Decorative Concrete in The Villages, FL

Decorative concrete covers the ways plain gray concrete gets a finished look: stamped patterns poured into new slabs, and textured coatings or color applied over existing ones. Around The Villages, decorative coatings are everywhere, on driveways, front walks, lanais and pool decks. The search results for concrete work here are full of coating companies, and residents in local groups regularly compare stamped concrete with pavers or painted driveways. The one rule that applies to all of it: the District Government lists coloring walks or driveways, and painted driveways, among the changes that need Architectural Review approval.

Choosing between stamped and coated

Stamped concrete is poured new. While the surface is still soft, it is colored and pressed with mats that leave a stone, slate, brick or tile pattern. It suits a new patio, a new walk, or a driveway that is being replaced anyway. HomeGuide's patio guide lists stamped patios at $9 to $30 a square foot.

Coatings and overlays go over concrete you already have, as long as it is sound. Common types:

• Spray-textured (splatter) coat: a thin cement-based coat sprayed on and often lightly troweled, with a grippy texture.
• Knockdown: sprayed and then flattened with a trowel, about 1/8 inch thick according to HomeGuide's resurfacing guide.
• Stamped overlay: a thicker coat stamped with a pattern; HomeGuide lists $7 to $15 a square foot for a single pattern and up to about $20 for complex designs.
• Stain or color coat: tint without much texture change.

Getting the ARC to say yes

Color is the part of decorative work the committee cares most about. Its page lists coloring walks or driveways and painted driveways as changes that need approval, and the Architectural Review Committee's stated purpose is keeping the look of homes and home sites consistent. In practice that means bringing a specific color, not just "tan." We give you the product color name and a sample so you can include it with the application, and we sketch the areas being coated with their dimensions. The application is free.

Once the committee approves a color, we use that color. If you change your mind after approval, the application may need to go back in.

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Why coatings fail, and how we avoid it

Most peeling coatings fail for one of three reasons: the concrete underneath was not cleaned and profiled, so the coat never bonded; the concrete was cracked or moving, so the coat cracked with it; or water was getting under the slab or into it from below. We pressure-wash and grind or etch the surface, repair cracks first, and look at drainage before we coat. Where a slab has sunk or broken, it gets repaired or replaced before any coating goes on, because a coating cannot hold a broken slab together.

In Florida sun, light colors also stay cooler and show less fading than dark ones. That matters on pool decks and lanais where people walk barefoot.

Upkeep

HomeGuide's driveway guide recommends sealing decorative surfaces every 2 to 3 years, and its resurfacing guide gives 8 to 15 years for an overlay before it needs repairs. Rinse off mildew and leaf stains, keep sprinklers from soaking the same spot every day, and call us early if you see a coating lifting at an edge. Reach us at (352) 706-8874.