Good questions.
Clear answers.

Plan on $8 to $14 per square foot installed for a standard 4-inch broom-finish concrete driveway in Arlington and the DFW area. A typical 2-car driveway, 20 by 30 feet or 600 square feet, lands between $4,800 and $8,400 as a new pour. Tearing out an old driveway adds $2.50 to $4.50 per square foot, a rebar grid adds $0.60 to $1.10, and stamped concrete runs $14 to $24 per square foot. Small jobs carry a minimum of about $1,800, because a crew, forms and a ready-mix truck cost the same to show up for 150 square feet as for 600. Those are ballpark bands, not a quote. The exact number comes from walking your lot.

Plan on $8 to $14 per square foot installed for a 4-inch broom-finish concrete patio in Arlington and across DFW, $11 to $18 for exposed aggregate, $9 to $15 for a salt finish, and $14 to $24 for stamped. A 16 by 20 patio, 320 square feet, runs about $2,550 to $4,500 in broom finish and $4,500 to $7,700 stamped. Tearing out an old slab adds $2.50 to $4.50 per square foot and a rebar grid adds $0.60 to $1.10. Small patios hit our job minimum of about $1,800, because a crew, forms and a ready-mix truck cost the same to send for 200 square feet as for 600. These are ballpark bands for our market, not a quote.

A 4-inch broom-finish slab runs about $8 to $14 per square foot installed in Arlington and across DFW. Thickness moves it: 5 inches adds roughly 8 percent and 6 inches about 18 percent, so a 6-inch slab is about $9.50 to $16.50 per square foot. A rebar grid adds $0.60 to $1.10, a smooth trowel finish for a shop floor adds about 50 cents, and tearing out an old slab adds $2.50 to $4.50. In real sizes: a 12 by 16 shed pad is about $1,800 to $2,700, a 20 by 20 garage slab at 6 inches is about $3,800 to $6,600, and a 24 by 30 shop slab at 6 inches with rebar is about $7,250 to $12,700. Our job minimum is about $1,800. These are ballpark bands, not a quote.

Stay off it for 24 hours, then you can walk on it. Light furniture and a grill can go out after 3 days. Park a passenger car after 7 days, when the slab has reached roughly 70 percent of its design strength. Keep trucks, trailers, RVs and any loaded vehicle off for 14 days on a standard 4 inch slab, and 28 days on a thicker one. Full design strength comes at 28 days, and the slab should not be sealed before then. Those numbers assume a standard pour in mild weather; Texas heat, a cold snap and how the slab is cured all move them.

Four inches is the right thickness for a standard residential driveway that carries cars, SUVs and pickups. Go to five or six inches if the driveway will see loaded work trucks, a trailer, an RV or a roll-off dumpster. Thickness alone does not make a driveway last: a compacted base, steel in the slab, a 3,000 to 4,000 psi mix, control joints and a proper cure matter just as much. In Arlington, the approach between the sidewalk and the street sits in the public right-of-way, so that section gets built to whatever the City requires, not to the number on this page; confirm with the City of Arlington before the work starts.

Concrete shrinks as it dries, roughly 1/16 of an inch for every 10 feet, and it cracks to relieve that pull. A hairline crack narrower than a credit card is normal and is not a defect. Control joints cut at 8 to 10 feet on a 4-inch slab decide where that cracking happens so it stays hidden in the joint. A crack that is wide, growing, or has one side higher than the other points to the ground under the slab, which is the real problem in DFW clay. Most warranties cover workmanship, not shrinkage, so ask what is covered in writing before you sign.

Neither is better. They are different answers to different questions. A broom finish costs less ($8–14 per sq ft installed), grips well wet, and needs almost no upkeep. Stamped concrete costs more ($14–24 per sq ft), looks like stone or wood, and has to be resealed every 2–3 years to hold its color and stay slip-resistant. Both get the same slab underneath: compacted base, rebar, control joints and a proper cure. Pick broom if the patio is a work surface and the budget matters most. Pick stamped if the patio is the look of the back yard and you will keep up the sealer.

It depends on where the concrete goes. The drive approach, the piece between your property line and the street curb, sits in public right-of-way and the City of Arlington says a City permit is required for it. An uncovered patio on your own lot, 30 inches or less above grade, is on the City's list of work exempt from a building permit, and the City's permit FAQ adds sidewalks that are not in City right-of-way. A driveway slab on your side of the line is not named on either list, so confirm it with the City before you pour. Exempt work still has to stay out of setbacks and easements and keep water off the neighbor. A slab for a shed or carport follows the building: a storage shed over 100 square feet needs a permit. Rules change, so confirm your project with Planning and Development Services at 817-459-6502 before the forms go in.