Decorative concrete in Yakima WA - a finish that holds up to our winters
Plain gray concrete that's flaking or looks tired? We pour, stain and overlay decorative surfaces built to take Yakima's freeze and thaw.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What is decorative concrete, and is it right for your Yakima home?
Decorative concrete is concrete with color, pattern or texture worked in, and at United Yakima Concrete we do it in Yakima three ways: a decorative finish cast into a new slab, a stain on existing concrete, or an overlay bonded on top.
Most people call us with a plain slab they're tired of looking at, a patio that's started to flake, or a new project where they want more than gray, and sometimes the right answer is new concrete patio construction instead of dressing up the old one. The price moves with the kind of work you pick, the size of the area and whether the old concrete is sound enough to build on or has to come out first. The schedule turns mostly on the weather and on curing, the days a slab needs to gain strength before you use it, plus a permit if the job reaches the street. Your written estimate spells out the mix, the prep and what's included, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
How can you tell your concrete needs attention?
Flaking on the surface
Thin patches peeling off the top usually mean the surface has taken a beating from water freezing in it. Left alone it spreads every winter, and a slab that's only flaking on top is a much easier fix than one that's breaking up.
Faded or patchy color
Color worn through along the walkways, or a slab patched so often it's three shades of gray, is usually cosmetic if the concrete under it is solid. Waiting costs you looks, not strength, as long as no cracks are opening up.
Water pooling by the house
Puddles that sit against the foundation after rain usually mean the slab has settled or was poured falling the wrong way. A stain or overlay won't change the slope, so this one often means a new slab, and every season it waits puts more water against your house.
How we handle decorative concrete
Every decorative job starts with picking the kind, a finish cast into new concrete, a stain or an overlay, and I walk you through each one before you choose. For anything outside, we talk about freeze resistance in the mix and how you plan to clear ice off it, because that decides what we order. Then our crew digs out and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, sets the forms and checks which way water will run so nothing falls toward the house. We pour early in the day when the weather lets us, since a slab that sets up in midday heat can end up with a weak, dusty top, then we finish it and let it cure. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you go simpler on the pattern than cut the base, because the color is what you see on day one but the base is what keeps it flat afterward.
Decorative work often sits right beside other concrete. A colored or textured face on concrete retaining walls can tie a sloped yard to the patio below it, and stains work indoors too, on a basement or shop slab we've laid through concrete floor installation.
Decorative finish cast in place
This suits new patios, walks and driveways, because the color and texture go in with the pour and wear with the slab. It's the most work up front, and the base under it matters as much as the pattern on top.
Concrete stain
This suits a sound slab you like the shape of but not the color. Stain soaks into the surface instead of covering it, so it won't hide cracks or rough patches.
Overlay
This suits a solid slab that's worn or plain when you want new texture without tearing it out. It's a thin new layer bonded on top, so the slab underneath has to be sound and not moving.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
Send it and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look it over and then you get a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
Call (509) 452-5002- Based in
- Yakima, WA 98901
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Yakima?
Here's how a decorative job runs from your first call to the day you can use it, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send us a message
Call (509) 452-5002 or use the form, and we get back to you to set up a visit. A short description of the area and the look you're after is plenty to start.
I measure and look it over
I come out myself, measure, look over the site and ask how you'll use the concrete, because a patio you shovel every week needs a different plan than a covered porch. You get a written estimate with the mix, the prep and what's included spelled out, so you can compare it with other bids line by line.
We prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we sort out the permit side, dig out and pack the base and set the forms. I'm on site for the pour, and the crew finishes the surface while the concrete is still workable.
We clean up and let it cure
We clean up the site, and I tell you when it's ready to walk on and when it can take more weight, because that wait is when the concrete gains its strength. Rushing it is the easiest way to mark a new finish.
Why Yakima homeowners call United Yakima Concrete for decorative work
The owner writes your estimate
I come out myself to measure and write the estimate, and I'm on site for the pours while our crew digs, forms and finishes. The person who told you what the job includes is the one watching it go in.
In business since 2013
I learned concrete on a flatwork crew in the valley and started this business in 2013, so that's 13 years of seeing which decorative finishes hold up and which don't. It's why the mix and the base come up before the color does.
Licensed, insured and easy to check
We're licensed and fully insured. Washington requires construction contractors to register and carry a bond and insurance, and you can check any contractor with the state before you hire, us included.
Straight answers, even when it's no
If a stain won't hide what's wrong with your slab, I'll tell you before you spend a dollar on it. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
On decorative work the choices that matter most get made before the pour, so send us your project details or call (509) 452-5002 and I'll come take a look.
Decorative concrete, street-side work and permits in Yakima
Most decorative work stays on your lot, but a stamped or colored border on a driveway approach, the apron where your driveway meets the street, reaches into the public right-of-way. The City of Yakima requires an excavation permit for any work there, and a permit before the right-of-way is used for any private purpose. Some addresses around here fall under the city and some under Yakima County, so I check which office covers yours and what it asks for on your job. We handle the permit paperwork for our part of the work and tell you plainly where things stand before we set a pour date.
The city rates weathering here as severe, which matches what we see on outdoor slabs that get wet, freeze and thaw over and over each winter. That's why the mix talk from earlier carries more weight than the color chart, and we plan the same way on jobs in Selah and Terrace Heights.
Questions about decorative concrete in Yakima
Call (509) 452-5002A stamped concrete patio in Yakima usually costs about $8 to $16 per square foot. Reinforced concrete runs a little more per square foot than unreinforced, and the pattern, the color and any old slab that has to come out push it up or down. That's the market's usual price, not a quote, so the number that counts is the one on your written estimate.
Yes, inside city limits a new or changed driveway approach is right-of-way work and needs the city's excavation permit, as covered above. The city only issues it to an applicant licensed in Washington to build public improvements who also holds a City of Yakima business license, so ask any contractor you're considering whether they can pull it.
Start with air-entrained concrete, which has air built into the mix so it resists breaking down when it gets soaked and frozen over and over. Concrete with entrained air holds up through far more freezing and thawing than concrete without it, and it also limits flaking from ice-melt chemicals. On outdoor decorative work, it's one of the first things to settle about the mix.
Most often it's surface scaling, where the top layer flakes off, which is the most common kind of frost damage and is associated with de-icing salt. Concerns have also been raised, mostly from road pavement research, that some deicers, especially magnesium chloride and calcium chloride, may harm concrete. That's why we talk through how you'll clear ice before the first winter, not after the finish starts coming up.
Stain or overlay it if the slab is sound, and replace it if it isn't. A flat slab that drains away from the house with only small cracks is a good candidate, but one that's sunk, heaved or broken up will carry those problems right through a new finish. I'll tell you which one yours is when I come out.
Any concrete can crack, so the goal is to control where it happens and keep the slab from moving. We cut control joints, the straight grooves you see in a slab, on time so cracks tend to follow them instead of running across your pattern. The packed base we talked about earlier does the rest.
Related concrete work for your decorative project
Concrete retaining walls
When a yard drops off beside a new patio, a wall holds the slope in place so your decorative slab isn't fighting the ground next to it.
Concrete floor installation
If you want a stained finish indoors, it starts with a new basement or shop floor poured flat and smooth enough for the color to look even.
Service areas for decorative concrete work
United Yakima Concrete is based in Yakima, WA, and works in the cities around it, from Ellensburg down to Grandview and plenty of places in between. The eight cities below have their own pages, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Yakima, WA
Get your decorative concrete estimate started
Call (509) 452-5002 or use the form with the rough size of the area, the kind of work you want and whether it touches your driveway approach, so the visit starts with the right questions.