Design Ideas for Faux Stone Concrete Patios

Medusa of ancient Greek mythology was said to have eyes that could turn anything into stone. Today, it’s possible for contractors to cast a similar spell, transforming ordinary concrete patios into natural stone of all types, using techniques such as hand carving, stamps, and texturing skins.

Using concrete as a replacement for a traditional stone patio is not only cost effective, it also eliminates some of stone’s inherent drawbacks. Laying a stone patio can be a labor-intensive process, since each piece must be placed individually. With concrete, the entire patio can be poured in one step and then stamped or scored with a stone-like pattern. Not only is installation simpler, concrete patios are also easier to maintain than natural stone, since you don’t have to worry about weeds sprouting up between joints or about pieces becoming loose or cracked.

• Concrete patios that mimic stone or slate can be poured new, or you can resurface an existing concrete slab with a stampable overlay. Many manufacturers have made stamps that perfectly replicate slate, flagstone, cobblestone, and more.
• Because of its versatility, nearly all types of stone patios can be recreated using concrete. Slate and flagstone are the most popular concrete patio patterns, but other attractive options include travertine, random-cut fieldstone and European cobblestone. Or you can simply replicate the texture of stone using special texturing skins that have indistinct pattern lines.
• To reproduce the natural color variations of stone, you can choose from a wide variety of coloring options including stains, dry-shake color hardeners, antiquing agents, and integral colors. Often using a combination of colors or coloring methods will produce the most realistic results.

Explore more stone-look options:

• Slate stamped concrete
• Flagstone stamped concrete
• Seamless stamped concrete