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How To Refinish Concrete Patio

Concrete Resurfacing And Stenciling : How To Resurface A Concrete Slab Or Patio

How to Tackle: Resurfacing Concrete Patio with Sakrete FloCoat

Concretestenciling is an easy, economical way to achieve the highly desired look ofpaver stones or brick without the additional expense, tools, time or laborrequired.

Inaddition to boosting curb appeal for homeowners, concrete stenciling is also along-lasting, attractive alternative to replacing an old concrete driveway,patio or walkway that has started to show signs of wear and tear or slight cracking.Plus, it provides a unique service offering that sets your business apart fromthe competition!

Ifyoure stenciling on concrete that has begun to show signs of age or cracking but is still structurally sound it is best to begin the process byresurfacing. Read on to learn how to return a concrete slab, patio or walkwayto like-new condition using

Tip: A slab with multiple cracks running deep in the concrete, tree roots breaking through, or one that has deteriorated into a pile of stones and sand will need to be replaced, not resurfaced.


Materials Needed

    Variable-speed drill and paddle mixer attachment

Step One: Prepare the Surface

Before resurfacing, preparation is critical. The concrete must be sound, clean, hard and free of dust, dirt, grease, oil, paint, sealers, curing compounds and other foreign materials that would inhibit performance. Pressure washing is recommended with a 2,500 psi pressure washer and the appropriate tip, assuring the surface is properly cleaned.

Step Two: Mix the Product

What Is An Acceptable Surface To Be Resurfaced

Small plastics shrinkage cracks or crazing cracks can be covered by the polymer prime coat and base coat of the resurfacing material.


Larger cracks must be repaired. See Is it worth fixing

In any case, the underlying concrete for a resurfacing project must be sound. It is not feasible to resurface concrete that is heaving, has severe cracks, or is damaged due to freeze/ thaw damage. Resurfacing will not solve underlying soil problems.

Read about types of repairs that can be done to concrete: Basics of concrete repair and troubleshooting

Concrete Repair Or Removal

Repairing concrete usually costs between $300 to $3,500. Fixing cracks ranges from $250 to $800. If the cracks are wider than of an inch, consider hiring a structural engineer for a cost of about $500. Cracks wider than of an inch could mean there are problems in the foundation’s integrity.

A structural engineer assesses the foundation to determine its soundness and stability. They will explain which cracks are ignorable, which are easy to fix with synthetic or rubberized fillers and which will require hiring a contractor to make the repairs. Do this before pouring new product.


Removing concrete sets homeowners back an average of $1,000, but costlier jobs may reach $3,000. Remove it by using a pry bar and sledgehammer to smash it into smaller pieces or an electric jackhammer and special saw.

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Add A Beautiful Outdoor Rug

The easiest way to make over a concrete patio is to invest in a large and striking outdoor rug. Heres a great example. The eye will instantly go to the rug and the concrete patio will disappear into the background. Put some great outdoor furniture on top of the rug and youve got yourself an outdoor space you can be proud of. If you like a beachy color scheme of blue and white, youll love this rug.

Are Resurfacing And Refinishing Concrete The Same Thing

Resurfacing a Sidewalk is Easy to DIY

Concrete refinishing and resurfacing are two different things:

  • Refinishing adds, changes, or restores color or shine to an undamaged, level concrete surface.
  • Resurfacing removes and replaces the top layer of concrete, correcting surface damage and optionally adding decorative colors or stamping.
Resurface vs. refinish concrete


Yes

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How Much Does A Concrete Overlay Cost

When you look at the cost of concrete overlay material, it’s going to depend on what your using it for.

There’s concrete overlays for very thin micro-topping finishes of 1/16″ or less, most of the time this is used to get a smooth appearance. There’s overlays made for resurfacing 1/8″ to 3/8″ for broom finish and there’s overlays for stamped concrete appearances.

There’s other overlay material used just for deep repairs and others used for getting a polished concrete floor look.

At Deco-Cretesupply.com a bag of micro-topping concrete overlay is about $80.00 per 37 lb. bag, and will cover 300 – 500 square feet.


The 1/8″ – 3/8″ bag of concrete overlay is about $36.00 per 50 lb. bag, it covers 48 square feet at 1/8″ thick.

A 50 lb. bag of self-leveling overlay mix is about $30.00 and covers 50 square feet at 1/8″ thick.

Labor prices will vary depending on the amount of prep, repair, and type of overlay finish you’re going after.

Smooth and broom finishes will generally run $5 – $10 dollars per square foot and stamped overlays can run between $10 – $20 dollars per square foot. These prices include both labor and materials.

Stain The Concrete To Look Like Tile

If you love the look of tiles but not the hard work or the expense, you could stain the concrete to look like tile! Use 1/2 inch tape to create grout lines on the floor and then stain over it. Peel off the tape and ta-da, instant tile! Just make sure to clean it beforehand and seal it afterwards and youll have a concrete patio that looks nothing like concrete.


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Resurface Exposed Aggregate Concrete Patio

Is it possible to resurface an exposed aggregate concrete patio? My current patio surface is about 20 years old, and the aggregate has deteriorated a bit and is pretty ugly looking and painful to walk on. Here’s a picture:

  • How much room you got to raise the slab? Can you add a couple inches without interfering with anything ?

If you don’t have to make the overlay “very thin” and the patio is structurally sound, there’s not a whole lot of “bonding” needed – a 1-1/2 – 2″ thick overlay on a sound, solid concrete substrate will happily sit there, unless it has voids to encourage spalling in the winter. As it happens, that looks like a pretty good bet for bonding to though it would probably be advisable to pressure-wash it to remove any loose material, and probably also acid-etch it to improve bonding and further clean it up.

Thin is generally harder to do well with masonry materials.

Avoid resurfacing with new. There is no way to make a permanent chemical bond, water will get in and it will crack out at any thickness that will not interfere with your use of doors and so forth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. This is regardless of climate. Don’t believe me? Call your local cement supplier and ask them.


To answer your specific questions:

  • Is it possible to resurface an exposed aggregate concrete patio?

  • Yes.

    This should be reasonably priced.

  • Is there a product that might work?

  • Update Your Concrete Patio With Rust

    How To Repair And Resurface A Concrete Patio Slab

    If youve been following along for a while, then you might remember that weve been working on projects to fix up the exterior of our house since the spring.

    I shared the whole before of our exterior as well as our plans to improve it early in the season. So far we have worked on the deck the pea gravel fire pit, the siding , the exterior trim, and the front yard lawn, river rock garden, split rail fence, and side shade garden.

    One of the last things we managed to squeeze in this year before the weather arrived was the makeover of our lower patio. The before of this patio area from when I shared all my plans for the exterior of our house and the yard shows how it looked mid-way into the deck reconstruction process

    We started with a very tired, very damaged, very ugly, old patio area beneath our upper deck.

    At some point it had been painted with concrete paint , and it had NOT held up well. It actually made me cringe inside every time I looked at it.

    We started out by giving it a serious power washing. We got up as much of the old concrete paint as we possibly could in order to leave a clean, fresh surface for our new treatment. The prep steps may seem like the boring part but they are super important, so dont skip them!

    We bought this Subaru Power Washer in the spring and LOVE it

    After power washing and getting every last bit of the old paint off that we possibly could, we filled the cracks with a special RustOLeum epoxy filler

    Next: The Primer!

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    How Thick Should A Concrete Overlay Be

    The thickness of a concrete overlay will vary for these applications:

    • Resurfacing an interior concrete floor – 1/16″ – 1/8″
    • Resurfacing a concrete walk, driveway, patio, or pool deck – 1/8″ – 3/8″
    • Self-leveling underlayment – 1/8″ up to 2″
    • Self-leveling overlay – 1/4″ up to 2″

    These are just general guidelines and what I’ve done the most of.

    Every manufacturer’s bag of overlay mix has a minimum and maximum thickness labeled right on the bag.

    If you have a project where the overlay material is going to be 2″ thick or more, some mixes can have pea-stone added to them for the thicker applications.

    S On How To Cover An Old Concrete Patio

    Spalling and cracks are the two common severe forms of concrete floor damages. Now the question many ask is, how do I cover old concrete? Is it possible? How about my outdoor concrete, such as the patio?

    Todays blog answers all your patio and outdoor concrete flooring woes. And today, learn more about an efficient solution, a patio finishes for existing concrete Seattle.

    When spalling, peeling, and cracks start to show up on your outdoor flooring surfaces, there is no way you can restore the concretes prime beauty. What you can do is cover them up through patching, crack filling, and resurfacing.

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    Option : Replace The Whole Thing

    The first way most homeowners think of to address their settling patio is to simply replace it. Seems simple enough, right?

    But this method is not so simple. Replacing the entire patio will first require you to remove any furniture you may have on the surface, as well as any plants or landscaping which may be along the borders. Then youre in for lots of labor, new materials, and foot traffic through your property. Even though it seems like the most obvious choice, replacing the whole patio is the most expensive and time consuming option on the table. So what else can you do?

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    Preventing Peeling Paint On A Concrete Porch

    Patio Concrete Resurfacing

    Question: I have a concrete porch thats been painted several times. But the paint bubbles and peels off, leaving a mess. Each of the painters has said that this happens to concrete when you paint it over the winter. Im not sure that they are telling me the truth. How do I get the porch painted in the correct manner?

    Silver Spring

    Answer: A variety of issues could be at play here. First, you should determine whether moisture is coming up through the concrete from below. Tape a piece of relatively thick, clear plastic, such as a three-inch square cut from a reclosable plastic bag, to an area with no paint. If moisture droplets appear over the next day, youll need to strip off all the paint and switch to a coating that resists hydrostatic pressure. Rust-Oleums WaterTite-LV Waterproofing Concrete Masonry Paint is one example. Or you can coat the stripped surface with a concrete-resurfacing material, such as Quikretes Concrete Resurfacer, which can be tinted.

    All of the above is fairly standard advice, so your painters may have done that. But they might not have realized some of the details that Mariah Sanchez, senior technical services representative for Behr, says are also important. First, when the paint label tells you what the temperature must be , its referring to the surface temperature of the concrete. That is typically 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the air temperature. So for most water-based paints, the air temperature needs to be at least 60 degrees.

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    How Much Will It Cost

    The cost of resurfacing varies on the detail and size of your surface. It is a more cost-effective option than removing the existing concrete and pouring a new slab. A new pour patio can cost anywhere from $3 – $15, or more, per sq. ft. depending on the size and detail of the design that is being installed. Resurfacing costs between $3 and $10 per sq. ft., making it a budget friendly way to get the look and feel of a new patio.

    Why Resurfacing Is Better Than Installing Pavers Over Your Concrete Surface

    Pavers can easily become uneven, causing tripping hazards and spots for water to puddle and weeds to grow through. Also, hiring a professional to lay pavers is expensive.

    If you like the look of pavers, we can create that look. We can mimic the look of bricks, wood, flagstone, slate, brick, granite, and more. We can also seal the surface for protection from stains and UV damage.

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    What Can I Use For Concrete Overlay

    They include:

  • Trowel mix – Used for overlay applications like broom finish and skip trowel finish.
  • Flat Top – Can be used as a self leveling underlayment mix, concrete repair, and resurfacing.
  • Pro Micro-Top – A micro-thin concrete resurfacer for most any concrete surface, can be colored and stained.
  • Stamp Mix– Used for stamped concrete finished surfaces.
  • Spray Mix – Used for smooth finishes, knockdown finish, stenciling, and texture coats
  • How Do You Seal A Painted Concrete Floor

    How to Resurface a Concrete Patio with a Decorative Concrete Overlay

    Concrete sealant is available in matte and glossy finishes, giving you a choice of adding a smooth or shiny coat on top of the paint.

  • Remove all of the furniture from the room or area that you will be applying the sealant to.
  • Sweep and thoroughly clean the whole floor to remove dirt and debris.
  • Vilmar Wirthle

    Neida Elcano-Ardanaz

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    Allow The Surface To Dry

    Once done with your repairing work, the last thing that you need to do is allow proper time for drying. This will take approximately 12 hours in normal temperature conditions. Keep in mind to protect your patio against rain during this time.

    Plus, make sure no pets or humans go on the area until it is completely dried out!

    The last thing you need to do is apply a sealant to your fresh concrete patch. This step will help protect your patio from future wear and tear, but it also helps ensure that the patched area matches the existing structure. You can find a wide variety of sealants in stores, so make sure to choose the right one!

    Coloring Pattern And Finish

    • Color: Use an integral pigment mixed with the concrete before application or add color to the surface afterward with stains.
    • Pattern: Stamp a texture into the wet concrete before it cures or use dye to stencil decorative patterns.
    • Finish:Concrete sealing costs$0.10 to $0.40 per square foot for DIY materials or $0.53 to $2.40 per square foot for professional sealant, which protects the new surface and preserves its appearance.

    Return to Top

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    Extra Design Elements To Add

    We have lots of great inspiration from home shows, and where to find similar pieces to complete your concrete patio ideas.

    I can almost feel the plans for all of the summer nights and days spent out on the patio. It is going to be your favorite place to hang out with all of these great concrete patio ideas for a makeover.

    Please pin this post for later:

    Published: February 18, 2021Filed Under: , DIY, Gardening, Landscape, Porch and Patio, TipsaholicTagged: budget-friendly, Concrete, DIY, Outdoor living, patio, patio decor, patio furniture, patio tables, Patios, Summer, tips

    About Elisa

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    Add Some Outdoor Rug Or Carpet

    Resurfacing a concrete patio for a budget DIY patio ...

    As we mentioned previously, one of the ways to customize and improve your yards look is to use carpet or rug over the concrete layer. There are specialized carpets that are durable and wont get damaged because of the weather conditions. Rugs are usually smaller pieces of carpets, and you can easily remove them from the backyard if it starts raining, so you may dont want to invest a lot in them.

    But if you choose a carpet to cover the patio, you should find a high-quality one. If you decide to use this option, you can choose between many colors, tones, patterns, and shapes, or even resurface it according to the current season.

    After you finished the resurfacing process, your patio is ready to be used. The next thing you should do is to choose proper outdoor furniture, including chairs and seats, table, appropriate sun protection, and smaller, but important details, like cushions, flower pots, and table sheets.

    If you live in a house, you know that the backyard is the heart of your home. You can spend quality time there, no matter if you want to be alone, or with your friends or family. You dont have to go far away from home, so you can drink coffee in nature and enjoy the birds sounds.

    So, if youre planning to move and you dont know what to choose, we recommend you to take the house and of course, build a patio because its a nice replacement for the classic terrace solutions.

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