Stamped concrete services in Dickinson ND - a patterned finish with even color

Installed stamped concrete in North Dakota usually costs about $13 to $27 per square foot, and that's the statewide going rate for finished work, not our price. Where yours lands depends on the slab and the pattern you pick, so I'll measure on site and give you a Dickinson price.

Pick a stretch of weather when a freeze isn't likely in the days right after the pour, because outdoor concrete placed in late fall, winter or early spring can freeze while it's still full of water. Concrete that freezes can lose more than half its potential strength and won't hold up, and fresh concrete should be kept from freezing for about two days. If your job lands near the cold season, we'll talk through how the slab gets protected before we set the date.

Start by asking the crew how they'll cure it, because sprinkling or ponding water discolors decorative concrete, and plastic sheeting or curing paper can leave it mottled and blotchy. Curing is the stretch after the pour when the slab holds its moisture and gains strength, and on stamped work it shows in the color. The rinse that clears off extra release should wait until after pour day, once someone can stand on it without marking the surface.

It can crack a little, since all concrete does, but most bad cracks in old patios come from a base that settled or joints that were cut late or skipped. We dig out and pack the base, and we cut control joints early, the grooves that tell a crack where to go so it lands in a line you chose. It's the same groundwork we do under a garage floor.

If the work touches city right-of-way, the public land along the street, or other city property, the City of Dickinson's Engineering Department issues the concrete or driveway permit, and a stamped front walk or driveway apron can fall under that. We check with the city on permits for every job before we start, take care of the ones that fall to us as the contractor and help you with any that fall to you. The city's inspection line is 701-456-7035, option 2 for engineering inspection.

Wait until the second winter, and then use it in moderate amounts, because the guidance for new concrete is no deicing chemicals the first winter. After that, keeping deicer to a minimum lowers the risk of scaling, the flaking of the top surface. If your stamped walk runs along the street, the city puts clearing that sidewalk on the property owner, so plan on a shovel that first winter.