Concrete Overlays vs Stamped Concrete

Anytime a form or mold is pressed into a freshly placed cementious material it is considered stamped concrete.  In most cases, regular concrete consisting of Portland cement, sand, water, and gravel is the most common cementious material that is stamped.  However, cementious material also encompasses polymer modified cement based products which refers to concrete overlays.  Concrete overlays are placed anywhere from a quarter of an inch to an inch and a half over an existing surface before being stamped.

The application of a stamped overlay differs greatly from regular stamped concrete.  Miracote, a leading manufacturer of concrete restoration products, has a stamped overlay system known as Mirastamp.  In their system, one five gallon bucket of liquid polymer is added to 5 bags of dry cementious material.  The material is placed with a gauge rake and is stamped at the appropriate time.

Concrete that consists of Portland cement, sand, water and gravel is typically place at 4 inches thick on a limestone compacted base.  The concrete is either colored integrally or with color hardener, coated with an antique release, and then stamped.  

So the short answer is yes, there is a difference between the two in structure and application.  Either method produces a beautiful finished product depending on what the situation calls for.