Cement Stamped to look like wood??!

Cement stamped to look like wood? I think this is the coolest thing!

What's a Stamped Concrete Patio?

  A stamped concrete patio is simply a concrete slab with a textured, embossed surface. The contractor:

- Pours and smooths the slab.
- Presses a pattern into the surface while the concrete is still wet and soft.
- For realism, adds color to the concrete as it's mixed, or sprays it on after the surface has been stamped.

This is cement!! I am in love with this idea. 

Not only is this perfect for my outside patio, it is probably better to clean and needs less maintenance then a wooden deck would. I watched a video on how its done, and its pretty amazing. Not only does it look beautiful but it is cheaper then getting stone pavers or bricks installed. Here is a price comparison:

Cement stamped patio: $10- $15 square foot

Plain concrete: $6-$12 per sq. ft.
Brick: $14-$20 per sq. ft.
Stone, slate, or marble: $17-$28 per sq. ft.
Concrete pavers: $13-$20 per sq. ft.

A video on how its done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hquWOcKwGZQ

When I saw this I immediately thought of my inspiration photo for the deck.

I love everything this and it reminded me of my backyard.

We already have a small wooden deck which is falling apart Pictured below: 

HI SEB ;)

The deck is old and rotted. Our yard is an L shaped yard and I have 2 sliding doors. What I want to do is wrap the deck around so that we can walk out of both sliding doors and be on the deck. I also want to make the deck a little smaller being that the yard isn't to wide. I want as much grass as we can get!

This is our second sliding door:

That fenced is going to be pushed back to the street and we are getting rid of that second driveway. Then I will have privacy and much more yard.

I will be looking into this when it is time to do our yard...but I am going to tackle the inside first!!