Concrete Patios in Madison, WI

Concrete patios give Madison homeowners a solid, low-upkeep place to sit outside during the months the weather allows it. Wikipedia's climate table for the city shows July highs averaging 82 degrees, and that short warm season is when a patio gets used hard: grills, tables, planters, kids and dogs. The rest of the year it sits under snow and meltwater, so a good patio is one that sheds water, stays level and does not flake.

When the old patio needs to go

Replacement makes sense when a patio shows several of these:

• Sections tipping toward the house, so rain runs to the foundation
• Wide or offset cracks that catch chair legs and trip people
• Flaking across much of the surface
• A step down from the door that has grown as the slab settled
• A size that no longer fits a table, a grill and room to move

If the slab is still in one piece and simply sunk, lifting may fix it for less. If the surface is flaking but sound, resurfacing is an option. We price those next to a new patio when they are realistic.

Planning the size and shape

Measure the furniture you plan to use and add room to pull chairs out and walk around them. Think about where the sun is in late afternoon, where the grill smoke goes, and how people get from the back door to the lawn. A patio that steps down from the house may need a poured step or a landing. Curves and angled corners cost a little more in forms and labor than a simple rectangle but often fit a yard better.

On older lots near the isthmus, where Point2Homes data shows about 13 percent of Madison homes date from 1939 or earlier, backyards can be narrow, with a detached garage and old trees close by. Roots and access matter there. On newer lots, the question is usually drainage, since many backyards slope and the patio has to direct water away from both the house and the neighbor.

Built to drain and stay level

We excavate below the frost-sensitive topsoil, compact a crushed stone base, and pitch the slab away from the house so water runs off instead of soaking in. HomeGuide's patio guide gives 4 inches as the standard residential thickness, and 6 inches with added reinforcement where something heavy like a hot tub or outdoor kitchen will sit. We use air-entrained concrete, place joints so cracks land where we want them, and keep the patio surface a step below the door so meltwater does not pond against the house.

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Finishes

• Broom finish: simple, inexpensive and slip resistant.
• Colored concrete: color mixed into the concrete for a warmer tone that does not peel.
• Exposed aggregate: stone showing at the surface, with a natural look and good grip.
• Stamped: patterns that look like stone or brick; see our stamped concrete page.
• Borders: a contrasting edge band that frames a plain slab for less than full stamping.

After the pour

HomeGuide says you can walk on new concrete after 24 to 48 hours and that it takes about 30 days to fully cure. Keep pets off for a few days and wait before setting heavy furniture or a hot tub on it. Do not salt the new patio its first winter; shovel it and use sand if needed. A sealer every few years helps keep water and grime out of the surface.