Concrete Finish Options

This splotchy new concrete should look good in a week, but the finish might not be what it should be. (C) Copyright 2017 Tim Carter

Concrete Finish Options TIPS

• Communicate clearly what you want in the first place to avoid nightmare
• Stamped concrete is dramatic - can be slippery around pools
• Stenciled concrete is unbelievable. Not as hard to do as stamped
• Too much curing compound can cause splotchy white haze
• CLICK HERE to Get Tim's FREE & FUNNY Newsletter!

DEAR TIM: I’ve got a big problem. Concrete was poured around my new swimming pool.

I wanted a colored sanded finish that resembled cobble stones. It’s been four weeks now and the concrete has a milky splotchy appearance and the finish is really rough to walk on with bare feet.

What, if anything, can be done to salvage this job? How could the mistake have been prevented?

What’s causing the milky appearance? The contractor has said all will be well in a few months. Tom H., San Jose, CA

DEAR TOM: Oh my! The photos you sent me are excellent and tell the tale. Believe it or not, from what I can see the concrete finishers did a remarkable job. They used the correct sand in the mix to produce a nice sandy texture and they washed just enough cement paste out to produce a gorgeous exposed aggregate finish.

How Do You Describe Cobblestone?

But I realize this is not what you had envisioned in your mind for the final product. I’ve got granite cobblestones in my own yard that actually look quite similar to the color of the exposed coarse sand in your new concrete! If you hired me as an expert witness, and I’ve done this type of work for many years, I’d testify that you got a sanded finish that has a cobblestone coloration.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who specialize in stamped concrete.

Can you see the problem? What you picture in your mind and what another person envisions based on your verbal description can be miles apart. You may have wanted a stamped concrete look that resembles actual cobblestones. For all you know the contractor may have never seen a cobblestone alley, street or sidewalk.

Stamped Cobblestone Concrete

To achieve a stamped cobblestone look, concrete finishers broadcast dry pigments into the wet concrete, mix these into the top layer of the wet concrete and then lay rubber mats onto the concrete that have the cobblestone texture and outline.

These mats are tamped into the wet concrete and then peeled off. The concrete then looks just like cobblestone. Based on your email to me, I don’t know that this is exactly what you wanted. It’s a classic case of miscommunication.

Here’s a closeup shot of the sandy texture. It’s expert workmanship but could be rough on tender feet. (C) Copyright 2017 Tim Carter

Prevent Miscommunication

You could have prevented this situation doing any number of things. You could have given the contractor a few excellent photographs of what you wanted. If the exact concrete finish you wanted was at some local business like a restaurant, park plaza, or a giant patio outside some business that you’ve walked on, you could have taken the contractor to this location showing him exactly what you wanted. There are countless videos on YouTube that show patterned and textured concrete. You could have found one or two and shown them to the contractor to communicate what you wanted.

Tear Out If Stamped Is Desired

If you wanted actual stamped concrete as I described above, you have to start over. You need to tear out all the concrete and replace it.

If you just want a different colored finish that’s not as rough, you might be able to produce the finish you want with a very thin cement stucco overlay that’s no more than one-eighth-inch thick.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who specialize in stamped concrete.

Thin Overlay May Work

Your big issue is you can’t add much thickness where the concrete slab touches up against the cast border of the swimming pool. You need positive drainage away from the pool.

You can create a very unique cobblestone finish using the thin overlay, stencil templates and some dry pigments. I’ve seen it done and the look is stunning. Not only can you create the look of cobblestone, you can create flagstone, tile or even brick. Shaded coloration is very possible so it’s not just one uniform color when complete.

An expert concrete mason can make up the thin overlay cement stucco and he can colorize it. They apply this over your new concrete, smooth it and then overlay heavy paper templates that might resemble brick or the cobblestone outline.

Stenciled Concrete Video

Watch this video to see the process of stenciling concrete. Note at the beginning of the video how you can have different color tones in the concrete.

These are lightly pressed into the wet stucco and then an additional dry pigment is broadcast onto the stucco. The paper template prevents the second color from touching all the stucco. The concrete mason floats the pigment into the stucco and then may use a few special rollers to create a unique texture to the overlay. After all this is complete, the mason peels up the paper templates revealing the gorgeous workmanship.

Curing Compound Splotches

Your current milky splotchy appearance looks to me like too much curing compound was applied to the wet concrete. Curing compound is an excellent product and it prevents the concrete from releasing too much water into the atmosphere. Water is needed inside the concrete slab for many many weeks after the concrete gets hard so it achieves its design strength.

The curing compound could have been defective or far too much was applied. Over time sunlight will remove the milky appearance, but it can sometimes take a very long time.

College Of Hard Knocks Tuition Payment

The contractor should not be penalized for this mistake. The photos tell me he did a great job and the final finish you wanted didn’t happen because you failed to clearly communicate what you wanted.

Before you tear up the existing concrete, do a small test to see if the stenciled overlay will produce the finish, texture and coloration you want. I think it’s possible to get very close and the work could be done in just one or two days.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors who specialize in stamped concrete.

Column 1199