Decorative concrete in Duluth MN - a colored slab planned for Minnesota winters
Tired of plain gray concrete by the door? We add color or a stamped finish and plan the sealing and first-winter care with you.
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 4
Book a look at your slab
I'll measure the area, check where water runs and show you both color methods.
Request an estimateWhat does decorative concrete involve in Duluth?
Decorative concrete in Duluth means adding color or a stamped finish to a slab like a patio, walk or driveway, so it looks like more than plain gray and still does a slab's job through freeze, thaw and salt.
Most calls start one of two ways. You've got a patio or walk that's cracked and chipping, or you're planning a new one, and either way you'd like it to be something other than gray. The price moves with the size of the slab, which way the color goes in, whether you want a stamped pattern, and how much old concrete and soft dirt has to come out before we pour. The schedule mostly turns on the weather and on curing, the weeks the slab spends gaining strength before it gets its first seal, and I'll give you your own number when I come out to look at the job.
How we do decorative concrete
It starts before anything gets mixed, because color can run through the whole mix or get worked into the surface by hand, and I'll walk you through which one suits your slab and what each one asks of the finish work. Then our crew digs out and packs the subgrade, the dirt and gravel the slab sits on, and checks where the water runs so the finished slab sheds it away from the house. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you pick a simpler pattern than skimp on that base, because nobody sees it on pour day, but a slab that settles takes the color and the pattern down with it. We pour early in the day so midday heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top, and we cover nearby siding and steps first when color goes on by hand, since that powder can drift. After finishing, we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned line to crack along, and keep the slab covered while it cures.
A decorative patio often sits next to a slope, and when the ground needs holding back, we build concrete retaining walls colored to go with the slab so the two read as one job. Color works indoors too, and we can add it during concrete floor installation for a basement or shop floor you want to look finished.
Planning decorative concrete for a Duluth slab
The city rule that changes a job here is about the street side. The city engineer issues permits for digging or setting equipment and materials in or next to public streets, sidewalks, alleys and public grounds, and a new driveway opening, the curb cut where your drive meets the street, needs an approved application and an excavation permit, which you apply for through the city's ePlace system. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and book the inspections, and if you'd rather apply yourself, I'll tell you what the city will want to see from us. For a patio that stays back on your own lot, ask the city whether it needs a permit before we pour, since that's their call. If your plans include steps or a wall on footings, Minnesota's building rules put those footings at least five feet down in St. Louis County unless an engineer who knows soils decides otherwise.
We're based in Duluth and work in Superior, Hermantown, Cloquet and the cities around them, and every decorative slab up here has to get through winter. A Minnesota winter salt guide says rock salt works down to a pavement temperature of about 15°F, works very slowly below that and stops below -6°F, so on the coldest days it isn't doing much for you anyway. That's why we plan first-winter care before the pour, the same as on jobs in Hermantown and Cloquet.
Why call us for decorative concrete
I come out and run it
I come out to look at the job and meet with you myself, and I'm on site running it while our crew does the work. The person who heard what you want is the one watching the color go in.
Five years of figuring jobs out
I taught myself concrete at my own place, worked on other crews, and started this business in 2021. The jobs that need some figuring, like a slab that's tricky to drain, are the ones we're known for.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're licensed and insured. Minnesota asks contractors working on homes of one to four units to hold a residential license for more than one special skill, or to register for a single specialty like concrete, so ask any crew which one they hold and check it with the state Department of Labor and Industry.
- Phone
- (218) 514-2182
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Location
- Duluth, MN 55802
On a decorative slab, the color method and the base under it matter most, so tell me about your slab and send its rough size and a photo if you have one.
Get a decorative concrete estimate at your place
Send the form with your slab's rough size and a photo if you have one, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the job with you and talk through color and finish, and the estimate is free with no obligation.
- Phone
- (218) 514-2182
- Location
- Duluth, MN 55802
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Credentials
- Licensed and insured.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost in Duluth?
A poured stamped concrete patio in Duluth usually costs about $8 to $17 per square foot, which is what the market runs, not a quote from us. A reinforced patio, one with rebar, the steel that holds a slab together, costs more per square foot than one without, so that choice shapes where your number lands.
What is the best way to color a concrete patio, integral color or color hardener?
Integral color is the simpler choice for steps, walls and odd shapes, because one pigment maker says it runs through the whole slab and adds little to no labor, while color hardener is generally limited to flatwork, the flat slabs like patios and walks. Color hardener takes more finisher skill, and the same maker says it can peel away later if it's put on poorly, so on a patio it comes down to the look you want and the hands doing the work.
How long does new decorative concrete need to cure before it can be sealed?
Industry guidance says to wait 28 days after the pour before sealing, unless an integral sealer went into the mix. Plan your first seal for after that wait, and we'll let you know when your slab gets there.
How often does decorative concrete need to be resealed in Minnesota?
One sealer maker says penetrating sealers, the kind that soak into the surface, typically protect for 5 to 10 years when they're put on properly. It calls them the preferred choice for outdoor concrete that sees freeze-thaw and deicers, so plan a reseal somewhere in that span.
Can I put salt on my new decorative patio the first winter?
No, the same sealer maker says new concrete should go through its first winter with no deicing salts like sodium chloride or calcium chloride, because they speed up scaling, the surface flaking that ruins a colored top. Use sand for grip that winter, and keep in mind rock salt does little on the coldest days anyway, as noted above.
What causes decorative concrete to crack like my old slab did?
Most cracks come from a slab settling on dirt that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or from joints cut late or skipped. Colored or not, concrete can still crack, which is why the base and the joints get so much of our attention before and after the pour.
Related concrete work
Concrete retaining walls
If your patio sits on a slope or the yard keeps washing toward it, a poured wall holds the ground back and can be colored to match.
Concrete floor installation
For a basement, shop or garage turned living space, a new poured floor gives you a flat, solid surface indoors, and color can go in at the same time.