Decorative Concrete in Metro Detroit
Stamped patterns, exposed aggregate, colored borders and finished flatwork — poured by a family crew that's been doing decorative work since 1989.
Decorative Concrete Across Metro Detroit
Decorative concrete is any finish that goes beyond a plain broom surface — a stamped pattern, an exposed stone texture, an integral color, or a contrasting border framing the whole pour. It's the same structural slab underneath, built on the same compacted base with the same reinforcement. What changes is how it's finished, and that's what people actually see from the street.
We pour every decorative finish in-house rather than subbing the pretty part out to someone else. The crew that preps your base is the crew that stamps it, and the same one-year workmanship warranty covers the decorative work as covers the slab.
Most of the projects we take on aren't one finish — they're a combination. A broom-finish driveway with a stamped border. An exposed aggregate patio with a charcoal band around the edge. Mixing finishes is usually how you get a high-end look without pricing the whole pour at the premium rate.
Four Ways to Finish a Slab
Stamped Concrete
Patterns pressed into the fresh pour — ashlar slate, seamless stone, brick and wood plank. The most dramatic finish, and the most expensive per square foot.
Exposed Aggregate
The surface paste is washed back to reveal the natural stone in the mix. Slip-resistant, low-glare, and it hides wear better than any other finish.
Decorative Borders
A contrasting band — stamped, aggregate or a darker broom — framing a standard field. The most cost-effective way to make a plain driveway look finished.
Color & Tinting
Integral color and tinted sealers that shift the tone of the slab. How we do it depends on the finish, which is worth understanding before you pick a shade.
Where Decorative Concrete Earns Its Money
Decorative work pays off where people spend time and where the surface is visible from the house or the street. It's less worth the premium on a side walkway nobody looks at.
- Patios and pool decks — the most common decorative project we pour, and the one where the finish matters most because you're looking at it from the back door every day.
- Driveways — usually a broom field with a stamped or aggregate border, which gives you curb appeal without pricing the entire surface as decorative.
- Front walkways, porches and steps — small square footage, high visibility. This is where a decorative finish gives you the biggest visual return per dollar.
- Inlays and accent bands — a stone or contrasting inlay set into a larger pour, used to break up a big flat expanse.
How Color Actually Works
This is the part most homeowners get surprised by, so it's worth saying plainly: color is applied differently depending on which finish you choose.
On stamped concrete, color goes in during the pour and finishing process, and the release used to keep the stamps from sticking leaves its own secondary tone in the low spots. That's what gives stamped work its depth rather than a flat painted look.
On exposed aggregate, we tint exclusively by mixing tint into the sealer — not by coloring the concrete itself. The reason is that the whole point of an aggregate finish is the natural stone showing through, and dyeing the slab fights that. Tinting the sealer shifts the overall tone while the stone still reads as stone.
One honest warning about picking a color from a screen: every phone and monitor renders these shades differently, and the finished result also depends on the cement, the release tone and the sealer, which deepens everything. Treat any color chart as a starting point, and ask to see a finished job in person before you commit.
Projects We've Done
Decorative Concrete FAQs
What counts as decorative concrete?
Decorative concrete is any finish beyond a plain broom surface. That includes stamped patterns, exposed aggregate, colored or tinted surfaces, and contrasting borders. We pour all of them, and most projects combine two — a stamped border around a broom field, for example, or an aggregate driveway with a charcoal border.
Is decorative concrete more expensive than regular concrete?
Yes. A decorative finish costs more per square foot than a standard broom finish because it takes more material, more labor and more finishing time. Stamped is typically the most expensive, exposed aggregate sits in between, and a broom field with a decorative border is the most affordable way to get a finished look. Our instant estimator prices all of them.
Does decorative concrete hold up to Michigan winters?
Yes, when it's poured on a properly compacted base with correct thickness and control joints — the same things that make any slab last. What decorative work does need is sealing, because the finish and color are what road salt attacks first. See our concrete sealing page, and read why rock salt is so hard on new concrete.
How is color added to decorative concrete?
It depends on the finish. Stamped concrete gets its color during the pour and finishing process. For exposed aggregate, we tint exclusively by mixing tint into the sealer rather than coloring the concrete itself, which lets the natural stone read through while shifting the overall tone.
Do you do decorative concrete in my city?
We pour decorative concrete across Metro Detroit, including Livonia, Garden City, Redford, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Westland, Canton, Novi, Royal Oak, Troy, Farmington Hills and the Grosse Pointes. Estimates are free and we measure on site.
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Decorative Concrete Throughout Metro Detroit
From our home base in Livonia we serve a 30-mile radius across Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw counties, including: