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Eliminating Ridges in Stamped Concrete Seams

By Chris Sullivan – ChemSystems, Inc.

Question:

When we are stamping, we sometimes end up with a lot of crusting that we try to roll out or hammer away the next day. Do you have any tricks or suggestions for dealing with this type of problem?

Answer:

I assume you are talking about the material that pushes up between stamp imprints. If so, this is usually referred to as "squeeze." You will always have some squeeze, but it should not be overwhelming. If you are getting too much, here are a few things to look at:

Is the surface too wet? A wet surface can create more squeeze. Wait until the surface is a bit stiffer.

Are you using imprinting tools with lots of edges and angles? Tools with multiple edges (random stone patterns are the worst) tend to create more squeeze because it's harder to hold multiple edges tight during stamping vs. one or two edges.

How old are your tools, and do the edges fit together tightly? Not all tools are built the same way, and if the edges don't come together tight, you will get more material pushing up between them.

To get rid of squeeze, the easiest method is to roll it out with a touch-up wheel or chisel while the concrete is still green. If you wait and come back after the concrete is hard, you can remove the squeeze with a good set of straight-edge metal chisels. The problem with waiting until the next day is that the areas exposed after breaking off the hardened material are now usually a different color and will need to be touched up with a tint, stain or colored sealer.

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