Colored concrete

If you're having a contractor do it, then they should know how to do it.  There is no reason not to add colour to it at all.  Just throw a can of paint in there, and you're golden. 

Our entire golf course paths were just poured with a clay tint.  Much better than stark white/gray.

They have bottles of dye that the contractor will mix into the concrete mix.  I have done this with one of those forms as well.  The color looked pretty nice but once it dries it's much lighter than it looks when dark.

Your husband is correct about not using those forms/imprints on your front steps.  A neighbor did that on their front porch and the cracks fill with ice and then break off pieces of concrete each year.  They have to try to shovel the top off, then use a broom.  It's a PITA.  On top of that, the wife broke a couple of heels.

We tore up our carpet in the living room and stained the concrete, and we love the way it looks. (and when I say we, I don;t mean that we did it, we had it done)

My front walk, driveway sides, and back patio are all stained and imprinted. I haven't seen any difference in integrity between that and my driveway which is just regular concrete. I also haven't seen any spots where the imprinted stuff has chipped off. I bought the house in March so I can't comment on snow removal, but I would assume that just a shoveling and then some ice melt would probably take care of it. Depending of course on how much snow you get, we don't get dumped on too often here.

It sure does look nice though, really classes the place up.

Yeah, we do get a little snow here.

 

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We were required to replace some sidewalk concrete that had cracked and heaved up. The original sidewalk was poured in 1914 and we didn't want stark white patches either. Unfortunately, we hired an idiot who employed crack heads.  They used (too much of) some powder to darken it. It was disturbingly dark for a year or so but now looks just fine.

If you hire someone who knows what they're doing you'll be fine. We did a better job finding a contractor for the back patio. We hired not-an-idiot with a very experienced crew. The patio is stained and stamped to look like slate. It's freakin' gorgeous and I love it. but we don't get ice. Snow is a weird novelty. When it gets really deep, you know like 2", then the city shuts down.

I loooove the way stained conceret looks - good choice! My neighbors have it, and my parents are getting it in their new sunroom.

We have imprinted stained concrete at work in an outside courtyard, and every time I walk on it I have to be uber careful... it's super uneven and I always feel like I'm about to fall in heels. So another vote against the imprinting. 
 

I am a Landscape Architect and have designed and specified various types of concrete work over the years.

First realize there is a difference between STAIN and INTEGRAL mixtures for concrete. The stain does just what you think it does and goes only a short distance into the concrete and is applied after the concrete has been poured in place. The integral is mixed into the concrete before it is poured.

Davis Colors and Scofield are the two big boys in terms of admixtures and stains. You can find them on the internet to see their color selections.

The short list of good, bad, etc. to consider:

integral - more expensive, but on steps more advisable in case you drop something heavy and chip the concrete the color is still there.

stain - less expensive, opposite of above if chipped - you will see gray concrete. shoveling snow shouldn't be an issue but I don't know about snow blowers and there blades. I have never lived far enough north to use one or to know if they would scrape the surface over time.

colors

 - regular concrete is a pale gray (10% cool gray) for about the first year or so and will turn a dull 40% cool gray color in a short period of time. to get a WHITE concrete requires the use of silica sand - VERY EXPENSIVE

- dark colors (black, dk red, etc.) are more prone to fading over time.

- lighter beige colors tend to make the concrete look "dirty" in time.

- if not doing a STAMPED PATTERN, I would avoid the terra cota or brick red colors. I always find it just looks odd. a solid mass of concrete in the color of tile or brick just looks wrong. I have been accused of being a snob in this regards but I feel if you want the look of brick or tile ... well do brick or tile. When I use these colors, it is because they are on concrete surfaces that have vehicles traveling over them and the tile and brick can't take the weight of autos.

- I would recommend using the mid range earth tone colors (something that matches on the house maybe?) and also see if the contractor could do a slightly different pattern with the control/ score and expansion joints to dress up the steps and walkway (I have no idea what the entrance looks like or how wide the walk/ steps are so I couldn't begin to tell you the number of options you have). I would also get them to WINDOW PANE (they smooth trowel the edges and joints and leave a slightly rougher surface in the middle) the concrete; this will really dress the sidewalk up. I feel that if your paying for the color you obviously don't want the standard look.

that's about enough to make you dangerous. if you have any additional questions, just ask.



Edited by bullyboy 2010-08-31 12:20 PM

My uncle does this for a living.   Choose your contractor wisely, it DOES make a difference. (yes, even if it's just adding color.)

Our sidewalk in front of the house and to the barn is tinted concrete and we really like it.  It looks better than the bright white.  And it's GREAT in the winter.  After shovelling, it dries right up once the sun hits it.  We didn't have it done; it was already here when we bought the place.