Steps for Stamping Concrete

Clean the concrete pad where you are going to pour the new concrete, using a garden hose. If there are greasy stains on the concrete, mix several drops of dish detergent in a gallon of water and scrub the cement well with the mixture. Rinse with clean water.

Add five parts water and one part muriatic acid to a plastic sprayer. Soak the surface of the concrete for several minutes. Rinse the concrete with the garden hose. Neutralize the acid by putting five parts water and one part ammonia in the cleaned sprayer. Spray this mixture on the concrete and let it soak in. Rinse well.

Build a wall out of 1-inch by 4-inch furring strips around the edge of the concrete slab. Hold the wall in place with stakes driven into the ground. Set the depth of the form at the same depth you plan to pour the concrete. Use a tape measure to ensure the depth is equal throughout.

Mix one part Portland cement and two and a half parts sand with enough water in a cement mixer to make cement that's the consistency of oatmeal. Add a coloring agent if desired. Mix Portland cement with water to the consistency of paint in a separate bucket.

Dampen the concrete, but don't allow the water to puddle. Paint the cement paint onto the damp cement, using an old paintbrush. Before the cement paint dries, cover it with the regular concrete mixture. Use a trowel to smooth the concrete and to work it all the way to the edges of the forms.

Lay an old 2-inch by 4-inch piece of lumber across the top of the furring strip forms. Work it back and forth to level the concrete in place. Leave the surface as smooth as possible. Run the edge of the trowel between the edge of the concrete and the forms to make a sharp edge.

Sprinkle release agent on the concrete when there is no longer a sheen on the surface. Sprinkle the release agent on the stamps as well. Set the stamp into the concrete. Tamp it in place with a hand tamper. Set the second stamp next to it and tamp it. Lift the first stamp straight up. Reset the first stamp in a new spot and tamp. Lift the second stamp and reset it. Repeat this process until you've stamped the entire surface. Work as quickly as possible.

Rinse the release agent from the surface after 48 hours.

Let the concrete cure for a month. Apply a concrete sealer with a brush or roller to keep stains from penetrating into the concrete. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for drying times.