Stamped concrete vs exposed aggregate for driveways, I am team aggregate now

I did a buddy's driveway last summer outside Austin, went with stamped concrete because he wanted that fancy look. Six months later the stamp pattern was already fading in spots from the sun and sealant wore weird. Did my own driveway with exposed aggregate and a light acid wash, cost me about $400 less and the texture hides all the little cracks and stains way better. Has anyone else had bad luck with stamped stuff holding up over time?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace50813d agoMost Upvoted

I'm with you on aggregate over stamped. Got a buddy who did a stamped driveway in Phoenix and it looked great for about a year then the sun just baked the color out of it, looked like old concrete with a bad tattoo. I read somewhere that in hotter climates the stamp patterns tend to break down faster because the sealant can't handle the UV. Plus aggregate is way more forgiving if you spill oil or something, you just don't notice it.

the_holly13d ago

My neighbor went stamped in Dallas and after two summers the color looked patchy and weird, almost like someone spilled bleach in spots. The sealant bubble and peel too in the heat, so you end up resealing every year just to keep it decent looking. Aggregate just sits there being ugly rock and honestly that's way better than trying to maintain fake brick patterns that turn into a faded mess.