Why Choose Wood Stamped
Concrete Over Real Wood?
Ready to replace your pool deck or patio? Considering the right flooring option for your basement? If you have been gravitating toward wood, there’s a low-cost alternative that offers the same great look with drastically reduced maintenance and improved durability: wood stamped concrete.
Stamped concrete is a technique in which concrete is stained and stamped before it sets to add texture and color to the surface. With special stamps, the look of high-end materials can be achieved, including brick, flagstone, cobblestone, and even wood. This process can be done with new concrete but a stamped concrete overlay can even be applied to existing concrete for a brand-new look. Here’s why wood stamped concrete beats real wood for many applications.
Long-Lasting
When you invest in a new patio, pool deck, or basement floor, you want a beautiful solution that lasts. Stamped concrete is a great investment that can last a lifetime, giving you the look of wood without the high cost or longevity concerns. While wood flooring in the home can last decades, wood outdoors is subjected to the elements 24/7 and requires a lot of care and routine board replacements.
- You’ll never need to replace rotting or split boards
- Wood stamped concrete lasts a lifetime
- Concrete is built to withstand the elements
Minimal Maintenance
Who wants to waste time on upkeep? Wood adds natural beauty but, as a natural material, it also requires a lot of care. Wood is very sensitive to moisture and needs to be sealed regularly when installed outdoors. You also need to perform routine maintenance like refinishing hardwood floors or pressure washing and restaining wood outdoors. With stamped concrete, you can skip the maintenance entirely with a durable, low-care surface that doesn’t require more than occasional washing to look its best.
- You only need to rinse stamped concrete
- No sanding and refinishing
- No pressure washing, staining, and sealing
Fewer Repairs & Damage
Interior wood flooring is very sensitive to moisture and prone to scratches. It also needs to be sanded and refinished every 10 years or so — an expensive and time-consuming process. Outdoors, wood is subject to rot, insect damage, splintering, and splitting. You can expect to spend a lot of time performing routine repairs and board replacement with a wood pool deck or patio.
- Stamped concrete won’t be damaged by water
- You don’t need to worry about insects, splinters, UV damage, and rot
- Stamped concrete is a low-care solution
Safer Surface
When a wood patio or pool deck gets wet, it can get very slippery. This is especially true when the wood develops algae which grows on the surface and makes the deck a safety hazard. In addition to the risk of slip and fall accidents, a wood deck can also cause splinters. Stamped concrete is a smart alternative that will never splinter and offers a safe, skid-resistant surface that’s safe underfoot, even when wet.
- Wood stamped concrete is skid-resistant
- Concrete resists algae better than wood
- A concrete patio or pool deck means no splinters
Same Great Look and Feel
Along with all of these other benefits, remember that wood stamped concrete looks and feels just like wood! A variety of stains are used to recreate the natural color variations of real wood, no matter what species of wood you prefer. The stamped texture is even complete with plank lines, wood grain, and wood knots. Unless you look very closely, you’ll think you’re looking at real wood.
- Realistic color of real wood
- Easy to customize to your tastes
- Textured just like wood with wood grain