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Headwaters area

Stained Concrete Floors for Headwaters Homes in Dripping Springs

We get requests for stained concrete floors in Headwaters, a planned community in Hays County off US 290, east of downtown Dripping Springs. Its homes are newer builds on slabs at ground level, many with a modern farmhouse look. Those slabs bring us questions about stain, garage floor coatings, and patio resurfacing. Since 2001 we've run our crew out of Austin, and on slabs this new we usually test a small area before picking a color.

Headwaters isn't a confirmed service area yet, so run coverage and dates past us before you book.

  • Serving Austin since 2001
  • Decorative concrete specialists, not a general remodeler
  • Seven confirmed service lines
  • Published editorial standards and technical review
Why us

What Headwaters Homeowners Can Expect From Our Crew

  • Decorative concrete is our whole trade, not a sideline of a remodeling business
  • We've served the Austin area since 2001, and we hold jobs southwest of the city to the same standard
  • A clear read on whether your slab is a good fit before you pick a color or finish
  • A clear list of what drives the cost: square footage, removal, prep, repairs, and sealer
  • What we'll say about our work and what we won't, published on our site

How We Reach Headwaters from Austin

Headwaters is off US 290 on the Austin side of Dripping Springs. We take 290 out for jobs here and in nearby Belterra. The crew hauls the grinders, stain, and sealer out with them. We work out dust control for each job and room. Our equipment usually rides back to Austin with us each day. Anything that has to stay overnight, we'll clear with you before we leave it.

We don't commit to a set response time for jobs in Headwaters. How soon we come hinges on our calendar, the slab's size, and how many trips the job needs. A few photos and the room sizes are enough for us to put an estimated date range in your proposal. Weather can change it, and so can material availability and site conditions.

What it takes to get in and set up goes into the price. We look at driveway room for the trailer, power, and whether stairs are the only way in. Once we start, the room has to stay empty (pets included) until everything dries and cures.

What the Slabs Look Like in Newer Headwaters Homes

Headwaters homes have gone up since 2016, and they sit on slabs at ground level. They have the same problems we see in new homes all over Hays County. Curing compound (the film sprayed on fresh concrete as it cures) can still sit on top of a slab that wasn't built to be a finished floor. Machine troweling can leave the top so tight it soaks up less than older Austin slabs. And most garage floors have gone without diamond grinding. Where a slab needs it, we grind before any epoxy or polyaspartic (a fast curing garage coating) goes down.

Why does that matter for your color? Acid stain behaves differently on tight concrete that barely soaks anything up than on an older, more open slab. Water based stain and polished concrete each act differently on these surfaces too. That's one reason we typically test a small area before we agree on a color, and we don't quote a finish off a photo.

Back patios in Hays County get a lot of afternoon sun. Out there we'd go with a lighter color, an outdoor sealer designed to resist UV, and a texture with more grip. No finish makes a wet surface fully slip proof, so dry wet spots when you see them. An address doesn't tell us much, so we still look at your slab on its own.

Why we take work in Headwaters

Builders here have put up homes since 2016 and are still at it. Those homes bring a lot of requests for garage floor coatings and decorative concrete. We take jobs here case by case and make the drive out 290. We don't have an office in Dripping Springs, and we won't say we do.

Real projects

See our concrete projects

Browse photos of past jobs, with what each one involved. Then tell us which finish you like, and we'll say what might come out different on your slab.

Questions

Questions we hear from Headwaters homeowners

Do you do decorative concrete work in Headwaters?
Headwaters is on our list of possible service areas. Send the address, rough square footage, and a few photos of the slab, and we'll say whether we can take it and when. We come out from Austin to work in Dripping Springs, Driftwood, and Wimberley.
Do you have an office or crew based in Dripping Springs?
No. We're a decorative concrete crew based in Austin, and we drive out to jobs here on US 290. We don't have a local office or depot, and we won't pretend to.
How soon can you start a job here?
Two things decide it: how full our calendar is and how big the job is. Expect a later start if the job needs a lot of prep, tile or carpet removal, or a sealer with several coats. Your proposal will show an estimated date range, and weather, material availability, or site conditions can move it.
What decorative concrete work do you do out here?
We bring all seven of the services we offer in Austin. That's stained concrete floors, polished concrete, epoxy and metallic epoxy coatings, overlays and microtoppings, patio and countertop resurfacing, and floor restoration. On each one we look at the slab first, do whatever prep it needs, and seal it. Each exact step goes in your written proposal.
Do new garage slabs in Hays County need different prep?
We prep for the slab in front of us, not the neighborhood it's in. We diamond grind it to the right texture first whenever the slab calls for it. Whether it gets a moisture test comes down to the slab and the system we use. Your proposal will say. Even a Hays County garage slab poured after 2015 can hold enough moisture to lift a coating if nobody tested it first.
Are stained concrete floors a good fit for Headwaters homes?
Headwaters homes were built after 2015 on a slab at ground level. In those homes, stained concrete is typically a tough, low maintenance floor with proper care, and it works well in open living areas and kitchens. Every slab takes stain its own way, so we typically test a small area before we settle on a color.
How much does it cost to stain a concrete floor in Headwaters?
Four things set the price: the slab's condition, square footage, whether old flooring comes up, and your finish. Most basic stain jobs cost less per square foot than new tile or hardwood. With photos and measurements, we can price your real job.
What are the downsides of staining concrete?
Stain is see through, so cracks, patches, and old glue show in the floor you end up with. Color varies from spot to spot with how much stain soaks in, and it's a hard floor to stand on. We talk it all through when we see your slab, so there are no surprises.

Still deciding?

A couple of photos, your room size, and what's on the floor now are all we need to start. Then we'll tell you what the slab needs, before you've committed to anything.

Get My Free Stained Concrete Quote

Planning decorative concrete in Headwaters?

Send over the address and square footage, plus what's on the floor today. We'll answer two things: can we fit it in, and what does the slab need.

  • We check your slab before we recommend a color
  • What drives the cost, explained in writing
  • Serving Austin since 2001

Plan your Headwaters project

Tell us your ZIP code, how the floor looks now, and when you'd like it done. A few photos tell us more about your slab than the neighborhood does, so send them and we'll tell you what we see.