I'm a concrete contractor and I speak to many people out estimating and looking at work with my business. Often people think stamped concrete is totally different than regular concrete and it's really an entirely different product. This is somewhat true, however the basics of both are the same plus they are usually specified exactly the same, when used in the same application. For https://beaumontconcretetx.com/ , if stamped concrete or regular concrete is used for a driveway, they'll generally be the same thickness and also have exactly the same design strength.
Regular concrete can be your everyday concrete found in sidewalks, driveways, patios, roads, and anytime regular pavement is constructed. It's generally placed on some form of gravel or native soil base that's compacted. The area is then formed with lumber or manufactured forms. Reinforcement is normally installed in the bottom which is usually rebar or wire mesh. The concrete is specified to a desired thickness that is designed for its application. For instance, a driveway that handles car and light trucks is normally poured four inches thick. The concrete mix can be specified that is usually a 4000 psi mix within areas that have severe winters. That is the strength the concrete reaches in 28 days. Concrete is positioned, striked off, bull floated then gets a non slip finish, just like a broom. After that, the concrete is cured with either water and burlap, or the easy way with a membrane forming curing compound.
Stamped concrete is very similarly placed to regular concrete. Generally all the steps are the same except the finishing steps. The concrete is also colored that is usually put into the mix. It is also colored with a color hardener, but most contractors use an integral color. After bull floating is when things the procedure changes with stamped concrete. Some contractors go one step further and trowel the concrete to have the concrete really smooth. We use air entrained concrete inside our area because of the harsh winters, which isn't supposed to be troweled so we usually just get it smooth as you possibly can with a magnesium bull float. Following the concrete sets to a desired hardness, the concrete is imprinted with the rubber like stamps. A release agent that is an antiquing colored release, or liquid release agent can be used to help keep the stamps from sticking to the concrete. Some contractors will put curing paper on the concrete to cure it till the very next day when the concrete will be washed and sealed with a higher gloss sealer that is also a membrane forming cure.
So to conclude stamped and regular, there is not much difference between the two other than what they look like on the surface. Lots of people they think stamped concrete is simply not as durable as regular concrete and that's not the case. The only thing that could make it less durable is the texture of the stamped concrete. Within an environment that gets snow, stamped concrete will get damaged by snow removal equipment like snow plows.
