Concrete is unforgiving. It is poured once, it lasts decades, and everything that determines whether it cracks happens before the truck arrives.
What we pour
- Driveways — new pours and replacements, including the apron where it meets the street.
- Patios — plain, broom finished or stamped.
- Walkways and sidewalks — front paths, side access, garden runs.
- Slabs and shed pads — sized and reinforced for what is going on top of them.
- Steps and landings — poured or formed to match existing work.
The part underneath is the part that matters
Concrete that cracks and settles almost never failed because of the concrete. It failed because of what was under it.
Midlands soil moves. Red clay swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, and a slab poured straight onto undisturbed clay with no base will follow it. So the base gets excavated, graded and compacted before anything is poured, and the pour gets reinforcement and control joints cut where we want the concrete to crack — because it will crack somewhere, and the only question is whether you chose the line.
It is not the visible part of the job and it is the part worth paying for.
Three-year labor warranty
We warranty our workmanship for three years
Every concrete pour we do carries a three-year warranty on our labor. If something we did fails in that window — a joint that was cut wrong, an edge that spalled from a bad finish, work that settled because the base was not right — we come back and fix it at no cost to you.
That is a warranty on our work, which is the part we control. It is not a promise that concrete will never crack; concrete cracks as it cures and no honest contractor tells you otherwise. It is a promise that if it fails because of how we poured it, that is our problem and not yours.
Ask the next contractor you speak to what they warranty and for how long. The answer is worth more than the number at the bottom of the quote.
What drives the price
- Square footage and thickness. A driveway carrying vehicles is poured thicker than a garden path.
- Tear-out. Removing and hauling old concrete is real work and real weight.
- Access. Whether a truck can reach the pour or it has to be barrowed changes the labor completely.
- Grading and base. A flat site with good drainage costs less than one that needs building up.
- Finish. Broom finish, exposed aggregate and stamped work are different amounts of time on your knees.
We live here
Precision Palmetto is based in Columbia. Our license is South Carolina, our number is an 803 number, and when you call it in three years somebody will answer. If we get something wrong, we are still here to put it right — which is a stronger guarantee than anything we could print on this page.
Our concrete work in the Midlands
See work from all six trades →
Common questions
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Columbia?
It depends on size, thickness, whether old concrete has to come out, and how much grading the site needs. We measure and quote in writing rather than give a per-foot rate that moves once we see the ground.
How long before I can drive on new concrete?
Concrete is usually walkable in a day or two and ready for vehicles after about a week, though it continues gaining strength for a month. We will give you specific timings for your pour and the weather it went down in.
Will my concrete crack?
Every slab cracks eventually — concrete shrinks as it cures. The job is to control where. We cut control joints so it cracks along a line you chose instead of across the middle of your patio.
Can you pour over my existing driveway?
Sometimes, but often it is a bad idea. An overlay on a slab that is already moving inherits every problem underneath it. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in.
Do you warranty your concrete work?
Yes — three years on our labor. If the work fails because of how we poured it, we come back and fix it at no cost. That covers our workmanship, not the fact that concrete cracks as it cures, which every slab does.
Do you do stamped or decorative concrete?
Yes — broom finish, exposed aggregate and stamped patterns. Decorative finishes take longer and cost more, and they need the same base work as anything else.
Want a straight number?
We will come out, look at the job properly, and put a price in writing — including if the answer is that it does not need doing yet.
Call (803) 258-0842Also from us: Roofing · Siding · Gutters · Fencing · Masonry
Based in Columbia, working across South Carolina. The Midlands is
home — Columbia, Lexington, Irmo, Cayce, West Columbia, Forest Acres, Blythewood, Chapin, Elgin, Gaston and Hopkins — and we take work throughout the Lowcountry and Upstate as
well. If you are not sure whether we come out your way, call and ask.