Simple, Work From The Middle! One of the most common flaws in stamped concrete work is the variation in texture from one portion of a slab to another. If there is a lot of texture in one area but very light texture in another, it is blatantly obvious. This situation is caused by the concrete setting up faster than the stamper can move across the slab. He starts at one end of the slab getting good impression, but by the time he finishes, the opposite end of the slab is too hard to take texture well. Years ago I learned a technique from fellow stamper Steve Smith which alleviates this problem. I must admit that I was resistant to the idea at first, but have since come to rely upon it. It has improved the quality of my company's work tremendously. The idea is almost too simple. You just mark the center of the slab with a dry string line. Then use this line as a starting point for your stamps. One worker takes half the stamps and works in one direction, and another worker takes the other half and goes in the opposite direction. When you are finished stamping, the texture is very even across the entire slab. The only problem with this technique is that it requires more stamps than would normally be required. The rule of thumb when figuring how many stamps you need on a particular job is: Enough stamps to cover the width of the slab, plus one or two more to start the next row. The technique I described works very well if you buy enough stamps to do it, and the quality of your work will improve as well. The cost of the extra stamps is nothing compared to the cost of tearing out and replacing a poorly stamped job. Steve VandeWater ArtistiCrete LLC, Noblesville IN www.4greatconcrete.com Copyright © 2006 Decosup Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced without the express consent or permission from Decosup Inc. | Home | Products Page | Decorative Concrete Gallery | Training | Technical Data | About us