured. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. If you're weighing finishes, call (415) 429-4397 or send us the form with the rough size of the area, the finish you're leaning toward and a few photos of the spot.
When the ground beside a new patio or walk needs holding back, a poured wall keeps soil off the decorative surface and gives the space a clean edge.
If you'd like color and texture inside too, a new concrete floor for a sunroom, studio or basement can be planned to sit well with the outdoor finish.
We're based in Tiburon and work in cities across Marin and nearby, from Novato down to Sausalito and over to Richmond. The cities below have their own pages, and we work in others too.
Stamped concrete in San Francisco usually costs about $16 to $34 per square foot. That's the nearest market figure for the area, not a Tiburon quote. Size, base work and how detailed the pattern is all move your number, so the written estimate after I measure is where you get a figure for your own job.
Yes, Tiburon requires a building permit for concrete patios, sidewalks and other hardscape, so a decorative patio needs one. The permit section above covers how that fits your schedule, and we work out what your job needs with you before we set a pour date.
Stamped concrete gets resealed as needed, not on a set number of years. Plan on it when water and stains stop beading off or the color loses its depth. Resealing more often than that, such as every year to keep a high gloss, builds up on the surface and can be slow and costly to remove.
California law caps the down payment on a home improvement contract at $1,000 or ten percent of the contract price, whichever is less. That applies to a decorative patio the same as any other home job, so a bigger request up front is worth questioning.
Yes, whenever the work needs a permit of any kind. California requires a license for minor work that's subject to a permit, even when the project is under $1,000. Since Tiburon asks for a permit on patios and other hardscape, that covers most small decorative jobs here.
Clear furniture, pots and anything stored where we'll be working, and keep cars out of the way so our crew can get in with forms and concrete. Tell me about sprinkler lines, buried wiring or pets when I come out, so we can plan around them before pour day.
We're open until 10 PM on weekdays and 11 PM on weekends, so you can call (415) 429-4397 or send the form after work and ask about the finish you have in mind.
