Concrete Patios in Norman, OK

Concrete patios in Norman get used for most of the year. Spring and fall evenings are mild, and even in July people are out back once the sun goes down. Many homes here came with a small slab outside the back door that is now cracked, tilted toward the house or simply too small for a table and grill. A new or extended patio fixes all three, as long as it is built for the ground it sits on.

Planning the size and shape

Start with what the patio needs to hold. A table and chairs need room to pull chairs out and walk around them. A grill needs clearance from the house and a path to the back door. If you plan a hot tub or outdoor kitchen, HomeGuide's patio guide says those slabs should be 6 inches thick with extra reinforcement, rather than the standard 4 inches.

Shape matters too. Square and rectangular patios are the least expensive to form. Curved edges, steps down to the yard and connecting walkways add forming time but often make the space work better.

Getting water away from the house

On a clay lot, water is the patio's main problem. A patio that slopes toward the house sends every storm into the foundation, and clay that stays wet beside a slab swells and pushes it up. We set the forms so the surface falls away from the house, look at where the downspouts land, and plan where runoff goes once it leaves the patio. When a patio is tied to an existing slab or foundation, we use an expansion joint so the two can move separately.

Under the slab, compacted crushed stone gives even support and keeps water from collecting against the clay. Rebar holds the slab together, and joints on a planned grid keep cracks straight.

Finishes

• Broom finish: plain gray, slip resistant and the least expensive.
• Integral color: color mixed into the concrete so it goes all the way through. Warm tans and earth tones stay cooler under the summer sun than dark colors.
• Exposed aggregate: the surface paste washed off to show the stone, with good grip and a natural look.
• Stained: color applied to the cured surface for a mottled, variegated look.
• Stamped: patterns like flagstone and slate, covered on our stamped concrete page.

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Extending an old patio

If your current slab is sound, we can add to it. New concrete is doweled into the old edge so the two pieces stay level, with a joint between them. If the old slab is cracked, tilted toward the house or has dropped, it is usually better to remove it and pour the whole patio new, so the base is the same throughout and the color and texture match.

Care

Keep furniture and grills off the new slab for a few days. Seal colored and decorative patios to protect the color, and reseal on the schedule we give you. Sweep off leaves and keep sprinklers from soaking the same edge every day.