Decorative concrete in Delray Beach FL - a fresh look built on a sound slab
Can decorative concrete in Delray Beach go over my old slab, or do I need a new pour?
Often it can go right over it. At Signature Delray Beach Concrete, I check whether your slab is solid before we talk about colors or patterns. A sound slab can take a decorative overlay. One that's heaving or cracked clean through needs a new pour, and I'll tell you which one you have.
Decorative concrete is any finish that makes a flat slab look better than plain gray. We can pour it new and finish it in place, color it with a stain, or cover the old surface with an overlay, which is a thin new layer bonded on top. Most of the calls we get are for patios, pool decks and walkways that are worn, stained or just dated.
We're based in Delray Beach and work across Palm Beach County and into north Broward. What moves the price and the schedule is mostly what your slab needs before any color goes on. After that it's the size of the area and how many finishes you want. I look at it in person and put your number in a written estimate.
Decorative finishes aren't only for outdoor slabs. A stained look can go on an indoor slab from a concrete floor installation, and the same colors can carry onto a concrete retaining wall around a planter or raised patio, so the yard reads as one piece.
What the job takes
- A check that the slab is solid
- Cleaning down to bare, sound concrete
- Roughening the top so it grips
- Patching flaked and weak spots
- Joints kept where they already are
- A clean site when we leave
What to weigh before booking decorative concrete
What sets the cost
Price follows the size of the area, the repairs your slab needs and how many finishes you want. If money's tight, cut the pattern and keep the prep, because the prep is what holds the finish down.
What the timing turns on
An overlay starts with cleaning, texturing and patching, so a slab that needs more repair takes longer. A new pour adds forming and curing, which is the wait while it hardens before you use it.
One finish or several
You don't have to pick just one look. Stain, pattern and overlay can be combined on the same surface, like a stained field with a patterned border, to suit your house.
Decorative concrete questions in Delray Beach
What is the best way to update an old concrete patio, resurface it or replace it?
If the slab is sound and just worn, stained, dated or lightly flaking, resurfacing it with an overlay is usually the better call. One field guide puts it at a fraction of the cost of tearing out and re-pouring, and the slab is back in use sooner. I'll tell you at the estimate which way your slab points.
How do I know if my concrete slab is too damaged for an overlay?
If it's heaving, settling or cracked clean through, it's too far gone for an overlay. An overlay only renews the surface, so the same movement comes right back through the new layer. The field guide also warns that moisture in the slab can break the bond from below, which is one more reason I look the slab over before we talk colors.
What happens to cracks and control joints under a decorative overlay?
The field guide's advice is to carry them up through the overlay, right over the originals. If you don't, the cracks show back through and tear the new topping. Control joints are the planned grooves that tell a slab where to crack, so keeping them in the same spot means the slab still cracks where it was meant to.
How much does decorative concrete cost in Delray Beach?
Nobody can give you a fair price until they've seen the slab. The cost turns mostly on how much prep and repair it needs and whether it can take an overlay or needs a new pour. From there, the size of the area and how many finishes you combine move it up or down. I'll come out, look at it, and give you the number in writing.
Where do I apply for a building permit for concrete work in Delray Beach?
You apply through the city's eServices portal, and the Development Services Building Division at 100 NW 1st Avenue helps with applying. Palm Beach County says only homeowners and qualified contractors can pull permits. When your job needs one, we handle the filing and the inspections, and at the estimate we'll tell you if we need anything from you, like a survey or your parcel number. If the work reaches toward the street, the city advises checking the right-of-way first, which is the land planned for the street, and its Engineering Division answers questions about it.
What license does a concrete contractor need in Palm Beach County?
Palm Beach County requires a certificate of competency to advertise, bid or contract concrete forming and placing. The county also says certain trade scopes now fall under state law and no longer need that certificate. Delray Beach requires a contractor's current license to be registered and on file before a permit goes in, so it's fair to ask about that. We're fully licensed and insured.
Decorative concrete near you
We're based in Delray Beach and do decorative concrete in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and other cities nearby. Find your city below, or call if you don't see it.
Other concrete work
- Concrete driveway building
- Concrete patio construction
- Stamped concrete services
- Concrete sidewalk building
- Garage floor concrete
- Concrete retaining walls
- Concrete floor installation
- Concrete pool decks
- Concrete steps construction
- Slab foundation building
- Foundation installation
- Concrete parking lot building
- Concrete footings
- Foundation raising
- Concrete cutting
Get a free decorative concrete estimate
Send photos of your slab and note any heaving or cracks. We reply within one business day, then I come out and write you a free estimate with no obligation.