Decorative concrete in Dixon CA - even color on a slab built right underneath
Plain gray patio, or a colored one that's faded and soaks up water? We color it right and seal it so the color shows.
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- Free in-person estimates.
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What goes into decorative concrete for a Dixon patio, walkway or driveway?
Decorative concrete in Dixon is colored flatwork, the patios, walks and driveways that lie flat on the ground. The color is either worked into the surface or mixed into the concrete at the plant, then sealed so it shows. It often goes in with a new patio or a stamped pattern, and you stay off it while it cures.
Most people who call us have a plain gray slab they're tired of, a colored patio that's gone dull, or a new concrete patio they want to look like more than concrete. The price moves with the size of the area, the color method, any stamped pattern, whether an old slab has to come out first and how much work the ground needs before we pour. The schedule turns on the weather, the cure and a city permit if the work reaches the street. You get your own number from the estimate at your site.
How do you know your colored concrete needs attention?
Color gone dull and flat
A colored patio that looks chalky or washed out has usually lost its sealer, so nothing is bringing the color out anymore. The longer the bare surface sits, the more stains it picks up, and those are harder to get out later.
Water soaks in, not off
If the slab darkens and drinks up the hose water instead of beading it, the sealer has worn through. Every week it keeps soaking in water and dirt, the color gets harder to bring back.
Top layer flaking off
Small patches peeling or flaking usually mean the colored surface or a thick buildup of sealer is letting go. Waiting lets it spread under weather and foot traffic, and patching color to match the rest is rarely easy.
Work that often goes with colored concrete
Concrete retaining walls
Planning a patio cut into a slope? A retaining wall keeps the bank from washing or sliding onto your new colored slab after a hard winter rain.
Concrete floor installation
A new slab for a shop, studio or room addition can take color and sealer too, so the indoor floor can match the patio outside.
How we do decorative concrete in Dixon
I start by asking how you'll use the space and helping you pick between color worked into the surface and color mixed into the load. On a big area, I'll tell you up front how we keep the color even. Then we dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on. We check where the water will run, so the slab drains away from your house. We set the forms and any rebar, the steel that holds the slab together if it cracks. Then we pour, work in the color and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a planned place to crack. If the budget's tight, I'd cut back the pattern before I'd cut the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but everyone sees a colored slab that settles. Once it's sealed, you reseal when it starts to look dull or soak up water, not on a calendar.
Colored work usually sits next to other concrete. When the yard steps down, concrete retaining walls give you a level, stable spot for the new slab. If you want a finished concrete floor indoors, we pour it as part of our concrete floor installation work.
Color hardener worked into the top
The color is spread over the fresh slab and troweled into the surface, so it sits right where you see it. It suits patios, walks and pool areas that take a lot of foot traffic, as long as the finishers putting it down know the work.
Integral color mixed into the load
The color is mixed into the concrete at the plant, so it runs all the way through and a chip doesn't show gray underneath. It suits larger areas and softer, earthy tones, and on a big pour I'll walk you through how we keep one load matching the next.
Get a decorative concrete estimate at your site
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free with no obligation, and you can call (707) 640-8084 instead.
Call (707) 640-8084Why Dixon homeowners call Premier Dixon Concrete for colored concrete
I look at every job myself
I come out to see every site before you get a number, and I'm there running our crew on the days we do the work. The person who heard what you pictured is the one watching the color go down.
Running this business since 2023
I poured flatwork when I was young, did other work for years, and came back to concrete because it's what I'm good at. I started this business in Dixon in 2023. You'll get straight answers about what colored concrete can and can't do, cracks and curing included.
Licensed and insured on every pour
We're licensed and insured. Ask any crew for both before they pour at your house, because you want that settled before the truck backs in.
We prep for Solano County clay
Much of Solano County is reported to be high shrink-swell clay, a soil that swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries, though it changes from lot to lot. I check what's under your slab before we build the base, because colored concrete that moves with the dirt cracks where everyone can see it.
With colored concrete, the color is only as good as the ground under it, so we get the prep and the plan right first. Tell us about your project and I'll come out to take a look.
What happens after you call about decorative concrete?
Call or send us a message
Call (707) 640-8084 or use the form, any day from 7 AM to 11 PM. We'll get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I walk the site with you
I look at the ground and where the water runs, and I ask how you'll use the space and what colors you have in mind. Then I give you an estimate for the job we talked through, so you know the price before anything is ordered.
We prep, pour and color
Once you say go, we take care of any permit steps, dig out and pack the base, then pour and work in the color. If your job reaches the sidewalk or driveway at the street, that part doesn't start until the city has approved the permit.
We walk you through curing
Curing is the slow drying that lets concrete reach its strength, so before we leave we tell you when it's ready for walking, driving and sealing. I also explain what hairline cracks mean, so nothing surprises you later.
Common questions
How much does decorative concrete cost in Dixon?
There's no single price, because it comes down to the size of the area, the color method, any stamped pattern and how much the ground needs before we pour. Tearing out an old slab, permit work at the street and keeping the color even across a large area all add to it. You'll get your own number after I've seen the site.
Does color hardener or integral color last longer on a concrete patio?
One color maker says color hardener lasts longer, because it forms a denser top that stands up to wear better. The catch is that it takes more finishing skill, and hardener that isn't put down right can peel away later under weather and foot traffic. That's why I ask how you'll use the space before we pick one.
Should I reseal my stamped concrete every year?
No. Resealing more often than the slab needs builds up layers that take a lot of time and money to strip off, so a yearly coat just for shine usually backfires. The common sealers are film-forming ones that sit on top and deepen the color, but too much of one, or putting it on too soon, can spoil the look.
How do I get a permit for a decorative driveway apron or sidewalk in Dixon?
Work in the public right-of-way, the public strip along the street, needs an encroachment permit from the city's Engineering Department. Its list covers sidewalk, driveway, curb and gutter repair and replacement. If your job runs out to the street, we pull that permit and set up the inspections, and if we're not sure what your job needs, we ask the city or county before we start.
What license does a California concrete contractor need for colored concrete?
California's licensing rules set out a C-8 Concrete class for forming, pouring and finishing flat concrete, and a D-6 Concrete-Related Services class that includes coloring and restoring concrete. Dixon also requires contractors who work in the city to buy a city business license, so it's fair to ask any crew about both.
What is the best way to pour decorative concrete in Dixon summer heat?
Plan the pour around the heat. A national concrete guide says hot weather makes cement react faster and pulls water out of fresh concrete faster, which causes trouble from delivery through curing and can weaken the finished slab. A surface that dries too fast is also hard to color evenly, so ask any crew how they plan a hot day, and I'll tell you how we'd handle yours.
Plan your colored concrete with a site visit
The first call goes quicker if you have the rough size, how you'll use the space, any work at the street and a few color ideas ready.