New decorative concrete pours are going to be the easier and quickest way to get the desirable decorative concrete results.  Installing standard colorless slab concrete is very similar to installing decorative concrete.  The preparation and the pouring process is exactly the same.  The difference come when it's time to finish the concrete.  When installing decorative concrete the finishing process is even more important that standard slabs.  You must make sure the material is properly worked to ensure the cement paste is brought to the surface so a well defined imprint can be established on the face.   If you're wanting color added to your concrete, you'll want to complete that before your begin stamping.  You'll need to finish and color quickly because the window of time that you need to begin stamping is pretty short, especially in warm weather.  Once your color is added, you can begin using the stamps to imprint the pattern onto the drying concrete.  Once you've stamped the concrete you want to create control joint, just like with standard concrete.  Lastly, the most important step is to seal the stamped and colored concrete.  If the concrete is not sealed or not sealed properly all your work can be for nothing and the concrete will possibly begin to crack and discolor over time.

Decorative concrete overlays are another option that we have available for most clients.  If you already have a concrete slab and you want to spruce it up, we can install a decorative concrete overlay.  When installing a decorative concrete overlay, it's important to prep the existing concrete properly by cleaning it and profiling it.  Once the existing concrete is prepped you can begin to pour the overlay mix, which is typically a quarter inch to three-quarter inch thick depending on the stamp you'll be using.  Once the concrete mix is poured you finish it, color it, and stamp, and seal it just like you would on a new pour job.  This can be a cheaper alternative to tearing up your existing concrete.