How to Make Smart Decorative Concrete Choices in Texas

Decorative concrete is a difficult thing to search — it’s a catch-all term that defines any concrete surface treated to enhance its appearance. We developed this comprehensive style guide to eliminate confusion, and present Texas homeowners with clear, simple options for decorative concrete in outdoor living spaces.

The truth is that not all decorative concrete options are right for Texas outdoor spaces. Certain options — like Carvestone and textured concrete pavers — offer more design flexibility, pressure and slip resistance than other alternatives. 

Let’s define the different types of decorative concrete and their best use cases in your outdoor living spaces. Then, we’ll show you how our Texas concrete design and installation experts use these materials to transform the way you live outdoors.

Expert Decorative Concrete Advice Texans Can Trust

We’re Allied Outdoor Solutions. Since 2009, we’ve utilized concrete to transform 25,000+ backyards into elevated Texas outdoor spaces. These durable, stylish spaces incorporate a variety of concrete applications — from patios to pool decks, driveways and pathways o fire features and outdoor kitchens.

Homeowners trust our design-build experts for clear communication and a streamlined, collaborative process from vision through construction. Our outdoor contractors work extensively with decorative concrete overlays, pavers and slabs that enhance the style and functionality of your space.

Ready for deeper insights into your custom outdoor project? Schedule a free consultation and let us guide you to the outdoor lifestyle of your dreams.

How to Choose the Right Decorative Concrete For Your Space

Concrete excels as a building material throughout your outdoor spaces. It’s a reliable support for patios, shade structures and pergolas. It creates durable, moisture resistant pool decks. And its innate heat resistance makes it ideal for outdoor fireplace areas.

5 inherent qualities make concrete a perfect choice for Texas outdoor living areas:

1. Heat resistance: Light colored concrete is great at limiting heat absorption, keeping outdoor patios and deck spaces cool underfoot.
2. Moisture resistance: When properly sealed, concrete surfaces offer good moisture resistance against pool water, rain and other climate-driven moisture.
3. Pressure resistance: Concrete applications provide excellent resistance to impacts and direct pressure, which helps support outdoor appliances and furniture.
4. Cost effectiveness: Concrete offers a competitive price point relative to other desirable materials like porcelain tile and travertine.
5. Lifespan: Most outdoor concrete applications last at least 30 years with proper maintenance and care. Concrete foundations can last 100 years or longer.

Decorative options like textured pavers and modified concrete overlays like Carvestone provide endless customization and style options to enhance the character of your space.

But not all decorative concrete products perform quite as well in Texas.

Why Some Decorative Concrete Options Fall Short 

Texas outdoor living presents a host of challenges that require thoughtful solutions, especially when it comes to material selection. The best options for other locations aren’t always the right choices for your Houston patio, Dallas pool deck or San Antonio driveway.

Excessive heat and humidity make smooth concrete surfaces slippery and dark colors hot to the touch. Blistering and peeling occur in some forms of stamped concrete.

Expansive clay soil is pervasive throughout the state. This makes strong, structurally-sound foundations a must for all concrete solutions, especially slabs. The tendency of our soil to shift, swell and settle requires intelligent use of expansion joints.

Poolside areas are prized in Texas — who doesn’t love a dip in the pool on a hot day? Be sure to properly seal your concrete every 2 years for ideal protection against moisture and pool chlorine. Textured concrete surfaces offer greater skid and slip resistance.

The Best Decorative Concrete Options for Texas Homes

Based on 15+ years and over 25,000 Texas outdoor construction projects, our design-build experts identified 2 decorative concrete solutions that work best for most TX homeowners.

Learn more about modified concrete overlays and concrete pavers, and discover why Carvestone and Belgard offer the right products for your outdoor living needs.

Modified Concrete Overlay

Modified concrete overlays are thin layers of enhanced concrete, often fortified with polymers. These overlays are installed over a layer of existing concrete, pea gravel or exposed aggregate and bonded for strength and stability.

Overlay solutions provide homeowners a cost-effective solution that ensures consistent color, texture and appearance throughout the design. They increase your existing space’s resistance to heat, rust, chemicals and weathering.

Carvestone

Carvestone is a modified concrete overlay material that offers tremendous customization for outdoor spaces. It’s easily colored, textured and patterned to match any existing aesthetic, creating a seamless design flow between your pool deck, home and other outdoor living zones.

It’s also prized for its durability — Carvestone is rated to withstand 6,000 PSI of direct pressure. It’s easily applied as a thin layer (¼” to ⅜” in height) over a concrete substrate, pea gravel or exposed aggregate.

Need more design inspiration? View our custom Carvestone gallery!

Decorative Concrete Pavers

Benefit from the strength and repair flexibility of decorative concrete pavers. These pavers are installed as individual blocks to create custom patterns ideal for patios, walkways, driveways and around fire features.

Individually, each concrete paver offers greater strength per square inch than a concrete slab. It’s also much easier to replace individual pavers or repair small damaged sections at a more reasonable expense.

Belgard Pavers

Allied Outdoor Solutions is a proud Belgard Authorized Contractor — one of the few outdoor contractors in Texas to achieve this rare, prestigious certification. Our team of contractors received specialized training to learn Belgard’s specific installation techniques.

Belgard concrete pavers are renowned for their range of styles, colors, textures and patterning options. Achieve contemporary or classic looks for a variety of outdoor spaces, and trust their ability to withstand harsh weather and fluctuating temperatures.

Less Effective Decorative Concrete Solutions in Texas

There are some beautiful decorative concrete products that work well in other areas — but they’re less effective in Texas due to inherent design and slip-and-fall limitations.

Here are 2 popular decorative concrete options we don’t install as often in Texas outdoor spaces, and why.

Stamped Concrete

Stamped concrete isn’t an inherently bad product — in fact, it performs beautifully in many other locations. In Texas, it simply struggles to compare to Carvestone across the board.

Stamped concrete supports 3,000 PSI of direct pressure, 50% less than Carvestone. It’s less able to be textured to prevent slips and falls than Carvestone as well. A small crack in your stamped concrete leads to delamination and peeling.

Remember, stamped concrete is a two-color product: one color for its base layer, and one for the imprinted layer. Carvestone custom designs incorporate multiple colors, patterns and textures. 

Specific Texas drawbacks: Stamped concrete struggles against salt and chlorine damage, which is a huge negative for Texas pool decks. It also becomes slick in wet, humid conditions — this creates greater slip-and-fall risks in outdoor living areas. 

Polished Concrete

Polished concrete is beautiful, for sure. It’s a sleek, low maintenance option that looks great… indoors. When you take it outside in Texas, flaws quickly start to reveal themselves.

It’s susceptible to scratches under heavy foot traffic, which is much more likely on a Texas patio than in your home’s living room or entryway.

More importantly, polished concrete suffers some issues when exposed to extreme swings in temperature. This makes it less effective in areas like Dallas-Fort Worth, which sees over 100 days of 100°F heat and plenty of freezing events each year.

Specific Texas drawbacks: Simply put, polished concrete is much too slippery in wet, moist conditions. It creates slip-and-fall risks in pool deck and poolside areas, as well as extremely humid locations like Houston. 

Let’s bring your vision to life—schedule your free design consultation today.

How to Use Decorative Concrete in Texas Outdoor Spaces

Now that we’ve defined the best outdoor concrete solutions for Texas homes, let’s implement them into your specific design strategy.

Let’s examine the key considerations and best decorative concrete options for 6 of the most frequently requested types of outdoor living spaces in the Lone Star State.

Patios

Concrete patios must stay cool underfoot, provide structural support for furniture and appliances, and combat moisture to prevent mildew and pest infestation. A covered patio structure adds enhanced protection against direct sunlight and weather conditions.

Key considerations:

• Heat resistance
• Direct pressure rating
• Moisture resistance

Best decorative concrete options: Concrete pavers offer incredible strength per square inch, making them a great choice for paver patios with lots of outdoor furniture. Light colored Carvestone performs well when renovating existing concrete patios.

Pool Decks

Textured concrete is non-negotiable for pool decks in Texas. Whether it’s Houston humidity, unpredictable rainfall in DFW and Austin, or prolonged exposure to pool water, a grooved surface protects you and your guests from slips, falls, and gross mildew growth.

Concrete is our preferred material for Texas pool deck resurfacing.

Key considerations:

• Slip resistance
• Moisture resistance
• Heat resistance

Best decorative concrete options: Light colored Carvestone is the best option for Texas pool decks due to its endless customization options, pressure rating and strong resistance to moisture when properly sealed. We use a skid-resistant sealant element to increase its protection against slips and falls.

Driveways

Choose concrete driveway materials that allow dispersal of weight and pressure across a larger area to prevent cracks and accelerated wear and tear. The best material choice depends on your desired foundation or substrate.

Key considerations:

• Direct pressure rating
• Strength per square inch
• Heat resistance

Best decorative concrete options: Carvestone is an excellent option for driveways with an existing concrete, pea gravel or exposed aggregate substrate. If you’re working on a budget or covering existing asphalt, textured concrete pavers are a great choice.

Searching for your dream design? View our driveway gallery for more inspiration! 

Pathways

Concrete pathways provide clear, defined movement between unique outdoor zones. When in doubt, opt for trusted paver brands like Belgard for glamorous designs that last decades.

Key considerations:

• Moisture resistance
• Heat resistance

Best decorative concrete options: Belgard pavers look wonderful along any pathway or walkway, especially in garden spaces. Use them to seamlessly connect outdoor living zones in your Texas yard. Try cobblestone options for a classic look and feel.

Fire Features

Concrete works wonders in and around your outdoor fire features. Use concrete in your custom fire table or as the top of your fire pit, or surround the area with Carvestone for enhanced protection against direct and indirect heat.

Key considerations:

• Heat resistance

Best decorative concrete options: Concrete pavers perform quite well around custom fire features and outdoor fireplaces. They offer the durability to resist heat and scorch damage, and the internal strength to support these structures. Consider using pavers in the actual construction of your custom fire pit or table.

Outdoor Kitchens

Concrete is a versatile design material for outdoor kitchen spaces. Its inherent heat and pressure resistance provides stability and strength as a flooring/decking material, and it also performs well as a kitchen island countertop material — especially on a grill island.

Key considerations:

• Heat resistance
• Direct pressure rating

Best decorative concrete options: Light colored Carvestone flooring is an optimal choice for Texas outdoor kitchens. Its 6000+ PSI pressure rating withstands the heaviest grills, appliances and kitchen islands. Texture and seal your Carvestone for maximum moisture resistance.

FAQs About Decorative Concrete in Texas

Discover expert answers to your questions about decorative concrete applications in Texas outdoor spaces.

Design a space you’ll never want to leave. Book your free design consultation today!

Is cracking an issue in concrete pavers?

When properly installed, used and maintained, cracking is not generally an issue in concrete pavers. Most cracking issues occur due to improper installation, extreme freeze-thaw cycles, or exorbitant direct weight.

Are concrete pavers stronger than plain concrete?

Pound-for-pound, concrete pavers are stronger than standard concrete and cement applications. Their smaller surface area allows for greater pressure resistance and internal strength.

What surfaces can (and can’t) concrete overlays cover?

Concrete overlays can be installed with confidence on concrete substrate, pea gravel or exposed aggregate. You can’t install them directly over asphalt, existing brick pavers, or outdoor tile.

Can you use concrete overlays on a driveway?

Yes, you can use modified concrete overlays like Carvestone on driveways. Their 6,000 PSI pressure rating means they’ll easily support the weight of multiple cars and trucks. Install Carvestone over a concrete or pea gravel substrate for ideal performance.

Can you use concrete pavers on a driveway?

Yes, concrete pavers are extremely effective on driveways. Their superior strength per square inch, pressure resistance and the ability to make small sectional repairs make them a great option for homeowners.

Can you add slip resistance to outdoor concrete?

Yes, if you’re using the right material. Carvestone and concrete pavers are easily textured to improve slip resistance. Add a skid-resistant sealing element for further protection. However, stamped and polished concrete offer less slip resistance options.

Do you offer any concrete warranty options?

Yes, Allied Outdoor Solutions offers material and workmanship warranties on concrete projects. We offer a 1 year workmanship warranty from the date of completion, as well as a 1 year workmanship warranty on general construction.

We provide a 1 year workmanship warranty against defects in Carvestone installation, plus a 7 year limited, non-transferrable residential warranty covering Carvestone against chipping and delamination. 

Allied Outdoor Solutions: Trusted Decorative Concrete Installation in Texas

Be informed and selective when it comes to choosing the right decorative concrete material for your Texas outdoor living space. The ideal products deliver superior heat resistance, a textured surface, and an aesthetically pleasing look and finish.

Trust Carvestone modified concrete overlays for your patio, pool deck, and outdoor kitchen spaces. Belgard and other concrete pavers offer strength and style to driveways, pathways and paver patio designs.

Whatever your decorative concrete needs, look to Allied Outdoor Solutions. We’re your trusted partner for outdoor concrete design and construction — our design-build experts bring 25,000+ projects’ worth of experience and expertise to your project.

Ready to get started? Claim your free consultation today, and get ready to fall in love with your beautifully durable outdoor living spaces.