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Stamped Concrete Morris County, NJ

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This was a concrete pool with plain concrete surrounding it and a plain concrete patio near the house. The patio was in decent shape with only a few minor cracks, but really needed a decorative facelift. The pool decks was in very poor condition. There was severe settling, ice damage to the coping and extensive cracking. We were able to repour the the existing coping to complete repairs, then resurface the entire pool deck. We also built a decorative shear decent water feature in the place of an old diving board.

Porch, Patio, and Sidewalk in Bergen County

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We resurfaced an existing porch area that originally had wet laid bluestone. The bluestone was set level which lead to water damage near the house. The homeowner removed the bluestone and did the necessary repairs on the house prior to us arriving to this job. We were able to correct their drainage problems and give them a look similar to the bluestone. We also did a newly constructed patio and sidewalk in the same pattern and color as the porch. The overall thickness of these are approximately 5″ and are reinforced with 1/2″ rebar and structural synthetic fibers.

Wayne, NJ Pool Deck Resurface

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This was a pool deck resurface that had a couple of very interesting challenges. This was a very old pool with fiberglass walls and a concrete bottom. The existing coping was a piece of rubber in a metal track which had begun to get loose. The first challenge was to create a cast in place coping that would hide that metal track once the rubber was removed. Once the coping was completed, we could then correct a couple of drainage issues on the pool deck. We also honored the existing expansion joints in the slab in a decorative way by creating a brick row lock. Another challenge to this job was how to deal with the area of the pool deck next to the wooden deck. There was existing curbing there that was several different heights. We decided to turn this area into a decorative accent by creating a seat wall faced with cultured stone. We poured a heavily reinforced wall in front of the existing curbs up to the bottom of the deck. We then capped the wall with our cast in place concrete tile in a color that would match the coping. Once that was complete we faced the wall with the cultured stone. All work was done in a weeks time and since there was no demolition involved, there was no disturbance to the existing landscape.

Lake Mohawk, Sparta NJ, Concrete Tile

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Custom cast in place concrete tile is an alternative to many of the hardscaping options that are on the market today.  If your in the market for something decorative, typically your options are:  real stone- while very attractive, its also very expensive. Concrete Pavers- very natural, but unless done correctly, has many short comings, even when done correctly has many maintenance concerns. Stamped Concrete-Can be a durable solution if done correctly, but usually tries to mimic a natural look and has faux grout joints.  Our concrete tile can be another option and avoid many of the shortcomings related to these other products.  Through years of research in development, we have a product that marries features of all of these products.  Concrete tile is made to order right on site, meaning it is completely custom.  Also since it is made in place, we can guarantee that it will not delaminate.  Here is what the Concrete Network is saying about concrete tile – “When installing tile in your home, you’re no longer limited to run-of-the-mill factory-produced ceramic, porcelain, or vinyl floor tiles. A new budget friendly, versatile, and long-lasting alternative is precast concrete tile, custom made for your application. Concrete tile can be used just about anywhere, indoors or out, including floors, walls, fireplace surrounds, pools and patios, shower enclosures, countertops, backsplashes, and building façades. In many cases, concrete tile sizes, finishes, and colors can be customized to suit your design needs.” (Courtesy of the ConcreteNetwork.com)

Sparta, NJ Entryway Resurface

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This project began with the intention of resurfacing everything. However, with more investigation, the brick and limestone steps leading from the driveway were deemed to be not structurally sound. These were removed and repoured along with a portion of the sidewalk next to these steps. We also removed the little cheek walls on the porch that served no purpose. This would create more usable space and a cleaner look. Once the demolition was done, we applied lathe and a scratch coat to the porch, then poured a heavily reinforced “scratch coat” to correct the pitch problems and eliminate the large step coming out of the house. Once all of the structural work was done, we began to pour our cast in place concrete tile in the random ashlar pattern. The formwork was done in a way to allow for the application of Cultured Stone to the risers of the steps and the porch area. Once the stonework was done, we grouted everything with an uncolored natural grout. All work was completed in 3 working days, and even with the extra demolition, there was minimal disturbance to the existing landscape.

Interior Concrete Floors in Sussex County, Northern NJ

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This is a recently completed interior concrete tile floor over radiant heat in Sussex County, NJ.  This project involved over 2,000 square feet over a wooden subfloor.  We first poured a heavily reinforced concrete subfloor to cover up the radiant tubes.  Once this concrete set, we began our concrete tile pour.  This consists of an integrally colored concrete mixed on site.  It is poured, textured, then stamped with cookie cutter style stamping tools, much different than traditional stamped concrete.  This is all actually grouted with real grout.  This is a cast in place concrete tile method that is unique to us and is often much more affordable than real stone tile.

Recently Resealed Pool Deck

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Photo of a recently resealed pool deck.  This project was originally completed over 12 years ago.

Just resealed

Recently Completed Project

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A few photos of our most recent project.

Project Profile: Family Room Remodel

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This project began as a blank slate, it was an unfinished room with a lot of possibilities.  It involved a couple of different services: stonework, concrete countertops, and stamped concrete/patterned concrete.  The first part of this remodel was to pour a cast-in-place concrete hearth with a decorative edge detail that would be carried throughout the room.  This hearth was built for a wood pellet stove, and enough storage space for the pellets.  Once the hearth was poured, work began on a Cultured Stone accent area on the wall behind the pellet stove.  This was done in a fieldstone pattern using their Chardonay color with a half inch grout joint.  Our next step in this project was to pour a cast-in-place integrally colored concrete tile floor.  The existing concrete floor was prepped by cleaning and applying a bonding agent.  Once the bonding agent was dry, the pour began.  The plan for this floor was to have a subtle texture in order to mimic a natural stone, then stamped with our “hopscotch” pattern.  The following day we honed the edges of the concrete tiles to further “antique” them, then applied a concrete stain to accent certain areas.  The floor was then grouted with a contrasting color grout and sealed with a satin epoxy for protection. The final part of this project was to pour a cast-in-place concrete countertop that was over 13′ feet long.  The goal was to have a seamless counter and a similar decorative edge to the hearth.  After the counter was poured and the forms were stripped, the counter was stained and treated with a topical sealer.  This counter would be used for flat screen tv on one end, and a small desk on the other.

Concrete Over Wooden Deck: Discussion with the President of Concrete Network

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How to Cover Over Old Wood Decks and Floors with Decorative Concrete

You will be intrigued just as I was by the concept of poured concrete over weathered wood decks and interior wooden floors that have settled unevenly in old houses. Think how much nicer these areas could look as long as they can be made structurally sound enough to handle the addtional weight.

Unique Concrete has been involved in this use of stamped concrete for several years. Most of the work in these areas have been retrofits which are more difficult to address than new construction. The process has worked so well that Unique Concrete would like to promote the concept more toward new decks and areas that could be designed from scratch to handle the additional weight. Then you could have the beauty of custom masonry in elevated areas over wood and in a cost effective manner.

Barry Fisher of Unique Concrete wrote me the following letter:

Hi Jim,

My sons and I would like to share a concept with you that could develop into another area for decorative concrete to expand. This concept involves placing an inch and a half of patterned concrete on the horizontal areas of wooden decks.

The process offers people another alternative for decks and promotes the lasting beauty of custom masonry. I have attached several before and after pictures of retrofits that we have been involved with recently.

The benefits for using concrete on the wear surface are numerous:

Besides the aesthetics, you now have something that is rot proof, insect proof, easy to maintain even in the harshest climates, and will retard the spread of fire.
On elevated decks, this decorative solid surface will provide you with a rain-free area underneath and if you choose to screen in your deck, it will aid you in creating an insect free environment.
Our oldest decks go back 20+ years, and there are no problems that I’m aware of.

Barry Fisher
Unique Concrete
www.uniqueconcretenj.com
uc@uniqueconcretenj.com