Decorative Concrete & Design Trends for 2022

More important than following any design trend is creating a space that makes you happy. With that said, it’s fun to get some inspiration for your own space by seeing what design styles are popular. We looked at what design ideas are taking hold in 2022—and here we share how decorative concrete fits into the picture.

Stamped Concrete Floors

Although stamped concrete floors look gorgeous when applied in a more traditional pattern, you can enhance the look of your home even further with a unique design. A lot of people have no idea that a skilled installer can make custom stamps, meaning there are no limitations as to what you can do. Whether you rely on your creative mind or search the internet for options, the sky is the limit.

You can select any one of the following stamped concrete floor designs as is or use them as inspiration to come up with something extraordinary.

Border – Instead of having the pattern be monotone throughout consider a border design. For this, you use two stamp patterns. For example, if you have a courtyard patio or a driveway in front of your house, you could choose a design that looks like ashler slate tile on the main field of the pattern and on the edges or outside of the area use a pebble stamp to resemble river rock along the borders and edges.

Checkerboard – For a contemporary home, stamped concrete floors in a pattern that looks like a checkerboard flagstone is ideal. Using complimentary colors you can create a pattern that resembles large slate tile blocks. Whether you have it installed in your foyer, kitchen or great room, you can expect family and friends to feel envious.

Leaves – An experienced installer can even create a dramatic effect using leaf designs. Applied in different sizes and the colors of fall, this would be a perfect solution for a home in the mountains or woods. Set against a green background, the gold, tan, brown, and red leaves pop and you can see the details within each leaf.

Medallion or Logo – You can even have a beautiful medallion design installed using stamped concrete. Remember, with customized mats, the concrete expert can create virtually anything that you want. Therefore, you could go with a Celtic medallion, sundial, family crest, or something you designed yourself.

Along with enhancing the interior of your home, with a product like SunStamp, you can use stamped concrete for a broad range of outdoor applications, including driveways, courtyards, patios, walkways, pool decks, and more.

SurfaceScapes Revives Apartment Breezeways & Balconies

SunLastic and SunCoat give each breezeway and balcony protection from further water damage while making them beautiful.

The Growing Popularity of Concrete Patios

What better way to enjoy the warm summer weather than by reclining in a deck chair on your brand-new concrete patio? Concrete patios are all the rage, and building one might be easier than you think. All you have to do is hire SurfaceScapes, and they will do the hard work for you!

Sundek Products for Concrete Patios

The benefit of using decorative concrete products to build outdoor patios is that these products are highly versatile and incredibly durable. You can pick and choose the ideal combination of products to create the customized look you want. We can even mimic the look of premium materials, like flagstone or brick, simply by stamping and staining the concrete! One of the most popular options for concrete patios is SunStone. This architectural limestone coating is applied through a combination of stamping and hand-carving methods to create a concrete overlay that looks and feels like natural stone.

Another popular option for concrete patios is the Tuscan hand-crafted overlay. This decorative concrete coating creates an old world European effect through a combination of hand-troweling and stamping methods. If you have a more classical aesthetic, the Classic Texture overlay might be more your speed – it is easy to customize and quick to apply. Any of these options can be combined with Sundek’s SunSplash decorative spray textured coating to ensure that your concrete patio is safe, durable, and easy to maintain. It can be combined with colors or aggregates, as well, if you choose.

No matter which product you choose for your concrete patio, be sure to protect the surface with a clear sealer to ensure maximum durability. The SunClear EcoProtect system is ideal for outdoor surfaces, like concrete patios, and we can add textured aggregates to ensure slip resistance. The SunClear UltraProtect system takes things one step further, creating a hard yet flexible surface that is resistant to chemicals, stains, and abrasions. You can also go with something simple, like the SunColor acrylic water-based finish coat, which can be customized with aggregates or various masonry effects for a unique look.

There is no better way to take advantage of your outdoor space than with a brand-new concrete patio from SurfaceScapes. Not only do we offer the best decorative concrete products, but our contractors are also the best in the business. You can count on us to see your project through from start to finish, and your satisfaction is guaranteed.

The Time is Now for Home Improvements

If you know you want to make improvements but don’t know where to start, here are some project ideas that can make a big impact.

Tips for Coordinating Outdoor Concrete Colors with Poolside Landscaping

When having a new decorative floor, countertop, or wall installed inside the home, you would consider the interior style and color scheme. However, for outdoor applications, the focus shifts to the home’s architectural features, color, and even the poolside landscaping. To enhance your backyard space, it is important to consider appropriate outdoor concrete colors. 

Sundek Products Outdoor Concrete Colors

Especially if you spend a great deal of time outside, having family gatherings, entertaining friends, or hosting special events for important clients, choosing the right color or color combination that complements the poolside landscaping will set the stage for success.

For a cohesive look that is more visually pleasing, while adding value to the home, certain outdoor concrete colors work best.

Consider the type of plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs around your pool. Although you want to think about the colors they produce year-round, focus more on summertime colors since this is the season when you will likely use your backyard most often. Therefore, look at blues, greens, and even certain hues of red and orange. If you have landscaping that blooms multiple colors, this opens up more options.

Something else to consider is the way your landscaping is maintained. For example, if everything is pristine, then you might want to stick to outdoor concrete colors that are considered refined and sophisticated. However, if your landscaping has a more natural and countryside aesthetic, then either bolder or more subdued colors would be stunning.

Although you might already have some ideas regarding specific outdoor concrete colors that you like, spend time conducting research online or going through magazines. Using the information that you find, you may be happy with your initial choice. However, you might also find colors to add to your preferred design aesthetic or choose something completely different.

Having unlimited possibilities is what makes choosing outdoor concrete colors that coordinate with poolside landscaping exciting and fun. As an example, SunAcid is a muriatic-based acid coloring solution that produces a translucent mottled aesthetic by penetrating the concrete where it reacts to salts and minerals. As for colors, this particular product is available in earth tones, vibrant green and teal, as well as rich buckskin and cola, among others.

SunH20 is another exceptional choice. As a blend of liquid pigments and soluble polymers, not only are the outdoor concrete colors gorgeous, the application creates one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Available in more than 20 beautiful vibrant colors, you will have no problem finding the perfect solution to enhance the home, pool, and landscaping.

Vertical Concrete

When you think of decorative concrete, you probably picture standard applications, like flooring, outdoor patios, and pool decks. The beauty of concrete, however, is that it is so versatile – it can even be installed vertically to create three-dimensional concrete surfaces. If you are thinking about using vertical concrete, take a moment to learn a little bit more about the application and about the potential for customization options reviewed below.

You are probably familiar with the more traditional uses of decorative, but did you know that decorative concrete can also be used to create things like interior walls, fireplaces, and more? Just as you can create a custom look for flooring using decorative concrete, so can you use it to create a custom look for interior or exterior walls – it all depends on the products you choose.

The concrete used for vertical applications is a little different from that used for horizontal applications. For one thing, it is very lightweight and designed not to sag or drip. This material can generally be spread directly on top of any existing surface, such as plaster, drywall, wood, cement board, and even insulating concrete forms. Vertical concrete is designed to be applied in either a thick or thin layer without sagging, giving you the ability to shape it and texture it as you please. You can use vertical concrete to mimic the appearance of premium materials, like stone, wood, brick, and rock. 

One of the latest trends is hand-carved vertical overlays. Similar to hand-troweled horizontal decorative concrete applications, hand-carved vertical concrete overlays can be used to create a custom, one-of-a-kind appearance. This kind of application is much more customizable than things like stick-on rock, brick, or real stone. Vertical concrete can also be customized using stamps and texturing skins, just like horizontal concrete. Just keep in mind that applying concrete on walls correctly requires a certain depth of experience – it is something best left to the experts.