By Jeff Keen ·
The short answer
A stamped overlay is a new decorative surface bonded over the concrete you already have. It works when the old slab is sound and not moving. If the slab is heaving, sinking, or has cracks that keep opening, an overlay will only crack again — and we will tell you it needs to come out instead.
What an overlay is
An overlay is a thin layer of stampable material bonded to your existing concrete and finished with the same patterns and colors as a new pour. There is no demolition and no dumpster, and the job takes days instead of weeks.
The catch is simple: an overlay is only as good as what is under it.
Signs your slab can take an overlay
Good candidates usually look like this:
- The surface is worn, pitted, stained or just plain ugly, but the slab is flat.
- Cracks are fine hairlines that are not growing or offset.
- Water drains off the slab instead of pooling against the house.
- Nothing rocks or sounds hollow when you walk across it.
Signs it needs to come out
These are the ones we will not cover up:
- One side of a crack is higher than the other.
- The slab has sunk, tilted toward the house, or lifted from tree roots.
- Cracks have opened up again after being patched.
- Big sections are broken loose or crumbling.
Timing matters on the coast
Overlays go down thin, and thin material in a Coastal Bend summer skins over before it can be stamped. We schedule overlays for the cooler months and pour new concrete in the summer. If you call about an overlay in July, we will book you for the fall and tell you why.
How we decide
We look at the slab in person, check for movement and moisture, and tell you which one you have before you pay us anything. Either way, you get one fixed price in writing.
