Some friends of mine back in IN did what you're suggesting and love it. They had their concrete entryway done over with the overlay to look like brick and it's incredible. We have an old concrete patio that we're going to redo (one of these years) in the overlay, using a stone finish. We thought about putting a layer of decking on but the look doesn't match our yard and it's too thick. The overlay is not very thick -- I don't remember specs but I can't imagine it would be much thicker than flagstone. We only have a few inches clearance between our current patio and the door sill and that's plenty of room for the new surface. I've seen samples of the product and it looks incredible, and care is supposed to be a dream. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any bad experiences with this. See link for photos but I can assure you the finished product looks much better than the photos can show. In case you can't tell, I'm hooked on this idea :) Here is a link that might be useful: concrete overlay

You're welcome! maire_cate - No pool, but the existing patio does get slippery when wet, especially when I am in flip flops. tinam61 - Our patio was poured, and then it was suppose to be acid stained. Instead, they rolled some type of stain on top, and then sealed it. As I said, the inside has held up with two more applications of sealer in the last 5 years. The outside has actually been re-stained (after the first season and flaking began)and has been sealed 4 times. Yes, the overlay has color applied before the epoxy is poured. Are you thinking of having the lower driveway done with stamped concrete, or brick pavers? If you are in an area that gets lots of snow (and salt) I would not try the stamped concrete. My neighbor has has his torn up and redone, and still had it ruined over the winter with the salt trucks. susieq07 - I've seen your driveway before. You've had that quite a while. Has it held up well? Talked to DH today. We are going to wait for the estimates to come back on our project. If the numbers are within our budget, I think we are going to go ahead and either add to the existing pad before having a coating put on it, or tear the pad up and pour a larger pad. We could also do pavers instead of a concrete pad. Maybe the yard would not get as torn up if we are just taking out the old pad, and not having to have a new pad poured. Again, it all depends on the expense and our budget. I wish for a larger patio to be able to serve our needs. Here is the rest of what we are doing. Pergola will be attached to house. So instead of four columns, we will have two. This will improve our siteline from the house and screen porch. From backyard looking at patio and screened porch From backyard with pergola mock-up From backyard with pergola, grill enclosure and fireplace mock-up Fireplace and/or pergola examples that I like. We are not sure whether to go with brick to match our house (if we can find it) and use stone accents like this. There would be seats on either side and the chimney will be higher to tie in with pergola. I like this the best, but chimney would not be quite this tall because we will have gas. Take away the two columns, and scaled down a bit, plus add the seats. Original dream photo. I've hung onto this for a couple of years. Saw this at General Shale yesterday and was determined that this was it! Today, I am having second thoughts that it may be TOO formal. Plus, the white detailing may become a headache for cleaning. I think that I'd rather go with detailing like the following photo, whether used with stone or brick. Did I tell y'all that we will also be improving the looks of the screened porch post? Instead of the solid paint stain on rough treated post, and the vinyl cladding on the outside of the porch, we will have the post re-wrapped with a smooth paintable wood and then redo the screening and trim them out. Again, this is something with can put on the back burner if needed. After all, I just stained the post last summer. Throw in some landscaping, lighting and furniture, we will be all done!

What damages concrete in winter is melting chemicals, especially ordinary salt. What happens is this: During the day during maximum temperature, the chemical melts snow and ice and the brine penetrates porosities in the concrete, then later at evening and night if the temperature falls below the freezing point of the brine, it freezes and pops off chips of concrete. Talk to your concrete contractor about this. He can select a mix that is more resistant to freeze spalling, usually a greater amount of cement to sand and gravel (and greater cost). He may recommend a sealant. Do not start the project too late in the year. There is a wait time before applying sealant. Its best to have the recommended curing time before applying a sealer and before freezing weather sets in. Many times, the fine, smooth finish layer is more susceptible to damage than the underlying base concrete, It has been my experience that sealers do help but are not 100% effective. Expect damage after 3 winters of salting. One of the very best things you can do is to shield the stoop immediately in front of the door from snow and drippings from the main house. I recommend a portico (roof projection) over the entryway. Its roof should be shaped to direct house roof drippings away from the stoop and the walk. After a snow, clean the stoop before trampling the snow and welding it to the concrete. Before you begin your project, educate yourself about how to make concrete resistant to cyclic freezing-thawing. This is big problem in northern climes and reduces as one travels south.

I have a paver patio. My comments are based on my knowledge of concrete. My recommendation would be to soften corners. Sharp concrete corners are potentially subject to fracture. Speak with your contractor about placement of score lines. Some patterns accommodate discuising them better. Decide on placement of utilities (electricity, gas, water) so they can be placed in advance. Consider any issues you have experienced with your prior concrete - settling, drainage, etc. I’m more a traditional person. Therefore I shy from trendy or modern style in favor of lasting themes. Good luck.