Plain gray patio or driveway looking tired? We pour stamped, colored concrete on a packed base, with color matched to how you use it.
Decorative concrete in Lake Charles usually means stamped concrete, which is poured concrete that's colored, pressed with rubber mats while it's still soft and then sealed, so a patio, walk or driveway looks like stone, brick, wood or tile.
Most calls start with a gray slab that's faded, chipped or cracked, or with bare dirt where you want a new concrete patio that looks like more than concrete. The price moves with the size of the area, the pattern and color method, whether old concrete has to be broken out and hauled off, and how much digging and packing the ground needs. The schedule turns on that same base work and on how much the crew can stamp before the concrete sets, so a big area may go in as more than one pour. I come out, measure and write up what's included, so you can see the whole job on paper before you decide.
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, so the person who measured your slab is the one answering your questions. Our own crew does the work, and I'm there while it's going on, from breaking out the old concrete to sealing the new.
I started this business in 2021 to work on houses people already live in, with a fence, a flower bed and a family walking past the forms. We settle who hauls the old pieces and where you'll park before we start, and we clean up so the only change is the new concrete.
We're licensed and fully insured, and that holds from the first day of breaking out old concrete to the last coat of sealer. When you're ready to talk about your slab, call (337) 549-5674 or send the form on this page.
Send the rough size of the area, whether it's a patio, walk or driveway, and a few photos of any concrete that's there now, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out, measure and write up what's included in a free on-site estimate, and there's no pressure to book.
Who issues the permit depends on where your house sits. The Lake Charles Permit Center handles development permits in the city and can tell you the zoning and land use rules for your lot, and Calcasieu Parish requires a permit before any construction or remodeling project. Before work starts we check with the office that covers your address, and when a permit's needed we handle the paperwork or walk you through it.
The parish also strongly recommends soil testing by a geotechnical engineer and a foundation designed by an engineer or architect, because of how south Louisiana soils affect settlement. That advice is written for house foundations, not patios, but it's one more reason we dig out and pack the base under a stamped slab instead of raking the dirt level. Most of our calls come from homeowners in Lake Charles, and we do the same work in Sulphur, Moss Bluff, Prien, Jennings and over the line in Orange, TX. If your city isn't listed on the site, ask us.
Stamped concrete in Lake Charles usually costs about $12 to $25 per square foot, which is what the work typically runs in the area, not a quote from us. A simple pattern in one color on open ground sits toward the low end, while detailed patterns, extra colors and tearing out an old slab push it up. Your own figure comes from the estimate after I measure.
One installation guide recommends resealing every 2 to 3 years, in two thin, even coats. Going heavy doesn't buy you more time, because a thick coat can bubble, turn white and make the slab slick when it's wet. Plan on light, regular sealing, and we'll go over it with you when we finish.
Concrete usually cracks somewhere as it shrinks and the ground moves, so the goal is to keep cracks small and in places you chose. Bad cracks mostly trace back to a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or to control joints cut late or skipped. One guide puts the joints in the pattern's grout lines so they blend in, and when you compare bids it's fair to ask each crew how they build the base and where they'll cut.
Yes, if the slab underneath is sound. An overlay is a thin cement topping bonded over the old concrete to renew a worn surface or add a decorative finish. It only works when the slab is structurally sound and the topping can bond to it, so a slab that's sinking or badly cracked usually needs replacing, and I'll tell you which yours is when I look at it.
In Louisiana, a home improvement project valued over $7,500 and up to $50,000 has to be bid or done by a registered home improvement contractor or a licensed contractor. Residential projects of $50,000 or more, or any job that needs structural work, have to be bid and done by a licensed Residential Building Contractor.
You'll stay off it until it has cured, and a driveway needs a longer wait before a car goes on it than a patio needs before you walk on it. The pour itself is planned so the crew can place, color and stamp the concrete before it sets, and on a hot day that means smaller pours and more hands. Before we pour, I'll tell you how long to stay off it and where to park in the meantime.
