STAMPED
WITH STYLE
A bull float is used to smooth
and float the concrete surface.
The edges should be smoothed
using an edger, and then a float
used to further smooth out the
edges.
TEXTURE OPTIONS
The colored concrete can be
finished in a variety of means.
Use a bull float after striking off
the slab. For most finishes, use
wood bull floats and derbies, not
magnesium. Wait for the bleed
water sheen to disappear before
you start floating and troweling.
Do not over-trowel or start troweling late as this leads to burns
and dark spots.
Following are some of the
various textures that can be
used with Matcrete Integral
Color:
Broomed: Made by pulling
special brooms across stiff,
freshly floated or troweled
concrete surface. For variety,
broomed texture can be heavy
or light, or in straight or wavy
lines.
Exposed Aggregate:
Aggregate is exposed by “
seeding” the fresh concrete with
aggregate which can be colored,
sparkling, fractured or smooth.
Before the concrete sets thoroughly, a pressure washer is
used to wash away some of the
top surface and expose the
aggregate. Set-retarding compounds are often used to slow
the set, but make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The aggregate can also be
exposed by removing the surface
cement with acid etching, sand
blasting, grinding or hammering.
Exposure level can vary from
barely revealing fine aggregate to
up to 1/3 of the diameter of
coarse aggregate exposed.
Stamping or imprinting:
Stamping tools are pressed into
the concrete to create a pattern
and then removed. A powder
release agent or plastic sheet is
placed on the concrete surface
after floating and troweling.
STAMPING IN DETAIL
A wide variety of stamps are
available ranging in design from
brick, cobblestone, stone, and
ashlar slate to patterns that
resemble wooden planks.
Matcrete has over 175 patterns
Before stamping, a release agent
such as Matcrete Release
Powder should be applied. The
product not only prevents the
stamps from sticking, but also
provides an additional color. The
agent must be air-entrained
before use.
The release powder is sprinkled
uniformly on the surface.
Once the concrete is sturdy
enough to support a person and
the stamps, the stamps are
applied. In most instances you
will need enough stamps to go
across one end of the pour.
Position one stamp, following the
manufacturer’s instructions.
to choose from. The concrete
stamps are made from a high-quality urethane with fixed handles designed for quick and easy
placement. Stamps are available
as seamless imprinting or in set
patterns. Seamless texture or
non-directional patterns are the
easiest and fastest way of
stamping concrete as there is no
set direction or lay-down pattern
to follow. Regardless, a wide set
of variables is involved in properly imprinting concrete including:
temperature, sunlight or shade,
wind, access and the depth of
the stamping tool.
Regardless of the design
used, the concrete should be
covered with either a plastic
membrane or release powder to
prevent the cement from sticking
to the concrete stamp. Matcrete
