How to Self-Install a Stamped Concrete Patio

By using concrete stamps, a slab patio can be made to look like bricks or cobblestones.

Creating a stamped concrete patio is a great way to give your backyard area more dimension and personality. Concrete stamps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and look like large cookie cutters. Once you have installed your concrete patio, you can press these stamps into the cement to create forms. Some of the stamps can make your concrete patio look a series of brick pavers or cobblestones. Whatever stamps you choose, you will start your patio construction like any other concrete slab project.

Things You'll Need

• Concrete stamps
• Tape measure
• Twine
• Wood stakes
• Shovel
• Two-by-fours
• Drill
• Gravel
• Power tamper (optional)
• 2-inch thick bricks
• Metal screen
• Cement mix
• Trowel
• Burlap sheet
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Measure out the dimensions for the patio with a tape measure. At each corner of the proposed patio, drive a wooden stake in the ground. Create the border for the patio by tying each of the stakes together with twine. You will work exclusively within this bordered area.

2. Remove all of the dirt and topsoil inside the bordered area, using a shovel to remove approximately 6 inches of dirt.

3. Add a framework of two-by-fours inside the excavated area. Lay the lumber along the inside wall of the hole. This framework will allow the concrete slab to take shape. To keep the framework in place, add a wood stake between the wall of the hole and the two-by-four. Use a drill and screw the wood stake into the two-by-fours. Do this every 2 feet.

4. Pour 2 inches of gravel over the bottom of the hole. Make sure the gravel is level and tightly packed, using a shovel to tamp down the gravel. Consider using a power tamper if you are creating a large patio.

5. Place several 2-inch-thick bricks on top of the tamped gravel. Add some bricks along the sides of the space and a few in the middle. Place a metal screen on top of these bricks. This screen will help to reinforce the concrete once it is poured and dries.

6. Pour the cement over the metal screen and the gravel. Keep pouring until the screen is completely covered.

7. Drag a two-by-four over the surface to even out the wet concrete. Smooth out the surface with a trowel. Allow the concrete to dry slightly.

8. Place the concrete stamp in the middle of the concrete slab. Press the stamp into the concrete until it is about 1 inch deep. Pull the stamp up and place it directly to the left or right of the stamp. Keep pressing the stamp into the concrete and moving out toward the end of the patio.

9. Cover the concrete slab with a burlap sheet. Keep the sheet on top of the concrete for the next five to seven days. Over the next week, lightly mist the top of the burlap sheet with water from a garden hose. This will allow the concrete slab to cure and dry properly.

Tips & Warnings

• Concrete stamps are available at most home and hardware stores. However, they can be expensive. If the price is prohibitive, some construction supply stores will rent concrete stamps.

References

• "The Black and Decker Complete Outdoor Builder;" Creative Publishing; 2006
• "Start-To-Finish Patios;" Larry Erickson; 2004
• "Walks, Walls & Patios;" Editors of Creative Homeowner; 2004

Resources

• Cadillac Concrete Products: Concrete Stamps