Decorative concrete in Lansing MI - a slab with the look of stone or brick
Plain gray patio or a tired, worn slab? We stamp new concrete or resurface what you have so it looks the way you want.
Can I make my plain concrete patio look like stone?
Yes. Decorative concrete in Lansing usually means either stamping a pattern into fresh concrete so a new patio or walk looks like stone or brick, or bonding a thin cement-based layer over the slab you already have to level it and give it a new face.
Most people who call us have a patio or walk that's still solid but looks tired, or they're planning a new slab and want more than plain gray, and some already know they want stamped concrete. The price turns on the size, whether we pour new or top what's there, the pattern and color you pick, and whether the slab gets rebar, the steel bars inside that hold it together if it cracks. The schedule turns on the season, any permit or inspection your address needs and the curing time, which is the wait while the concrete hardens before you can use it. I come out, look at it with you and send a written estimate so you have your own number.
What our decorative concrete work includes
We start by helping you choose between stamping new concrete and resurfacing the slab you have, and I'm straight with you about what a topping can and can't hide. On a new pour, we dig out to firm ground and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, then check where the water runs so the finished slab sheds it away from the house. We pour early, before midday heat can leave the top weak and dusty, press the pattern while the concrete is still soft and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight line to crack along instead of a random one. Outdoors we use a colorant made to hold up in the sun, and then we leave the slab alone to cure. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather go with a simpler pattern than skimp on the base, because nobody sees the base the day we finish, but everybody sees it a few years later when a slab settles with the dirt under it.
Decorative work often ties into the rest of the yard or the house. On a sloped lot, a stamped patio may need concrete retaining walls to hold the ground beside it, and the same color and finish ideas can carry inside with concrete floor installation in a basement or a lower level.
Patios, walks and decorative concrete in Lansing
Before we plan a job, we check which city or township office covers your address, because that decides who you deal with. In Lansing, the Public Service Department issues erosion permits, which are needed when the work disturbs more than an acre or sits within 500 feet of a lake, river or stream, and you can look up building permits through the city's Economic Development and Planning office. Whether your decorative patio needs a building permit is that office's call, not mine, and when a job does need one, we take care of the application and the inspections and keep you posted on where things stand.
When the work reaches the city's right-of-way, the strip along the street, Lansing's right-of-way permit asks for two things up front. A city inspector has to approve the forms before any concrete goes in, and Miss Dig has to be called at least 72 hours before digging, which you can do by dialing 811. We're based in Lansing and work across the cities around it, and we see a lot of worn patios and plain gray slabs behind older houses here, the same as on jobs in East Lansing and Holt.
How decorative concrete work goes
Call or send the form
Call (517) 246-3566 or send the form, and tell us a little about the slab and what you have in mind. We get back to you to set a time for the visit.
I look at the site
I come out, ask how you'll use the space and answer your questions, then send a written estimate for the plan we talked through. You see the price before anything is ordered.
We sort permits and dates
Once you're ready, we find out which office covers your address and set a date that suits the job and the season. Where the city's right-of-way permit applies, we wait for its inspector to approve the forms before we pour.
We pour, finish and clean up
I work the job with our crew through the pour, the pattern and the color, then we clean up the site. Before we leave, we tell you how long to keep off it while it cures.
Get a free estimate for decorative concrete and patio work
We reply within one business day, and the estimate is free, done on site and comes with no pressure to book. Once you send the form, we get in touch to set a time, I come out to look at the job, and you get a written estimate.
What homeowners ask about decorative concrete
How much does a stamped concrete patio cost in Lansing?
A stamped concrete patio in Lansing usually costs about $8 to $16 per square foot, and that's what the area market charges, not our price. A patio with reinforced concrete costs more per square foot than one without it. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own patio.
Is stamped concrete cheaper than real stone or brick pavers?
It often is, because stamped concrete can cost less than actual stone or brick while giving you much the same high-end look. If you have a stone or brick you like, bring a photo to the estimate and we'll talk through the closest pattern and color.
Will a concrete overlay hide the cracks in my old patio?
Not always, because a self-leveling decorative topping can still crack even when epoxy primers and crack repair products go down first. A bonded overlay does a good job leveling and restoring a worn slab, but plan for the chance that some cracking still appears, and I'll tell you up front how much I think it will cover.
What is the best way to color an outdoor concrete patio so it doesn't fade?
Use a colorant made for outdoor use, because some dyes aren't recommended outside and can fade in direct sunlight. Most acid- and water-based stains soak into the surface, so they hold up very well to sun and wear, and on outdoor work we use a colorant made to hold up in the sun. You're welcome to ask which one before we start.
How do I decide between stamping new concrete and resurfacing my old slab?
Resurface when the slab is solid and only the face is worn, stained or dull, and pour new stamped concrete when it's sinking, heaving or broken up, because a thin topping sits on whatever is under it. When I come out, I check how sound your slab is and tell you which way I'd go and why.
Can decorative concrete be poured in Lansing between fall and spring?
It can, but under Lansing's right-of-way permit, concrete work between Oct. 1 and May 1 needs cold weather protection, and off-season work gets reinspected. That adds steps, which is one reason we set a date that suits both the job and the season.
Why Lansing homeowners call Benchmark Lansing Concrete Company for decorative concrete
Same person from estimate to pour
I come out to look at the job myself, and I work alongside our crew when it's built. The person who talked through the plan with you is the one standing there on pour day.
Michigan licensed and fully insured
Michigan law counts concrete among the trades a license covers, and each license names the trade its holder is qualified for, so it's fair to ask any contractor which trade theirs lists. We're fully licensed and insured.
Learned on my dad's pours
I worked my dad's jobs from the time I was a kid, tying steel and finishing slabs, and started this business in Lansing in 2023. He taught me a slab is only as good as the prep under it, and that's still the first thing I look at.
On decorative work the pattern gets the attention, but the base under it decides how it looks a few years from now. When you're ready to talk it through, call (517) 246-3566 or send us a note.
Work that often goes with decorative concrete
Concrete retaining walls
If your patio sits on a slope, a poured wall holds the ground back so the new slab isn't left fighting the hill beside it.
Concrete floor installation
When you want the same colored look indoors, a new floor in a basement, shop or addition starts with a slab poured and finished for inside use.
Get your patio or decorative slab priced
If you have the rough size, how the slab looks now and a photo of the finish you like when you call (517) 246-3566 or fill out the form, I can come out already thinking about the right pattern.
