Concrete Pavement Features Multi-Colored Stamped Arches

Project Challenge

To build a 20,000-square-foot concrete fire lane for the upscale Srour Apartment Complex in Rockville, Md., owned by Archstone, a leading apartment operations company. The job required placing both regular concrete and 12,000 square feet of decorative stamped concrete, all to be completed within a tight 36-day construction schedule. The project also required placing a decorative stamped concrete walkway encircling a water feature in the interior courtyard of the complex.

Design Goals

Surrounding the exterior of the building, the concrete pavement was intended to be the showpiece of the property. To reflect the name of the building owner, the work involved building 5 stamped arches into the fire lane, connected by regular concrete enhanced by decorative sawcuts. The stamped arches required the use of two different colors and stamp patterns to create a spoke pattern.

Secrets to Success

• The moonlight gray concrete for the spokes was stamped with a 12-inch brick soldier course. "In order to stamp a straight soldier course on a radius, we fabricated a rolling device that gave us a rolling stamp. This worked great," says Hryniewicz.
• To achieve an antiquing effect, the bands were finished with a liquid release agent colored with powdered release. A light coat of sealer was applied to "lock in" the color before the next placement.
• After stripping the forms, the crew protected the gray concrete bands with plastic and then placed the fields of palomino-colored concrete. These fields were also finished with liquid release colored with powdered release. Everything was then sealed with a solvent-based acrylic sealer.

Project Challenge

To build a 20,000-square-foot concrete fire lane for the upscale Srour Apartment Complex in Rockville, Md., owned by Archstone, a leading apartment operations company. The job required placing both regular concrete and 12,000 square feet of decorative stamped concrete, all to be completed within a tight 36-day construction schedule. The project also required placing a decorative stamped concrete walkway encircling a water feature in the interior courtyard of the complex.

Design Goals

Surrounding the exterior of the building, the concrete pavement was intended to be the showpiece of the property. To reflect the name of the building owner, the work involved building 5 stamped arches into the fire lane, connected by regular concrete enhanced by decorative sawcuts. The stamped arches required the use of two different colors and stamp patterns to create a spoke pattern.

Secrets to Success

• The moonlight gray concrete for the spokes was stamped with a 12-inch brick soldier course. "In order to stamp a straight soldier course on a radius, we fabricated a rolling device that gave us a rolling stamp. This worked great," says Hryniewicz.
• To achieve an antiquing effect, the bands were finished with a liquid release agent colored with powdered release. A light coat of sealer was applied to "lock in" the color before the next placement.
• After stripping the forms, the crew protected the gray concrete bands with plastic and then placed the fields of palomino-colored concrete. These fields were also finished with liquid release colored with powdered release. Everything was then sealed with a solvent-based acrylic sealer.

Products Used

Custom integral color, LaFarge
Stamps for arched areas: London cobblestone, Stampcrete; brick soldier course, Scofield
Random stone stamp for front walkway, Proline Concrete Tools
Colored release agents, Increte Systems

Special Awards

First place winner of a 2010 Decorative Concrete Award from the Decorative Concrete Council
Category: Cast-in-place stamped concrete, over 1500 square feet

Decorative Concrete Contractor

Gregory Hryniewicz
Hyde Concrete
Annapolis, MD 21402