Instructions for Stamped Concrete

Decide on the location, size and shape of the concrete surface. Make a basic sketch of your yard and experiment with curved and rectangular shapes. Outline the space with ropes and trace them with landscape paint.

Unearth 7 inches of grass and dirt from the area within the paint with a shovel. Dig until the dirt bottom is flat, and then tamp it with a tamper tool.

Fill the site with ¾ inch aggregate and tamp it down until you have a 4-inch layer and the rock surface feels firm under your feet. The aggregate forms a solid base to support the concrete, while also allowing water to drain through.

Set 2-by-4 inch boards against the inside walls of the site. Screw the boards together at each end with a drill and screws. Brace the frame by pounding wooden stakes into the ground behind the boards with a hammer.

Sprinkle a mold-releasing agent on the concrete stamps.

Mix pre-made concrete mix in a wheelbarrow with the recommended amount of water. Stir until the consistency is thick like toothpaste.

Tilt the wheelbarrow and pour the concrete onto the site from one side to the other. Have a helper spread it evenly with a gauge rake. Smooth the surface by dragging a clean straight-edge across or use a flat trowel. Wait about 15 minutes for water to seep to the top, and then reabsorb into the concrete. Once completely reabsorbed, go over the surface with a bull float.

Sprinkle the mold releasing agent over the concrete. Set the first stamp over the first area poured and press it into the concrete applying equal pressure to the whole surface of the stamp. Align the second stamp with the first and press that it.

Continue setting the stamps with equal pressure. Remove the stamps in the order they are pressed by lifting them straight up, and leapfrog the stamps until the surface is finished.

Drape moist canvas or burlap over the concrete to dry it slowly for four days. Keep the material continuously wet. Hose off any remaining mold release agent.