Decorative concrete in Oxford AL - a colored slab that suits how you use it
Tired of a plain gray slab or a faded patio? We add color and pattern on a base we've checked and packed first.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What is decorative concrete, and what goes into getting it right?
Decorative concrete is a poured slab that's colored, often stamped with rubber mats while it's still soft so it looks like stone, brick, wood or tile, and then sealed. Oxford Concrete does this work on patios, driveways and walks in Oxford, AL, so you get that look in one solid slab.
Most people who call have a plain gray slab they're tired of, or a colored patio that's lost its look, and they want to know what it'll take. The price mostly turns on the size, whether an old slab has to come out, the pattern and color method you pick and how much work the ground needs before we pour. The schedule turns on the tear-out, the weather on pour day and the curing time, the wait while the concrete gains strength before it can take weight. If you already know you want a classic stone or brick pattern, our stamped concrete page goes further, and your estimate will spell out what's in your price and what isn't.
How do you know your patio or driveway needs decorative work?
Color that's faded or blotchy
If an old stamped or colored slab looks washed out or patchy, the sealer has usually worn thin or the color went on unevenly at the pour. Left alone, the bare surface wears faster and gets harder to bring back to an even look.
Sealer gone cloudy or slick
A white haze, bubbles or a surface that turns slippery in the rain usually points to a sealer problem. It tends to peel in patches, and a slick patio by the back door is easy to slip on.
A plain slab with cracks
Maybe you've got a gray patio you'd like to dress up, but it has cracks running through it or a corner that's dropped. That usually means the ground underneath moved, and color laid over it will crack in the same place, so it's worth finding out first whether the slab can be saved.
How we do decorative concrete, starting with the ground
Decorative work is half art and half planning, so I start by asking how the surface gets used and help you pick a color method that suits it, because a driveway takes wear a patio never sees. If there's an old slab, I look it over closely and tell you honestly whether it can take a topping or has to come out. For a new slab, our crew digs out and packs the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, sets the forms so water runs away from your house, and lays rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it does crack. We pour early in the day so the heat doesn't dry the top before we're done, then color and stamp it, cut control joints, planned cuts that give a crack a place to go, and seal it once it has cured. If the budget gets tight, the base is the last thing I'd trim, because nobody sees it after pour day but it's what keeps your pattern from settling with the dirt.
Decorative jobs often sit next to other work. A patio on a slope may need one of our concrete retaining walls to hold the yard back, and a colored or polished floor indoors starts with concrete floor installation done right underneath.
A new stamped slab
This suits a patio, walk or pool area where you want the look of stone, brick or wood without hundreds of separate pieces. We build it from the ground up, so it's the right call when there's no slab yet or the old one has to go.
Color with a broom finish
A broom finish is a light brushed texture that gives your shoes some grip, and with color in the mix it warms up a driveway or walk without a pattern. It suits surfaces that take steady traffic and homeowners who want something simpler to look after.
A topping over your old slab
If your slab is solid but looks tired, a thin decorative topping can change its look without tearing it out. It only makes sense after I've looked the slab over, and I'll tell you plainly if yours isn't a good fit for one.
Get a free estimate for your decorative patio or driveway
We reply within one business day, and the on-site estimate is free, with no pressure and no obligation. It helps to have the rough size, whether it's a patio or driveway, and photos of any old slab ready.
(256) 649-5980- Based in
- Oxford, AL 36203
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about decorative concrete in Oxford?
Here's how a decorative job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call us or send the form
We get back to you to set up a time to see the area. Tell us whether it's a patio, driveway or walk so I know what to look for.
Walk the site with me
I come out, walk the area with you and ask a lot of questions about the ground, the water and how you'll use the surface. Then you get a written estimate that lists what's in it and what isn't, so there's nothing to guess at.
Prep the ground, then pour
If you go ahead, our crew preps the ground and sets the forms, and I'm on site for the pour because color and stamping don't wait. If weather moves the pour day, we'll tell you as soon as we know.
Walk the finished job together
Before we leave, we walk the finished slab with you. We go over when you can use it and how to look after the sealer.
Why Oxford homeowners call Oxford Concrete for decorative work
The owner on every job
I come out to look at every job, and I stay on it with the crew that does the work. The person who asked you all those questions at the estimate is the one standing there on pour day.
Who's licensed to do the work
We're fully licensed and insured. Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board treats work on a residential structure over $10,000, labor and materials counted together, as a residential home builder's job unless it falls outside the board's jurisdiction, so who does a big decorative job matters.
Back in concrete since 2023
I learned concrete on a crew, spent years doing other work, then came back and started this business in 2023. Those fresh eyes made me curious about why some slabs hold up and others don't, and I still work that out on every job.
Before anything's poured, I want to see the ground and where your water goes. Ask for your estimate or call (256) 649-5980.
Decorative concrete, licensing and the slabs we see in Oxford
The City of Oxford requires every person or business to hold a city business license before doing business in the city, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring. Before work starts, we check with the local building office about your job and tell you plainly what it needs and who handles it. If you have a code question of your own, the city's Building Official takes those at (256) 831-9685.
Around Oxford, a lot of our calls are for a plain patio behind the house that someone wants to dress up, an old slab that may or may not be worth topping, or a sloped yard where the water needs some thought. We meet the same kinds of jobs in Anniston and Jacksonville, and we handle them the same way, starting with the ground.
Questions about decorative concrete in Oxford
What's the difference between integral color and color hardener on stamped concrete?
Integral color runs through the full depth of the slab, while color hardener sits only in the top layer and makes the surface harder. Integral color is the forgiving choice as the slab ages, because a chip or saw cut shows the same color, though it won't give the deepest or brightest tones. Color hardener is the common pick for driveways and anything that takes traffic, but deep damage shows gray and an uneven spread can leave blotchy color.
How often does stamped concrete need to be resealed?
One field guide advises resealing stamped concrete every 2 to 3 years. Plan for that fresh coat as part of what the slab costs over the long run, since the sealer is what protects the color underneath.
Can my old concrete patio be resurfaced instead of replaced?
It can if the slab is sound, because a decorative overlay is a thin topping that only works over concrete it can bond to. A slab that's heaving, settling or cracked through needs to come out instead, which makes it a bigger job. I'll look yours over at the estimate and tell you which it is.
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost?
Across the US, installing a stamped concrete patio usually costs about $24 to $29 per square foot. That's the national market price for the work, not our quote, and your own price depends on the size, the pattern and color method, and how much prep the ground needs. Our on-site estimate gives you your figure.
What causes stamped concrete sealer to turn white or get slippery?
Usually it's sealer laid on too heavy. One field guide advises two thin, even coats, because a heavy flood coat can bubble, turn white and make the slab slick when wet. It's fair to ask any crew how they put the sealer on.
What is the best way to keep stamped concrete from cracking?
Nobody can promise a slab won't crack, but you can steer it with the right base and well-placed joints. Stamped concrete is still flatwork, a flat slab, so it needs packed ground, the right thickness for its use and reinforcement sized to the job before any color goes on. In stamped work the control joints are cut into the pattern's grout lines, so ask where yours will go.
Other concrete work that often goes with it
Concrete retaining walls
When a decorative patio sits on a slope, a poured wall holds the soil back so the yard doesn't creep onto your new surface after heavy rain.
Concrete floor installation
Planning a colored or polished floor in a shop, basement or addition? The look depends on a level indoor slab poured over well-packed ground first.
Cities where we do decorative concrete work
Oxford Concrete is based in Oxford, Alabama, and we work across Oxford and many of the cities around it. Ten cities have their own pages here, including Anniston and Saks, and they aren't the only places we go.
Oxford, AL
Book a site walk for your decorative slab
Picking a color is easier standing on the spot where it'll go, so call (256) 649-5980 or send the form and I'll come out.