Exposed aggregate, integral color and concrete stain are the three ways to get a decorative slab in Nampa without stamping a pattern into it. Each one changes how the concrete looks, how it feels underfoot and how it ages, so it pays to pick the finish before the truck is ordered.
Request a site visit and itemized quote
Rather talk it through?
(208) 505-4111Call or send the form. Either way, you get a site visit and an itemized quote.
Exposed aggregate shows the stone inside the concrete instead of the gray cement paste on top. HomeGuide describes two methods: mixing decorative aggregate into the batch, or seeding stone onto the surface of a fresh slab. Either way, a surface retarder slows the top layer from setting, and the paste is washed off to reveal the stone. Options range from crushed stone to white or river pebbles, basalt and quartzite.
The finished surface is textured and slip-resistant, which is why people choose it for pool surrounds, sloped walks and driveways that see frost. HomeGuide puts exposed aggregate at $7 to $18 per square foot installed nationally, roughly $2 to $3 more per square foot than plain concrete, with a typical patio at $2,800 to $7,200.
Integral color is pigment mixed into the concrete at the plant, so the color runs all the way through the slab. A chip or scrape shows the same color underneath instead of gray. It's the most forgiving choice for driveways and walks that take abuse, and it pairs well with a broom finish or a border band.
Stain goes on after the concrete has cured. Acid stains react with the concrete and leave a mottled, variegated color; water-based stains give more even, predictable shades. HomeGuide lists a stained concrete driveway at $8 to $25 per square foot including the slab, and stained floors at $3 to $15 per square foot not counting the slab. Stain can also refresh an existing patio that's structurally sound but plain.
All three finishes last longer with a sealer. HomeGuide recommends resealing exposed aggregate every 2 to 3 years, and the same interval applies to colored and stained surfaces. In Nampa's freeze-thaw winters, a sealed surface also keeps water and deicer from soaking into the top of the slab.
Tell us where the slab goes and which finish you're leaning toward. Call anytime at (208) 505-4111 or send the Nampa Quote Request form, and we'll set up a site visit and an itemized written quote.
Call (208) 505-4111Email: info@nampaconcreteworks.com
Back to Nampa Concrete Works for the full list of residential and commercial concrete work.
