Decorative concrete in McAllen TX - color and texture on a new pour or your old slab
Plain gray concrete that looks tired or bare? We add color and texture, then seal it, so it looks right and wears well.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What can decorative concrete do for a patio or driveway in McAllen?
Decorative concrete in McAllen is concrete finished with color, texture or polish, so your patio, driveway or floor looks the way you want and still does its everyday job, whether we pour it new or lay a finish over the slab you already have.
Most people who call have a slab that works fine and looks plain, or they're about to pour a new patio and want more than gray. The price mostly turns on whether we're pouring new or working over existing concrete, how big the area is, how many colors and patterns you want, how much prep an old slab needs and which sealer you pick. The schedule turns on the weather, the cure, which is the wait while the concrete hardens before you use it, and the city's inspections if the work touches a driveway or sidewalk. Your written estimate lays out the work for your slab, sealing included.
How do you know your concrete is ready for a decorative finish?
Plain gray slab, nothing more
You've got a patio or walk that's sound but bare, and it's the first thing people see when they step outside. If the slab checks out as solid, color or texture can change how the whole yard looks without tearing it out, and waiting only means living with plain gray longer.
Color looking washed out
Colored or stained concrete that looks faded or patchy usually means the sealer on top has worn thin. Left alone, the color underneath starts taking the sun, the foot traffic and the stains, and that's harder to bring back than a fresh coat of sealer.
Stains and chips on top
Oil spots, rust marks and small chips across the surface usually come from a slab that was never sealed or wasn't finished well. The longer they sit, the more cleaning and prep it takes before a decorative finish will bond to it.
Cracks that keep growing
Cracks that widen or a slab that's sinking usually mean trouble in the ground underneath, and a decorative finish won't hide that for long. That's when I look at the base first, and sometimes a new pour is the honest answer.
How we do decorative concrete, new pours and existing slabs
The first thing I ask is whether we're pouring new or dressing up concrete you already have, because that decides the whole job. On an existing slab, I check that it's sound, then we clean and prep it and lay a decorative overlay, a cement-based mix placed over the old concrete, with your color and texture worked in. On a new pour, we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, set forms and rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it cracks, check that water will run away from the house, and put the color and pattern in while the concrete is still soft. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, then let it cure and seal it. Sealing is in every decorative quote we write because the job isn't done without it, and I'll talk you through how the sealer you pick feels underfoot, since some sealers give you less grip on a wet patio than others. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you choose a simpler pattern than skimp on the base, because nobody sees the base on the first day, but it's what keeps the pattern from cracking and sinking later.
Decorative work often sits next to other concrete. If your patio steps down a slope, concrete retaining walls can hold the ground back and carry the same finish, and if you want color or polish indoors, it starts with concrete floor installation done flat and sound.
New decorative pour
Suits you if the old slab is cracked, sinking or not there yet, because the color and pattern go in during the pour and the base gets built right underneath. It's usually the bigger job, and the one that gives you the most say over the finish.
Overlay on existing concrete
Suits a slab that's already in place and still solid, since the overlay goes on top instead of replacing it. Whether yours qualifies is something I check on site before I'll quote it.
Resealing a decorative slab
Suits concrete that already has the look you want but has gone dull or patchy. We clean it and put down a fresh coat of sealer, which is ordinary upkeep for any decorative finish.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
We get back to you within one business day to set a time, and I come out to look at the slab myself. The estimate is free, written up for your job, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- McAllen, TX 78501
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in McAllen?
From your first call to the final walk-through, here's how a decorative job runs with us and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (956) 331-0213 or use the form, and we set a time for me to come see the job. At this point I mostly need to know where the slab is and what you're picturing.
I measure and ask questions
I come out, take my own measurements and ask a lot of questions about the slab, the drainage and the look you want. You get a written estimate that covers the work and the sealing, so the sealer never turns up as an add-on later.
We line up inspections and pour
If the job needs city paperwork or inspections, we help line them up, and for Right-of-Way work the city wants pre-pour and final inspections requested 24 hours ahead, so we book that before we set the pour date. Then our crew does the work with me on site.
Walk the finished job together
Once the concrete has cured and the sealer is down, I walk it with you and go over how to care for the finish. That's the time to ask anything you've saved up.
Why McAllen homeowners call Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction for decorative work
The person who quotes is there
I'm the one who comes out to look at your job, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done. You won't be explaining your slab to someone new halfway through.
Learned on McAllen crews, since 2017
I learned concrete on a crew here in McAllen, pouring flatwork, the slabs you walk and drive on, and foundations, before starting this business in 2017. Nine years in, we're the ones people call for odd slopes, tight entrances and old slabs nobody can explain.
Licensed and insured on your property
We're licensed and insured. That matters when a crew, forms and a concrete truck are working in your yard.
Straight answers before the pour
If I can't tell yet whether your slab will take an overlay, I'll say so and check before I quote it. I'd rather tell you what I don't know than guess and have you find out later.
On decorative work the finish gets the attention, but the ground under it and the cure decide how long it looks right. When you're ready, send us the details or call (956) 331-0213.
Decorative concrete, driveways and sidewalks in McAllen
Whether a decorative job needs a permit depends on what it touches. McAllen's Building Permits and Inspections Department issues permits to build or modify buildings, and its list of work that needs no permit names finish work and cosmetic work, not decorative concrete, so that list doesn't settle it for your slab. The city does require a Right-of-Way permit to build or repair a driveway, concrete slab or sidewalk, and for any work in the right-of-way, the public strip along the street, so the work meets the city's standards. If you're not sure where your job falls, we'll check with the city office that covers your address and plan the pour around whatever it needs.
Heat is the other thing we plan around. This area's climate is subtropical, and hot weather makes fresh concrete harden and dry faster, which causes trouble with placing and curing it and with how well it holds up, so we pour early in the day and keep the surface from drying out while it cures. We plan the same way on jobs in Edinburg and Mission.
Questions about decorative concrete in McAllen
What decorative concrete finishes can I choose in McAllen?
You can choose color, texture or both, and a project can combine them. Color can be mixed into the concrete itself, worked into the surface with a color hardener, or added with chemical stains, pigments or dyes, and texture can come from surface texturing, joint patterns, exposed aggregate, which shows the stones in the mix, embossing or polishing. I'll go over which ones suit your patio, walk or floor when I come out.
Can I put a decorative finish on my existing concrete patio?
Yes, that's what a decorative overlay is for, a cement-based mix laid over the concrete you already have. Whether your slab suits one is something I check at the estimate visit, and I'll tell you plainly if a new pour makes more sense.
How long does sealer last on decorative concrete?
There's no set number, because sealer is a sacrificial coat, a top layer meant to wear so the concrete under it doesn't, and it needs reapplying over time. How soon depends on sun and weather, indoor or outdoor use, where the slab is and how much traffic it gets, so plan on resealing as regular upkeep.
Do I need a city permit for a decorative driveway or sidewalk in McAllen?
Yes, the city requires a Right-of-Way permit to build or repair a driveway, concrete slab or sidewalk, as covered above. For other decorative work, we'll check with the city office that covers your address before we plan the pour.
How much does decorative concrete cost in McAllen?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the slab, because the cost turns on a new pour versus an overlay, the size, the colors and patterns, the prep and the sealer you pick. Your written estimate prices your job with the sealing included, so you can compare choices before you decide.
What causes decorative concrete to crack?
Most cracks come from a base that settles under the slab, or from control joints that were cut late or skipped, so the concrete cracks wherever it wants. We pack the base and cut the joints on time, and on patterned work I place the joints where they'll blend in. Concrete can still crack, but it's far more likely to do it where we planned.
Related services for decorative concrete projects
Concrete retaining walls
A sloped yard can push soil onto a new patio, and a retaining wall holds that ground back and can carry the same finish as your decorative slab.
Concrete floor installation
Stained or polished color indoors only looks right on a floor poured flat and sound, so a new interior slab is often where a decorative floor starts.
Service areas for decorative concrete around McAllen
Craftsman McAllen Concrete Construction is based in McAllen, Texas, and we work in McAllen and the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, including Pharr and Weslaco.
Book a look at your decorative concrete
If you know whether it's a new pour or an existing slab, and whether it touches your driveway or sidewalk, I can come out ready with the right questions.