Decorative concrete in Costa Mesa CA - a color and finish that fit your budget
Your patio or walk is plain gray, faded or cracked. We help you pick a color and pattern that suits the space and wears well.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into a decorative concrete job in Costa Mesa?
Decorative concrete in Costa Mesa means giving a patio, walk or other flat slab a finished look with color, a stamped pattern or a stain, and one job can combine more than one of those so the surface looks like more than a gray slab.
Most people who call have a slab they're tired of looking at, or a new patio they'd like stamped to look like stone or tile. The price moves with the size of the area, how much old concrete has to come out, how many colors and patterns you pick and how much hand work the finish takes. The schedule turns on tear-out, base work, the weather on pour day and any city paperwork, which we handle when a job needs a permit. Your estimate spells out each part of the job so you can see where the money goes.
How can you tell your patio or walk needs new decorative concrete?
Color worn off in patches
Blotchy or bare spots on a colored slab usually mean the surface color wasn't worked in well or the shade was uneven from the start. Left alone, the worn areas tend to spread with foot traffic and sun, and loose color can start to flake.
Cracks running through the pattern
Cracks that cut across a stamped pattern usually point to a base that settled or joints that weren't cut where they were needed. Water gets into every open crack, so waiting tends to mean wider gaps and pieces that start to rock.
Water pooling on the slab
Puddles that sit after rain or watering usually mean a sunken section or a slab that was sloped the wrong way. If it tips toward your house, that water ends up against the foundation, and the low spot only gets deeper.
How we do decorative concrete
I start by laying the color and finish options side by side and telling you which ones take more crew skill and which are harder to keep even across a big area, then we pick what fits your budget and will last. On the job, our crew tears out the old slab, digs out and packs the subgrade, the soil and gravel the slab sits on, and checks where the water will run so the slab sheds it away from the house. We time the pour to miss the midday heat, since a hot pour can leave a weak, dusty top, then color and stamp it, cut control joints, the shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and let it cure, the wait that lets it gain strength before you use it. If the budget gets tight, the base is the last thing I'll cut, because nobody sees it on day one and it's what most of the failed concrete I've torn out was missing.
Decorative work often sits next to other concrete. If the patio meets a slope, concrete retaining walls can hold the soil back before we pour, and if you want a finished slab indoors, concrete floor installation covers slabs that serve as the floor of a garage or room.
Get a free estimate on your decorative concrete
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is done on site, every part of the job is spelled out, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(949) 543-1664- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- service@costamesaconcrete.com
- Costa Mesa, CA 92626
What happens when you call about decorative concrete in Costa Mesa?
Here's how a decorative job runs from your first call to the day you can use the slab, and who you'll deal with at each point.
Call or send your details
Call (949) 543-1664 or send the form, and we'll set a time to come out. A rough size and a few photos of the area help us plan the visit.
I look at the site
I come out, look at the ground, the drainage and how you'll use the area, and we compare finishes. You get an estimate with tear-out, base, color and finish listed separately, so you can see what each choice adds.
We schedule and file paperwork
Once you say go, we put the job on the schedule. If it needs a city permit, we take care of the filing before we start.
We pour, finish and cure
Our crew forms, pours, colors and finishes the slab, and I'm there when the concrete goes in. Then it cures, and we tell you when it's ready to use.
Why Costa Mesa homeowners call Premier Costa Mesa Concrete for decorative work
Color can't hide a slab that moves, so the base comes first. Tell us about your project and I'll come take a look.
In business since 2017
Before that, I spent years on upkeep for a property management company, patching cracked walks, sunken slabs and broken steps across a lot of rentals. I've seen what peels, cracks and sinks, and I plan your job so it doesn't repeat those mistakes.
Licensed and fully insured
California lets unlicensed workers take only jobs under $1,000 that need no permit and where they employ no one on the project, and most decorative patios are well past that. Ask any contractor about license and insurance before anyone pours in your yard.
The owner prices it, our crew pours
I come out myself to look at the job and write the estimate, our own crew does the work, and I'm on site for the pours. If a finish won't hold up where you want it, you'll hear that from me before you spend anything.
Decorative concrete and the work around it in Costa Mesa
Whether your patio or walk needs a permit is the city's call, and it isn't always clear for decorative work, so we check with the city before we start. When a job needs one, we pull it and handle the filing through the city's TESSA online portal, and some simple projects with a limited scope can get an Insta-Permit. If you'd rather ask yourself, the city's building safety office takes permit questions at (714) 754-5273 or buildingpermit@costamesaca.gov. Work that touches the city's sidewalk or street needs an encroachment permit from Public Works, which you also apply for on TESSA, with questions going to (714) 754-5323.
We're based in Costa Mesa and work across the cities around it in Orange County, and we see the same tired patios and plain walks on jobs in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Orange County's stormwater guidance says concrete trucks should wash out in designated spots, not in storm drains, streets, ditches or the ground, so it's worth knowing where the truck can sit before pour day.
Questions about decorative concrete in Costa Mesa
(949) 543-1664How much does decorative concrete cost in Costa Mesa?
A stamped concrete patio in Orange County usually costs about $9 to $18 per square foot, and that's what the area's market charges, not a quote from us. A patio reinforced with rebar, the steel inside that helps hold the slab together, costs somewhat more per square foot than one without it. Size, tear-out and the finish you pick move your number from there, and your estimate breaks out each part.
How long does a decorative concrete patio take to put in?
Most of the time goes to the work around the pour, not the pour itself. Tearing out the old slab, building the base and curing take up most of the calendar, and the weather on pour day or a city permit can move the start. We'll go over your timing at the estimate.
What causes stamped or colored concrete to crack and sink?
Usually it's a base that was never packed, because loose fill under a slab keeps settling under its weight and leaves cracks, sunken spots and uneven edges. A well-compacted base helps keep a decorative finish level and whole, so we dig out and pack it before any color goes down.
What license should a concrete contractor have in California?
Look for California's C-8 Concrete Contractor classification, which covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing flatwork, the flat slabs like patios, walks and driveways, along with other concrete work. You can check a contractor's license with the state licensing board before you sign.
How much can a contractor ask for up front on a concrete patio in California?
On a home improvement job in California, the down payment can be no more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Any other payments have to be listed in the contract and match work done or materials delivered, so read that part before you sign.
How do I get a decorative concrete estimate in Costa Mesa?
Call (949) 543-1664 or send the form with the rough size of the area, the finish you have in mind and a few photos of the site. That gives us enough to talk through options before the visit.
Other concrete work that pairs with decorative finishes
Concrete retaining walls
If your new patio sits against a slope or a raised bed, a wall that holds the soil back keeps dirt and water off the finished surface.
Concrete floor installation
Where the slab inside a garage, workshop or room is the floor itself, we pour it flat and level so it's ready for everyday use.
Service areas around Costa Mesa
Premier Costa Mesa Concrete is based in Costa Mesa, California, and does decorative work across the cities around it, including Irvine and Fountain Valley. Each of the 12 cities below has its own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Costa Mesa, CA
Get your decorative concrete options priced
Seeing the finishes priced side by side is the quickest way to tell which ones are worth it for your yard.