Concrete Sidewalks

Concrete sidewalks don’t have to be plain, gray walkways to and around your home. They can enhance landscaping and curb appeal as well as provide a delightful entrance to your home. There are many options for decorating concrete sidewalks including improvements to already existing concrete.

Concrete stamping is the most desirable type of finish for sidewalks but it is also the most expensive. It can make concrete look like slate, stone, brick, tile, etc. with various coloring methods to achieve a realistic appearance. This can be done with new concrete or with older concrete being resurfaced.
Exposed aggregate finishes are also popular for sidewalks. The cement is washed away from the surface to expose the rock in the mix whether it’s decorative stone or pea gravel.
Concrete staining is a fairly easy and inexpensive way to decorate sidewalks and works for both new and already existing walks. The use of acid stains, acrylic stains, or faux finish staining techniques can add beautiful vibrant or natural coloring that won’t peel or flake away. You can also create designs and patterns with engraving/scoring.
The easiest method is applying a colored sealer. This gives the appearance of a painted sidewalk but there is a wide array of colors and is a one step decorate/seal process.
Integral coloring is simply having dyes added to the mix so that the color exists throughout the concrete. If a sidewalk chips or pops, it’s not as noticeable as with any of the other surface enhancing methods.

You don’t have to settle for boring concrete sidewalks even if your sidewalk is several years old. If stamping or exposed aggregate isn’t in your budget, then consider do-it-yourself methods of staining or color sealing.

Installing Concrete Sidewalks

Staining Concrete Sidewalks

Penetrating concrete sealers are mostly silicone-based and work by penetrating the surface and reacting with free lime to form calcium silicate. It's like filling the pores and capillaries with cement. They will actually strengthen the concrete itself and prevent water from migrating through the concrete. This can be especially beneficial to concrete that has begun to show signs of deterioration and basement walls to prevent water seepage. Penetrating concrete sealers will not alter the appearance of concrete nearly as much as surface sealers by not creating the shiny, wet look.

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Concrete Sidewalks