Concrete contractor questions in Enterprise

Rarely. We don't have many freezing nights and Clark County's building code rates concrete weathering on the valley floor as negligible. No need to worry about de-icer. The sun and sealant not being reapplied for a while cause far more trouble for stamped concrete.

Close. Your original color will have weathered and the sealant will have aged. New concrete will be brighter. If you know the pattern name give it to us or send us a clear picture. We'll test the color on a sample board first. Sealing both areas together will make them look like one.

Often. Overlay is a thin layer of stamped concrete that will bond to your existing slab. This can only happen if your existing concrete isn't moving. Any settled or heaving panels will be repaired first. See our resurfacing and overlays page for more info.

Loose soil and anything organic gets stripped down to firm ground. Then the subgrade is compacted with a vibrating plate or a roller, not just driven over, and the base goes in on top. Skip that step and it shows up later as cracks and sunken panels.

Grip. A broom finish leaves fine ridges that tires and shoes can hold onto. A smooth trowel finish looks clean, but it turns slick the moment a sprinkler or a passing storm wets it, which is why you rarely see it outdoors.

Yes. Most driveway replacements will include breaking up and hauling off the old slab. When comparing quotes look for a separate line for removal. Some won't include it or it'll be tucked away somewhere. It will pop up later.

Wherever the slab sends it. Monsoon storms hit in July and August, and the caliche under much of the Las Vegas Valley sheds water instead of soaking it up. So a patio has to pitch away from the house, toward rock, a planter or a drain that can take it.

Possibly not. The cover's posts will need proper footings, and a simple patio slab isn't designed to carry them. If you're planning on having a cover let us know before pouring. See our slabs and footings page.

Yes, if the side yard leaves room to work and the slab keeps water moving away from the wall. A narrow side yard can mean wheelbarrows or a pump instead of the chute. We set a joint where the patio turns the corner, so any crack has a planned line.

No. The makers of Kool Deck say their topping is unaffected by normal pool chemicals. Splashing is to be expected. If any of the product is spilled from the chemical bucket hose it down immediately.

Yes. We can repair and recoat the damaged section. However the color won't match the sun-faded deck around it. Many owners will repair the damaged section and recoat the whole deck to make it look like one.

Usually, yes. Once the old surface is cleaned and any loose coating comes off, a new coat can go on in a different color. We lay samples out on your actual deck first, because a chip under kitchen lights looks nothing like the same chip in full afternoon sun.

Kool Deck is a brand. It's a trademark of Mortex, which has been making it for decades. Cool deck is just the common name for any light textured topping for pool decks. If you want the Mortex product let us know.

Ask us about your deck specifically. Cool deck usually comes up as a topping over concrete that's already there, and we won't promise a schedule or a result for a new pour before we know the plans and the product. Text us the plans or a photo and we'll talk it through.

Carefully. A narrow high pressure nozzle held close can cause damage to textured toppings. Using a wide fan nozzle held well back or a soft brush and garden hose will clean most of it without causing damage. If it's flaking already washing it will cause more to come off. Give us a call.

It depends on your yard. The size, excavation, base and finish will all play a part. Pavers do have one advantage. Ungrouted pavers are classed as permeable cover by the Southern Nevada Water Authority in its landscape rebate. Concrete isn't. If that rebate matters to you, contact SNWA before anything is torn out.

Yes. The stones are on the surface so you'll have some grip when your feet are wet. However if it's a coarse mix it can feel rough when walking barefoot. Ask to see and stand on a sample of the size you're looking at. You'll need to plan on sealing it.

Yes. Stamped fields with a broom or smooth edge are popular. The color can also vary between sections. We'll plan the joints so each finish ends in a clean line. We'll draw up a plan for you.

Yes, combined stain-and-seal products are sold, and they're handy for a quick refresh. They tend to give lighter color and a thinner protective coat than staining first and sealing after. On a patio that bakes all afternoon, we'd rather do two steps so each layer does its own job.

Partially. The patch material will take the stain differently so it will often be a different color. We can do a test spot first so you can see it. If it needs to be completely invisible a thin overlay over the whole area will hide it better.

Yes, they're separate kinds of product, and both get used on outdoor slabs. The color each one gives looks different, and results vary from brand to brand and slab to slab. Rather than guess, we test the stain you like on a hidden corner of your own concrete first.

It's when hot tires soften a sealer and pull it up, leaving peeled, tire-shaped marks where you park. Las Vegas driveways in summer are a perfect setup for it. Polyurethane topcoats resist hot-tire pickup better than acrylic sealers, so that's what we point driveway owners toward.

No. The sealant will slow the water and staining but the concrete will still breathe. Think water resistant. You'll need to plan on resealing. See our concrete sealing page for comparisons between the different types of sealant and how often they need reapplying in the desert sun.

Yes. The sealer will wear quicker as the same edge gets hit with water every morning. Point the heads toward the plants. Often fixing the overspray will help more than spending extra on a more expensive product.

That cover keeps moisture away from the steel. With too little of it, rebar rusts, swells, and cracks or spalls the concrete from the inside out. Steel needs more cover where concrete is cast right against the soil, and the exact depth comes from the plans, not a guess on site.

Yes. Let us know the size of the shed and whether it's a kit or built in place. We'll make the slab slightly larger than the walls. Depending on the shed it may or may not need any approval from the county. Level is more important than you'd think.

The engineer or architect who draws the plans. For a slab or footing that carries a structure, the strength is written into the plans for that project, and we pour to it. A plain patio or walk has no engineer behind it, so we use a standard flatwork mix.

A handful of things: how wide the crack is, whether one side has dropped or lifted, what's behind it (soil movement or water getting under the slab), and how tight the space is. Small repairs in cramped spots cost more per foot. A photo with a coin for scale helps a lot.

Generally no. However if it's starting to widen or one side is starting to rise it's a different story. See our concrete repair page for how we match the repair to the cause of the crack.

Yes, when the damage stops at a control joint. We saw-cut the panel out, fix whatever is wrong underneath, and pour a new one in its place. New concrete rarely matches weathered concrete exactly, so expect that panel to stand out a bit at first.

Sometimes. Small stable cracks can be prepared and covered. If the cracks are still moving or panels have moved it will show through the thin layer as an overlay is just a wearing surface and offers no strength. See our resurfacing page.

A little, yes. Even a thin overlay adds some height, so we check door thresholds, the edge of the garage slab and any step before starting. Where the clearance is tight, we feather the overlay down at that edge so doors still swing and nothing becomes a lip.

Yes, most resurfacing products take stain and sealer once they've cured. The wait depends on the product, so we follow the maker's cure time before sealing. A lot of owners just pick a tinted overlay and seal it, which saves a separate staining step.

Title 30, the county's zoning code, caps storage at a residence at 3 recreational vehicles, as our RV pads page notes. We can't find a county rule on where on the lot it goes, including the front driveway. HOAs often set their own rules, so check yours and call Clark County Code Enforcement.

It can. Clark County's zoning code says driveways must be distinct from landscaping and yard, so a driveway that just fades into decorative rock is a problem on paper. A clean concrete edge where the driveway stops and the yard begins keeps that line obvious.

Yes. A boat or trailer pad is built much like an RV pad, sized to what you park plus room to walk around it. Measure the trailer with the tongue included, tell us how you back it in, and we'll lay the pad out around that.

Earlier than you think. Summer is busy for concrete in Las Vegas. Contractors will be busy in June and July. If you want your patio completed before the hottest time of year give us a call in late winter or early in the year. Summer pours will be early in the mornings.

Typical per-square-foot ranges for driveways, stamped concrete and pool deck resurfacing are on those pages. Everything else we quote from a photo, because price moves with size, finish, tear-out, truck access and caliche in the dig. Text us a photo and rough measurements and we'll quote from that.

Because caliche is rock-hard cemented soil that shows up unevenly, and you often can't see it until you dig. UNLV engineers call its removal the biggest problem it creates, since it adds expense and delay. If we hit it, we call you before anything on the quote changes.