Concrete Stamps:
Stamping Decorative Concrete and Stamp Mats

Today, one company alone, Matcrete Inc., sells roughly 200 stamp patterns, from basket-weave and herringbone to tile, octagons and squares. "I've seen some really tricky stuff in stamping," says Matcrete vice president Kris Kaitanjian. "It's such a diverse field. It's really limitless."

Stamping's popularity peaked in the early 1990s, before the public imagination turned to staining, says Bob Harris, director of product training with The Scofield Institute, operated by manufacturer L.M. Scofield Co. But decorative bordering, custom mat design and other innovations are driving a new wave of interest in putting a distinctive stamp on concrete jobs, he says. "People are becoming more creative."

Chris McMahon, owner of Architectural Concrete Design Inc. in Levittown, Pa., says his company budgets $15,000 a year for stamps, adding new textures, expanding sets and replacing broken stamps or tired designs. "Textures get better all the time," he says. "The new ones are more realistic."

A contractor can build word of mouth with just one good-looking effect, McMahon notes, so picking the right stamp is crucial. "When we have a brick tool that looks a specific way, we become known for having that brick tool."

So — how does a contractor go about finding the perfect set of stamp mats?