Decorative concrete in Kearney NE - a finish that looks good and grips when it's wet
Plain gray slab looking tired? We pour colored and textured concrete that looks the part, drains where it should and grips when it's wet.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What can decorative concrete do for a Kearney patio or driveway?
Decorative concrete is concrete finished with color, a stamped pattern or exposed stone, so your patio, walk or driveway in Kearney looks like part of the house and not like a parking spot.
Most people call because the old slab is cracked, flaking or just plain gray, and since it's getting replaced anyway, they want something better. The price mostly comes down to the size of the area, the finish and color method you pick, how much old concrete has to come out and how much base work the ground needs. The schedule turns on the weather and on curing, the wait while concrete hardens before you can use it, and decorative work is fussier about a hot afternoon than plain gray is. If you're mostly after a pattern, our stamped concrete page goes deeper. For your own number, I come out, measure and put it in writing.
How do you know your concrete is ready for a decorative upgrade?
Top layer flaking off
If the surface is peeling away in thin chips and the stones underneath are showing, that's scaling, and it usually comes from winter salt, freeze and thaw, or a weak top left by a rushed finish. It doesn't heal, so every winter you wait it spreads and gets rougher underfoot.
Slick when it's wet
A smooth or sealed patio that turns into a skating rink after rain usually means the finish was picked for looks and not for grip. Somebody tends to find that out the hard way, and fixing it later is harder than planning for it from the start.
Water sitting by the house
Puddles that stay on the slab, or a patio that runs water back toward your foundation, mean the slope was wrong from the day it was poured. Every rain that soaks in along that edge works on the base and the foundation, and no color covers that up.
Cracks in odd places
Cracks wandering across the middle of a slab usually mean the control joints, the grooves cut on purpose so concrete cracks where we choose, were skipped or cut too late. Those cracks let water in, and on a colored or stamped surface they're hard to hide.
How we pour decorative concrete in Kearney
Decorative finishes take a crew that's done them before, and we'll be honest with you about which ones hold up where cars drive and which ones belong on the patio. We start with the plan, because an outdoor finish still has to shed water and grip when it's wet, so slope and texture get settled along with the color. Then we dig out and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, set forms and rebar, the steel bars that hold the slab together, pour, add the color and pattern, cut the control joints and let it cure before sealing. When a budget gets tight, people want to cut the base because nobody sees it on day one. I'd rather trim the pattern, since a fancy surface on a soft base just cracks in a more expensive color.
Decorative work often runs into other jobs. A colored patio on a sloped yard may need concrete retaining walls to keep the dirt where it belongs, and the same color and finish work can carry indoors through our concrete floor installation.
Stamped patterns
A pattern pressed into the fresh concrete gives you the look of stone, brick or slate on a patio or walk. It suits places where people sit and gather, and we pick a pattern with enough texture to grip, since a smooth stamp gets slick.
Exposed aggregate
We wash the top paste away to show the stones in the mix, which gives a rough, natural look. It grips well and stands up to tires, so it suits driveways and walks that see traffic.
Colored concrete
Color can go through the whole mix or into the top surface, and the right method depends on whether feet or tires will be on it. We cover that choice in the questions below, because it's the one people most often get wrong.
Broom finish with a decorative border
A broom finish, a light brushed texture for grip, covers the main slab while a stamped or colored band trims the edges. It's the budget-friendly way to dress up a driveway and keep the grip where cars and people need it.
Get a written estimate for your decorative concrete
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and measure. The estimate is free and in writing, with no pressure and no obligation.
(308) 371-8187- Based in
- Kearney, NE 68847
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Kearney?
From your first call to the walk-through at the end, here's who does what, so you know what you're getting before anything gets poured.
Call or send a request
Call (308) 371-8187 or use the form, and I come out to look at the site, measure and ask how you'll use it. Have a photo of a finish you like if you've got one, because it beats describing sort of a tan stone.
Get the estimate in writing
You get a written estimate that spells out the finish, the color method and the base work, so you can see where the money goes. Nothing goes on the calendar until you're ready.
Pick a date with the weather
Once you're ready we set a date that suits the job and the weather, because color and stamping need steady conditions and a hot afternoon can leave a weak, dusty top. If the forecast turns, we move the pour rather than fight it.
Pour, finish and walk through
We prep, pour, finish and clean up. Before we leave I walk you through caring for the new concrete, including how long to keep feet and tires off it while it cures.
Why Kearney homeowners call Advanced Kearney Concrete for decorative work
The owner measures and pours
I come out to look at the job, measure and write the estimate myself, then work alongside our crew on the job itself. The person who made the plan is there when it counts, so nothing gets lost between the estimate and the truck.
In business since 2021
I spent years on other people's concrete crews before starting this business in 2021. I grew up on a farm where you fixed things right the first time, and that's how we run a pour.
Licensed and insured for your project
We're licensed and insured. Nebraska also requires every contractor doing business in the state to register with the Nebraska Department of Labor, and the department says registration alone doesn't promise good work or protect against fraud, so ask any contractor about their past work too.
Pick the look you like and let me worry about what's under it. Satisfaction guaranteed. Send us your project details and I'll come out and measure.
Decorative concrete and the work around it in Kearney
If any part of your project sits in the public right-of-way, like a colored apron where the driveway meets the street or a walk that ties into the public sidewalk, the City of Kearney requires a Right-of-Way Permit for that construction or digging. City of Kearney Utilities answers questions about the application. Whether the rest of your job needs anything is a question for the city, which keeps permit services, inspections, planning and zoning in one department, so there's one office to ask. Before work starts we check with that office on what the job needs, and we take care of the paperwork when it falls to us or walk you through it when it falls to you.
On jobs around Kearney we often find patios behind houses where nobody thought much about drainage, so I check where the water runs before anyone picks a color. We see the same thing on jobs in Lexington and Holdrege, and winter salt tracked off the street finds a patio there just as fast.
Questions about decorative concrete in Kearney
What is the best color method for decorative concrete on a driveway?
For a surface with car traffic, color hardener is usually the better pick, because integral color only adds color while hardener also adds wear resistance to the top. One color maker warns that hardener takes more skill to put down and can peel away from the slab if it's applied poorly, so the crew matters as much as the product. We'll tell you at the estimate which one your job calls for.
How much does decorative concrete cost in Kearney?
The cost comes down to the size of the area, the finish, the color method and how much prep the site needs, so I give you a firm number after I measure. A broom finish with a colored border costs less than a full stamped pattern, color hardener takes more labor than integral color, and tearing out an old slab or fixing a bad base adds to it. Call (308) 371-8187 and I'll come out and measure.
How do I keep decorative concrete from flaking in the winter?
Start with the mix, because a concrete industry group in Alberta, Canada, says air-entrained concrete, a mix with tiny air bubbles that give freezing water room to expand, is a must to prevent scaling. Ask whether the mix in any quote you get is air-entrained. Good drainage helps too, since standing water is what freezes.
How should I care for new decorative concrete in its first winter?
Skip deicing salt that first year and use sand or kitty litter for traction instead, which Ohio Concrete advises especially for concrete placed after September. New concrete is still toughening up, and salt is hard on a young surface.
How often should you reseal decorative concrete?
Ohio Concrete advises cleaning the surface and putting on a commercial penetrating sealer every 3 to 5 years, following the sealer maker's instructions. A penetrating sealer soaks in instead of sitting on top, which helps keep water and salt out of the surface.
What should I ask a contractor before hiring for decorative concrete?
Ask about past jobs with the exact finish you want, because decorative work takes special procedures and experience that a crew pouring plain slabs may not have. A stamped patio and an exposed aggregate driveway are different skills, so get an answer for yours.
Other concrete work that goes with decorative finishes
Concrete retaining walls
When a new patio sits on a slope, a concrete wall holds the soil back so the slab stays level and the yard stops sliding toward it.
Concrete floor installation
Indoor floors in a basement, shop or addition can take color and a polished or sealed look, poured on a base that's built to stay flat.
Service areas for decorative concrete near Kearney
Advanced Kearney Concrete is based in Kearney, Nebraska, and three cities have their own pages on this site. We pour decorative work in Kearney, Lexington and Holdrege, and in other cities around them too.
Kearney, NE
Get your decorative concrete estimate started
Have the rough size of the area, the finish and color you like, and whether the work reaches the street ready, and the visit goes quicker.