The question is…can you use Stone Edge Surfaces Stamp Mix on, or with, ready-mix or truck poured concrete. Yes, you can…in fact, quite a few contractors currently use our Stamp Mix to give standard ready-mix truck pour concrete a literal “upgrade” by casting it (broadcasting) over the surfaces.
By adding Stone Edge Surfaces Stamp Mix, using a Cast-In-Place method, our Stamp Mix will help strengthen the concrete, make it easier to work with, take texture easier, make it more stamp friendly and makes a more stampable and carvable surface.
Our Stamp Mix, when broadcasting it or using a cast-in-place method creates a much creamier texturable surface that stays open just a bit longer, so you can hand carve the incredible depictions of stone, pavers, tile and more, that are almost as easy to create as when you are using the Stamp Mix as an overlay…not quite, but pretty close.
If you currently do Stamped Concrete with regular Pea Gravel mix, transported from con
crete plant to a job site by a concrete mixing truck, you know that the ready-mix can sometimes leave a “less-than-desirable” stampable surface to work with.
Start making your job “and life” easier…just broadcast Pro Stamp Mix onto the surface, after the initial pour and removal of the initial bleed water, and you can actually enhance your concrete and create a more stamp friendly surface area that remains open longer.
And…because Stamp Mix has finer sands than ready-mix…you create a smo
other more desirable hand carveable surface because you are not dealing with as much of the larger aggregate that interferes with the carving process.
Adding Stamp Mix to the surface also adds compressive strength! Compressive Strength. When broadcasting Pro Stamp mix on the concrete’s surface you are also adding additional compressive strength to the concrete surface….much like a color hardener would when broadcasted onto the surface of your freshly poured concrete.
Ability to create more intricate patterns. Casting Stamp Mix on freshly poured concrete gives you the ability to not use stamps, which create a set pattern grouted texture stamp look that repeats itself throughout the project. With longer open times you can create more realistic looking non-repeating hand carved stone or other patterns of a magnitude of sizes form smaller tile or paver designs to your much larger Flagstone configurations.
Matching close proximity Existing Concrete pads to tie them together. When Pouring new concrete next to old concrete…it always looks different and does not match. Our Stamp Mix allows you to pour new concrete next to an existing concrete pad, use the cast-in-place method on the new pour while simultaneously overlaying the existing concrete pad with the normal Pro Stamp mix application method…and hand carve or stamp them both to look the same.
The process for broadcasting Stone Edge Surfaces Stamp Mix over ready-mix concrete is much like that of broadcasting color hardener. For those whom have not used color hardener, then the following would be the process, along with helpful tips, on broadcasting our Stamp Mix.
Have the concrete truck arrive with a 3,000 to 4000 psi mix design with a 4” slump, for best results when using a cast-in-place application method of our Pro Stamp Mix. Also…stage your Pro Stamp bags and get them ready and opened, because even though you get more open time with our Stamp Mix…it is still ready-mix and the overall working window is short.
Once the concrete has been poured…work all excessive bleed water off the surface using a magnesium bull float.
Having already staged and opened the bags of Pro Stamp mix for maximum efficiency…begin to broadcast the first layer of Pro Stamp mix:
By hand throwing it over the fresh concrete surface…like you would throw color hardener. Throwing or Casting is similar to throwing chicken feed where you throw upward by hand letting the material go through your fingers evenly broadcasting the material at a rate of 100-200 sqft per bag, depending on one’s aggressiveness.
CAUTION: Insure not to throw clumps of Pro Stamp material! Clumps and piles of Stamp Mix can leave dry areas that will remain harder to work into the surface leaving a dried crusty look to the stamped surface if not worked in properly and can remain uncured and become loose and brittle over time.
You may also use a “shaker basket”, used for broadcasting color hardeners, to broadcast the Pro Stamp Mix. Same caution as above.
Once the first layer of Stamp Mix has been broadcast over the concrete in as close to an even layer as possible… “mist” the surface lightly with water using a “garden sprayer”…making sure to ONLY MIST and DO NOT OVER SATURATE the surface. Over saturation will weaken the overall finish not strengthen it.
Using the magnesium Bull Float or Fresno Float gently work the material into the surface until a smooth surface is achieved. CAUTION: Please make sure when working the Pro Stamp mix into the surface to Not overwork the material. Just work enough to achieve a smooth non-dry surface and move on to another area.
Repeat the broadcasting and misting process two or three more times until an approximate 3/16”-1/4” depth is achieved.
Treat all final coloring of the concrete exactly as you would any Stone Edge Surfaces Stamp Mix job from that point on.
When sealing…understand that you are still working with ready-mix concrete that is, most likely 4” deep or more! You will probably need a “cure & seal” sealer to insure proper acrylic sealing and not obtain hazing or whitening to the surface by applying too soon over the drying concrete. You could seal with a cure & seal first, and then come back in 30 days to apply a “non”-cure & seal acrylic sealer.
Thank you for reading my article and I hope you get out there and use this new technique to create wonderful projects!
Once this depth has been achieved, you would now treat the Stamp Mix enhanced Concrete surface like any other Stone Edge Surfaces Stamp mix application and use the “thumb test” to gauge desired firmness of the concrete pad for optimal stamping and to make sure it is firm enough to get on it to hand carve the depiction desired for that particular job.
