Stewartville Decorative Concrete
Decorative Concrete in Stewartville
Color and texture, not just gray.
Acid staining, exposed aggregate, and integral color for Stewartville driveways, patios, and pool decks. Decorative concrete starts with the same half-inch rebar and 4-inch Class 5 base as any structural slab. The color or texture is how the slab finishes, not a shortcut on how it is built.
Plan Your Pour
Get a free site visit.
Written quote within a few days. No pressure, no upsell. The owner answers the phone.
Decorative Techniques
Three ways to get color into concrete.
01
Integral Color
Pigment mixed into the concrete before the pour.
Integral color is added to the concrete mix at the batch plant, so the color runs all the way through the slab rather than existing only on the surface. A chip or crack in an integrally-colored slab still shows color inside. Common choices for Olmsted County homeowners include terra-cotta reds, slate blues, and earth browns that fade naturally and hold up to road salt without bleaching. The color is permanent, not a coating.
02
Acid Stain
Chemical reaction creates a marbled, translucent color.
Acid stain is applied to cured concrete and reacts chemically with calcium hydroxide in the surface paste. The result is a translucent, marbled color that looks nothing like paint or a solid coating. Every slab produces a slightly different result because the reaction depends on the concrete mix and curing history. Browns, terra-cottas, and slate greens are the most reliable colors for Minnesota patios and garage floors. Ask about samples at the site visit.
03
Exposed Aggregate
Seeded stone surface: grip and natural texture.
Exposed aggregate is produced either by seeding decorative stone onto the wet slab before the cream sets, or by surface retarder application that delays set at the surface while the slab cures underneath. The top cream is then washed off to reveal the stone mix below. River-pebble and granite chip mixes are the most common choices in the Rochester area. The result is a slip-resistant, natural-looking surface that holds up well to freeze-thaw cycling without cracking the stone inlay.
Recent Work
Pours we’re proud to sign.
Questions We Get
Stewartville homeowners ask us.
Is acid stain the same as paint?
No. Acid stain is a reactive chemical treatment, not a coating. It bonds with the mineral compounds in the concrete surface through a chemical reaction, producing a translucent color that becomes part of the concrete itself rather than sitting on top of it. Paint and solid-color sealers are coatings: they sit on the surface and eventually peel, chip, or wear through. Acid stain does not peel because there is nothing applied on top of the slab to peel off.
How long does decorative concrete color last?
Integral color and acid stain are permanent in the sense that the color is in the concrete matrix, not on the surface. Exposed to Minnesota UV and freeze-thaw cycles, both will lighten somewhat over the first several years and then stabilize. The surface sealer we apply over stained or colored concrete needs to be reapplied every three to five years to protect the color and maintain the sheen. The concrete itself does not fade to gray: fading happens only at the sealer layer, which is the cheaper and easier item to refresh. Reach out if you want a maintenance timeline in writing.
Can you do decorative work on my existing slab in Stewartville?
Acid stain and surface sealers can be applied to existing sound slabs. Exposed aggregate requires either a new pour or a seeded overlay applied to an existing surface. Integral color is only possible in new pours because the pigment goes into the mix before placement. We assess the existing slab for surface contamination, old sealers, and structural condition at the site visit, then recommend which techniques the slab can actually support. Not every existing slab is a good candidate for acid stain, and we will tell you that up front.
Can decorative concrete be used around a pool deck?
Yes. Exposed aggregate is the most common pool-deck choice because the stone surface provides grip when wet without the roughness of a coarse broom finish. Acid stain on a pool deck needs a slip-resistant additive in the final sealer coat. Stamped concrete around pools is workable but requires a non-slip sealer and regular resealing because foot traffic and chlorine water accelerate sealer wear. We specify the right finish for pool conditions at the site visit. Stewartville’s outdoor pool season is short, which actually helps: the slab has most of the year to cure and off-gas before it sees pool-deck conditions.
How much does decorative concrete cost?
Decorative concrete typically runs $10 to $20 per square foot depending on technique, color complexity, and surface size. Exposed aggregate on a new pour runs toward the lower end. Acid stain on an existing slab with multiple color zones runs toward the upper end. The underlying structural work, including base prep, rebar, and saw-cutting, is the same cost as any comparable plain concrete pour. Color and texture add cost on top of the structural spec, not in place of it. Every project gets a written quote after the site visit so costs are clear before any work starts.
Service Area
Serving Stewartville, MN and Olmsted County.
Decorative In Stewartville
Curb appeal that holds up.
Decorative concrete gives a Stewartville home real curb appeal, a stamped entry walk, a colored patio, an exposed-aggregate apron, without the upkeep of pavers or natural stone. The trick in our climate is making it last. We lean on integral color first, mixed into the concrete so it runs all the way through and cannot wear off, and add stamped slate, ashlar or exposed-aggregate texture on top. Then we seal it after cure and re-seal at year three so the road salt and freeze-thaw of a southern-Minnesota winter do not bleach it out.
Under the color sits the same build as any pour we do here: four inches of compacted Class 5 and half-inch rebar on chairs. A pretty slab that heaves is still a failed slab. Call us out and we will pour a color sample, walk the design, and write you a free, itemized quote.
Stewartville is right down Highway 63 from our Rochester shop, so a decorative job here is easy to schedule and easy to come back and reseal when a stained or colored slab is due for it. Those finishes hold their look only as long as the sealer is kept up, and being close means we are the crew you can actually reach to maintain it. Stained patio, exposed-aggregate walk, or colored driveway, the visit is free, the written quote is itemized, and Pedro is the one who pours it and backs it. Call (507) 735-8820 or reach us through the contact page.
Ready to Pour
Color that goes all the way through.
Free site visit. Written quote before you commit. Serving Stewartville and Olmsted County. The owner answers the phone.