Decorative concrete in Glendale CA - a color you've seen on your slab first
Plain gray concrete that looks tired or doesn't match the house? We add color, stain or texture, then seal it so it holds up.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What can decorative concrete do for a slab in Glendale?
Decorative concrete in Glendale is ordinary concrete given color, stain, texture, exposed stone, a polish or a sealer, so a patio, walk or floor looks like it belongs to the house instead of reading as a plain gray slab.
Most calls start with a slab that works fine but looks plain, worn or blotchy, or with a new patio or walk you'd like to look right from day one. What moves the price is the size of the area, whether we're pouring new or working on the slab you have, the method you pick and how much detail goes into it, since stamped concrete with a busy pattern takes more hands than a single stain color. The schedule turns on curing, the wait while fresh concrete gains strength before we color or seal it, plus the test spot and the time the sealer needs to dry. Your own figure comes in the written estimate, which spells out what's included.
How do you know your concrete is ready for color or a reseal?
Color wearing through
You see pale paths where people walk or chairs drag, and the color looks thin next to the edges. That usually means the sealer's worn off and the surface color is getting scuffed away, and the longer it goes, the more color you'll have to redo instead of just resealing.
Water soaks right in
After a hose-down, the surface turns dark and stays wet instead of beading up. That's a sign the sealer is spent, so spills, leaves and oil can sink in and set before you get to them.
Fine cracks and patchy spots
The slab is still flat but it's crazed with hairline cracks, chipped at the edges or patched in a few different grays, and a slab like that can often be resurfaced. If it's sinking or the cracks keep opening, something underneath is moving, and putting it off lets more water work its way in.
How we handle decorative concrete, start to finish
Before we talk colors, I want to know why the slab looks the way it does, so I look at the ground under it, where the water runs and where the joints are. On a new pour, we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, set the forms so the slab falls away from the house, pour early because midday heat can leave a weak, dusty top, and cut control joints, shallow lines that give the concrete a place to crack where we chose. On an old slab, we clean and prep the surface so color or an overlay will hold. Color and stain take differently on every slab, so I like to try a small test spot before we do the whole area, and we talk about resealing up front, since a patio out in the sun will want it sooner than a floor indoors. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it on the base than on a fancier pattern, because nobody sees the base on day one, but a pretty slab that settles cracks right through the color.
Decorative work often rides along with bigger jobs. When a patio sits against a slope, the concrete retaining walls holding it up are part of the same plan, and when there's no slab yet indoors, concrete floor installation comes first so we have something sound to stain or polish.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
Send the rough size, a few photos of the surface and any color ideas. We respond within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate, and it's obligation-free.
- team@glendaleconcretecompany.com
- Based in
- Glendale, CA 91205
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about decorative concrete?
Here's how a decorative job goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and who's doing what along the way.
Call or send a request
You call (747) 372-8605 or use the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Photos and a rough size help me show up with the right questions.
I look and write it up
I come out, look at the slab, ask how you use it and where the water goes, and talk through colors with you. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We prep, finish and walk it
Once you say go, we take care of any permits, prep the ground or the old surface, then color, finish and seal. At the end I walk the job with you and go over how to care for it.
Why Glendale homeowners call Masterwork Glendale Concrete Company for decorative work
I come out for every estimate
I drive out from here in Glendale myself to look at the job and give the estimate, and our own crew does the work with me running it. That way the person who heard what you want is the one standing over the work.
Running our own jobs since 2020
I started this company in 2020 after years as the right-hand person to another concrete contractor, learning forming and finishing before I ran jobs. Those years taught me to look at what's under a slab before worrying about what goes on top.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. A decorative job is real concrete work under the state's rules, and you shouldn't be the one carrying the risk for a crew working on your property.
On decorative work, the color is only as good as the slab under it, so the first thing I'll do is take a look. Reach us through our contact page or call (747) 372-8605.
Decorative concrete, permits and licensing in Glendale
The City of Glendale takes all of its applications through the city's online permit portal, and I won't assume either way whether your decorative job needs a permit, so I check with the city before we start. When a job needs one, we pull it and line up the inspections as part of the work. Licensing matters here too, because the state's concrete contractor license covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing concrete, and the state only lets someone work without a license on jobs under $1,000 that need no permit, and only when they have no employees. So if someone offers to stain your whole patio without a license, that's worth a second question.
Around Glendale, a lot of our decorative calls are older patios and walks that are still solid but tired, plus indoor floors in rooms that were never meant to be finished. We see the same mix on jobs in Burbank and Arcadia, and I check what's under the old slab before we put any color on it.
Questions about decorative concrete in Glendale
How much does stamped concrete cost near Glendale?
Stamped concrete in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $15 to $30 per square foot, and that's the going rate across the market, not our quote. Where a job lands in that range depends on the size of the project, how complex the design is and what local concrete contractors charge. Our written estimate spells out what's included for your slab.
What is the best way to color concrete so the color doesn't wear off?
If you want color that lasts through surface wear, ask about coloring the whole mix. One maker of integral color says it tints the entire batch, so the color won't wear away when the surface gets scuffed. It has to go in before the pour, so on a slab you already have, we'd look at a stain or an overlay instead.
Which concrete stain colors hold up outdoors?
Outside, acid stains should stay in the rust and brown tones, because one industry expert says green and blue acid stains are for indoor use only, since the copper in them turns black when it meets moisture. The same expert says acid stains only come in rust, browns, blues and greens, while water-based stains offer a wider variety, so a shade outside those tones means a water-based stain. Either way, the test spot shows you how it really takes.
How often does decorative concrete need to be resealed?
As a rule of thumb from a national trade guide, high-traffic and sunny areas should get new sealer every two to three years, while lighter-traffic and indoor areas could last four to five. The same guide says slip resistance has to be handled at the first sealing and at every reseal, with additives mixed into the sealer that add grit, which matters on patios and around pools.
How long does it take before I can walk or park on newly sealed concrete?
At about 70 degrees, sealer is typically dry to the touch in 1 to 2 hours and ready for light foot traffic in 3 to 4 hours, by a national trade guide's numbers. Furniture and parked cars should stay off for a full 24 hours or more, so plan on the car living in the street for a day.
Can decorative concrete go over an old cracked patio?
Often it can, with a decorative overlay, a thin layer of cement-based material bonded to the old slab to dress it up, level it or restore it. It only lasts if the slab underneath is stable, so if your patio is sinking or the cracks keep opening, I'd want to find out why and fix that first, or the new surface will crack in the same places.
Related concrete work for decorative projects
Concrete retaining walls
If your yard steps down, a wall holds the slope and can carry the same color or texture as the patio, so the two read as one space.
See the service Concrete retaining wallsConcrete floor installation
Planning a stained or polished floor in a new room, studio or garage conversion? It starts with a level, well-placed slab, which we pour first.
See the service Concrete floor installation
Decorative concrete service areas around Glendale
Masterwork Glendale Concrete Company is based in Glendale, California, and the 12 cities with their own page here include Pasadena and Altadena. Those aren't the only places we go, so if you're nearby, give us a call and ask.
Glendale, CA
Talk color with us before the pour
If you're planning a new patio or walk, color mixed into the concrete has to be settled before the truck arrives, so it pays to call early.