How much does it cost to lay a stamped concrete patio?

If you have a patio in your yard, and you want a way to create the look of brick or stone pavers without the cost, stamped concrete is a great option. Stamped concrete patios are made from a base layer of concrete that is pressed with stamps and layered with colors and textures to give it the look of different materials, including stone, brick, and even wood. Stamped concrete can be very simple or highly elaborate and decorative, depending on the type, color, and pattern you decide on. For this reason, there can be a wide range of associated costs with this project.

The average cost to install a stamped concrete patio ranges from $2,400 to $5,600, with the average homeowner spending around $3,073 for a 200 sq.ft. octagon-stamped concrete patio.

Stamped Concrete Patio Cost

Stamped Concrete Patio Cost Per Square Foot

Stamped concrete patios can have a range of costs per square foot, depending mostly on the complexity of the pattern. The most common average range of costs for designs is between $12 and $18 per square foot.

Average Cost of Stamped Concrete Patio by Design

The design of your patio and its complexity will be one of the biggest determining factors of the final cost. Stamped concrete can be very simple or highly complex; the more time and labor that is required to create the pattern and design, the higher the cost of the finished patio.

Basic Stamped Concrete Designs

Basic stamped concrete designs are generally one color, with a simple repeating pattern. Nearly any pattern could be used, provided that it doesn’t require a lot of hand-edging around the borders to help complete the pattern. Therefore, square patios and patterns that can be created using a square or rectangular mat tend to be the least expensive. This includes cobble, brick running bond, and some slate and limestone patterns. The average cost for a basic design ranges from $8-$12 per square foot.

Mid-range Stamped Concrete Designs

A mid-range design can give more interest to your patio. It can include two patterns or a pattern with a separate border, as well as two or more colors. This creates a more dynamic patio with more depth to it. Patterns include slate and limestone Ashlar patterns, European fan patterns, wood, and random stone. It’s common to use a minimum of two colors with these designs, so the finished pattern has subtle variation between the pieces. This has a cost between $12 and $18 per square foot.

High End/complex Stamped Concrete Designs

High-end designs are much more complex, often containing multiple colors and textures, as well as different patterns. An example would be to use a random stone pattern, but to add a second stamp over the first to give it more texture, then to hand color the “stones” to control for better variation in color and depth in the design. The patio may have a border in a contrasting pattern or color, also with added texture and detail. It may also have medallions, and additional stamped designs such as small animals pressed into random sections. These patios have costs ranging from $18-$30 per square foot on average.

Stamped Concrete Patterns Cost

There are many different patterns with which you can build your stamped concrete patio. Many can encompass a wide range of costs, depending on how detailed you want the design to get. A cobblestone design, for example, might cost $8 per square foot for a single color with no border, but if you layer in another color to give it depth, the cost will climb to $12 per square foot. If you add in a border, the same pattern will now cost even more, so the pattern you choose will have the lowest impact on your cost; what you do with the pattern and how you use it will be more of a factor.

Cost to Install a Stamped Concrete Patio

Labor makes up the bulk of the cost of installing a stamped concrete patio. While there are some costs for material, including the concrete, pigments, and sealers, the work is fairly labor intensive. The more colors and details that are added, the more hours the work will take, and the higher the labor costs will be.

To create a stamped concrete patio, the concrete is mixed and usually tinted the base color. It’s poured in a slab 4-6 inches thick in the desired area. If you are using a second color, this is then scattered on the wet concrete and a mold is used to create the pattern. For the edging, this is usually done by hand to keep the pattern going. After the concrete has time to set, expansion joints are cut into the concrete at specific areas, and most of the release color is pressure washed away. For mid-range patterns, the patio is then sealed. For complex patterns, additional colors and textures may be added while the concrete is wet and after it’s cured before sealing to give it the desired look.

It’s common for the labor portion of the job to be anywhere from $6 to $25 a square foot, depending on the complexity of the pattern. For a 200 sq.ft. mid-range pattern, you can expect to pay around $2,800 in labor out of the $3,600 total.

Imprinted Concrete Patio Cost Factors

There are many things that can impact the cost of your patio. The first is size; since most stamped concrete patios are priced by the square foot, the larger the patio the higher the costs will be. In addition, the more colors and details you add to your patio, the higher your final costs.

Stamped concrete can be done over an existing concrete patio or can be laid on bare earth that has been graded. If you need significant landscaping first or if you need an older patio removed, then this can increase the costs of your project as well.

Pavers vs. Stamped Concrete Patio

Stamped concrete can give you the look of many different materials including stone pavers. Pavers are individual stones or pieces of brick that are laid beside one another to form a patio or driveway. They come in many colors and can be laid in many patterns, although you are more limited in color and style than with concrete, which can take on the look of wood as well as stone tiles.

Pavers can be slightly more expensive than a basic stamped concrete patio, with starting costs just under $11 per square foot and going to roughly $15 per square foot on average, so they can cost less than more complex stamped concrete designs, making them on par with mid-range stamped concrete—more expensive than some basic designs, but less expensive than the most complex.

The benefits of pavers include authenticity—you’re using actual pieces of stone or brick rather than attempting to recreate them. This gives you natural variation that can be expensive and difficult to create with concrete. They also don’t crack the way that concrete can.

The downside, though, is that pavers can loosen and shift with time. They can also be more difficult to care for and clean long-term.

Cost to Pour a Concrete Patio Slab

The first step to creating a stamped concrete patio is to pour a concrete slab. This has a cost of $90-$100 per cubic yard poured, or around $410 for a 200 sq.ft. slab that is 4-inches thick. This is incorporated into the cost of the total project, along with the added cost of the various pigments used.

How Much Is a Yard of Concrete?

Concrete costs $90-$100 per cubic yard. The amount that this will cover can vary depending on the thickness of the slab; thicker slabs will cover less area than thinner slabs at the same cost.

How Much Does Concrete Edging Cost?

Your patio will need to be edged by hand, because the molds that are used don’t bend, fold, or otherwise allow themselves to be used in any way other than completely flat. This means that the molds will be used as close as they can get to the edge, but then your installer will need to continue edging the concrete by hand. This cost can vary a lot depending on the pattern, the shape of the patio, and whether there is a border. Edging is usually priced separately from the rest of the patio, at a cost of around $6 per linear foot on average.

Pros and Cons

Like any materials, stamped concrete definitely has its pros and cons. Stamped concrete is endlessly versatile, coming in a wide range of colors, textures, patterns, and designs. You can create really unique and one-of-a-kind patios this way, or get a simple and timeless look.

Concrete is easy to care for. No weeds poke through, there is no grout or mortar, and it doesn’t loosen or need to be reset over time. When it’s well sealed, it also doesn’t stain.

Concrete can crack, however, no matter how well maintained it is. When these cracks occur, they can get bigger with time, particularly in freeze/thaw climates. This material can also be expensive for more complex designs that could be recreated for less using different materials.

Maintenance

Maintenance for stamped concrete is fairly easy. It can be swept, blown, or rinsed with a hose to remove most debris. It’s important to clean it regularly to help impede staining, and to reseal periodically to help keep the finish looking good. Sealing is a simple process that can be completed by the homeowner; a bottle of sealant costs roughly $30-$50. If necessary, you can use a power washer to remove stains, but keep in mind that doing this too much could result in fading the color.

Enhancement and Improvement Costs

Stained Concrete Patio

If you don’t want to have your patio stamped, you can get it stained. This has a lower cost of around $600-$800 for 200 sq.ft., depending on the color or colors and styles used.

Stamped Concrete Driveways

Stamped concrete is also a great material for use in driveways. Driveways are larger than patios, and may require more grading or a thicker pour. They have an average cost of around $8,000 for stamped concrete.

Colored Stamped Concrete Patio

All stamped concrete patios are given at least one color. However, hand coloring can also be done to give the patio more depth and a better appearance. This has costs starting at $18 per square foot.

Steps

Stamped concrete can be used anywhere, including on walls and steps. The cost range is slightly higher for these areas, with average costs working out to $20-$40 per square foot, depending on the design and colors used.

Fire Pit 

Stamped concrete can also be used to create a fire pit of the same color and material, so you can have a more cohesive looking patio. Adding a fire pit to your patio project will increase costs by around $1,000, so a 200 sq.ft. patio with a mid-range design and fire pit will cost around $4,600.

Additional Considerations and Costs

• Make sure you clean your stamped concrete patio regularly to help prevent stains.
• This project should be done by professionals, and is not recommended for DIY due to the nature of the concrete.
• Always get at least three estimates when hiring a landscaper for this project. Compare costs, ask to see their portfolio, and find someone who is genuinely interested in the project.
• You can save money on this project by mixing sections of stamped concrete with plain concrete, such as using a stamped border around the perimeter of a slab patio.
• Some stamped concrete patios can be slippery when wet. These are not recommended for use in very rainy climates.