DIY: Stamp Concrete

You don't have to settle for a plain slab if you plan to pour a concrete surface. Stamping concrete adds a few extra steps to the pouring process, but the dramatic results offer a textured, patterned floor impressed with the look of natural stones, bricks and other styles. Ask a few people to help pour and level the concrete if you want to stamp it yourself. Once the concrete is poured, work fast and methodically for best results.

Mold release agent
Cloth
Gauge rake
Straight-edge
Bull float or long-handled squeegee
Concrete stamps
Mallet
Burlap
Sealant

Instructions

- 1
  Coat the stamps with mold release agent and wipe off excess with a cloth. Too much release agent can form pits in the concrete.
- 2
  Pour the concrete inside of form boards over a tamped aggregate foundation. Use a gauge rake to spread and work out air bubbles.
- 3
  Have two people push opposite ends of a long straight-edge across the top to level and scrape away excess.
- 4
  Run a bull float or long-handled squeegee over the surface to make it smooth. Stop manipulating the concrete once water appears on the surface. Wait for the mixture to reabsorb the water.
- 5
  Press the first area poured with your finger about 15 minutes after the pour. You know it's ready to be stamped when the concrete is firm enough to show an imprint.
- 6
  Lay the first stamp in the first section poured and tap it with a mallet to press it evenly. Align the next stamp with the first and press it in with the same amount of pressure.
- 7
  Lift the first stamp straight up once you've pressed all of the stamps you have. Leapfrog the first stamp to the next section, aligning the joints and using equal pressure.
- 8
  Cover the stamped surface with moist burlap and add water to the material for one week to cure the stamped surface slowly. Apply deep penetrating sealant once it is completely dry.

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