Decorative Stamped Concrete in Atlanta

Colored pavements or stamped concrete are often used for parks, driveways in private estates and for streets in towns or residential districts which desire “something different”.

Galveston, Texas, has two very pleasing colored concrete streets. Red iron oxide was used as the coloring material. Other cities have used black pigments in concrete pavements to match the surfaces on adjacent streets, or because a dark color was desired. Colored walks are common in many parks, in front of public buildings and in private grounds.

Investigations made by the Research Laboratory of the Portland Cement Association confirm previously held ideas that organic coloring materials are detrimental to the strength of concrete. Most mineral pigments, on the other hand, have no detrimental effect when used in amounts up to 10 percent of the cement by weight. The following pigments are suitable from the stand-point of permanence of color and effect on the strength of the concrete.

Buff, Yellow, Red – Iron oxide pigments.

Green – chromium oxide

Blue – ultramarine blue (Not entirely satisfactory.)

Brown – iron oxide or iron and manganese oxides

Black – black iron oxide or emulsified carbon black

Less pigment is required for dark than for lighter colors.

You can choose several patterns for stamped concrete projects. There are a few examples below.