Stamped Overlays
Stamped overlays — a new surface without the tear-out
If the concrete under your feet is sound but ugly, you do not need to break it out. We bond a new stampable layer on top of it, texture it, color it and seal it.
Why homeowners pick Keen for this
We make our own mix
The stampable overlay we use is manufactured in-house rather than bought by the bag, which is how we keep the price honest and the material consistent job to job.
No demolition
No jackhammers, no dumpster in the driveway, no hauling out your old slab. Less mess, less disruption and a shorter job.
Same look as a new stamp
Overlays take the same stamps, colors and antiquing as a fresh pour. Nobody can tell from the finished surface.
When we schedule it
We only pour overlays in the cool months.
A stampable overlay goes down thin, and thin material in Coastal Bend summer sun skins over before we can finish stamping it. There is not enough working time between spreading it and it getting too hot to touch — and once it starts to flash, you cannot go back and fix it. Rather than gamble with your patio and hope the day stays kind, we schedule overlays for the cool months and pour new concrete in the summer instead. If you call us in July about an overlay, we will book you for the fall and tell you why.
How it goes
01
Check the slab honestly
An overlay is only as good as what is under it. We look for structural cracks, movement and moisture, and we will tell you if a tear-out is the right answer instead.
02
Clean and prep
The slab is cleaned, cracks are addressed, and the surface is profiled so the overlay bonds instead of just resting on top.
03
Bond coat and overlay
A bond coat goes down, then the stampable layer, worked to a consistent thickness across the whole area.
04
Stamp, color and antique
Same patterns and colors as a poured stamp, stamped while the overlay is still workable.
05
Wash and seal
Antiquing washed back to reveal the joints, then sealed once the overlay has cured and the slab is dry. Sealer never goes down on damp concrete — trapped moisture makes it fail or turn milky white, so if it is not dry we come back another day rather than chance it.
What you pay, and when
One honest, fixed price, itemized in writing before we start. Half at signing and half at completion — no progress-payment ladder, no change-order surprises unless you ask us to change something. Keen work carries a one-year workmanship warranty; cracking, color variation and efflorescence are inherent to concrete and are excluded, and we say that up front rather than in the fine print.
Sealer
What goes on
Every stained and stamped slab we finish gets an EZ Chem solvent-based acrylic sealer at 25–30% solids. Solids is the part that stays behind once the solvent flashes off, so a higher-solids sealer leaves a thicker, longer-lasting film than the thin box-store product. Solvent-based rather than water-based because it bites into the concrete and carries the colour deeper, which is what gives a stained slab that wet, saturated look instead of a flat film sitting on top.
Non-slip, where it matters
Where the slab is going to be walked on wet — a pool deck, a shaded patio, steps — we add a non-slip additive to the sealer. It is broadcast into the coat rather than sprinkled on after, so it wears with the sealer instead of off it. If your slab will get wet, tell us and we will spec it that way; it is not an upcharge we spring on you later.
Re-sealing
Sealer is the part that wears, not the colour. On the Coastal Bend we generally look at re-sealing every two to three years, sooner on a slab that bakes in full sun all day or takes salt spray. Your care sheet gives the interval for your job, and we will come back and do it.
Recent stamped overlays work
Full gallery
Take it with you
Stamped Overlays care sheet
One page on how to look after it, what will damage it, when to re-seal, and which bits of concrete behaviour are normal rather than a defect. We hand you this on the day; it is here so you can find it again in three years.
Questions
Straight answers, before you call.
How do I know if my slab can be overlaid?
It needs to be structurally sound, not actively moving, and not holding moisture from below. Hairline cracks are fine and get treated. Big offsets, heaving or a slab that rocks underfoot mean tear-out. We look at it on the free estimate visit.
How thick is an overlay?
A stampable overlay adds a fraction of an inch — thin enough that door thresholds and pool coping still work, thick enough to take a full-depth stamp.
Will the old cracks come back through?
If the slab moves, a crack can telegraph up eventually. We treat and detail cracks before overlaying and we will point out the ones we are worried about, so you are choosing with your eyes open.
Is it cheaper than replacing?
Almost always, because you are not paying for demolition, haul-off and a full-depth pour. How much cheaper depends on the condition of what is there — the quote will show you both options if a tear-out is worth considering.
Financing
Financing available.
One short application, 30+ lenders competing, a decision in real time. Projects financed up to $200,000 — deposits and progress payments can also be made by card or bank transfer.
Tell us about your project and we'll come out, measure, and hand you an itemized quote — materials, timeline and total. The price on the paper is the price you pay.
Serving Corpus Christi, Rockport, Ingleside, Kingsville and the Coastal Bend.