if sidewalk stamps are meant to make clear, and to indent, then cement stamps are the opposite. they obscure, and they build up texture.
cement stamping is the process of using molds to to change the shape and texture of poured cement. typically this is used to create a more naturalistic form, mimicing the more expensive genuine rocks. you might also come across a brick wall that is just cement stamped to look like brick (though still typically stone bricks). one of the most egregiously hilarious examples was when I went to a replica of stonehenge in maryhill, washington. (I went to see the museum, which I would reccomend--and stayed to see stonehenge, which I wouldn’t reccomend)
the whole thing seems to be constructed out of concrete and cement and poured into molds made to look like large rocks. now I wouldn’t be critiquing this so much if it wasn’t for the repeating patterns and the horizontal dividing lines made from pouring. on top of that you can chip off bits with your fingers, I’m hesitant to dismiss that as just a negative. I wonder if human touch will end up making it look better... then again you can’t really cut corners when it comes to erosion, there’s just no beating the real thing.
on 10.11.2024 my friends and I went to out to maryhill
(my second time)
with the advent of cement colorants, the possibilities go beyond mimicing rocks, now wood becoming a popular option. I’ve yet to knowingly see this in person, but I’ll give you this piece of advice: if you look closely at an unpolished cement wall (typical in foundations, garages, basements, just generally residential) you can see the unintentional wood stamped texture from the plywood used during the pouring process