Hey Stylin --- Your "terrace" has great potential! Should be a great spot to hang. As for post pour color...no rush. You really need to allow the 'crete to cure for at least three weeks and preferrably a "full" 28 days before you stain it ,no matter whether you use acid stains or the ferrous oxide...so you have time to read up & experiment a little. Also, neither of these stains will affect the stones or any ceramics...they only react with cement. I've heard that the oxide can sometimes leave a stain on wood sometimes if it is allowed to dissolve and sit there long enough, but it is the chemical reaction with the cement in the concrete that creates the color. And roger the "strong textures"...they can mimic flowing water (think Zen Gardens), grass & tree forms or just about anything you want. It has endless possibilities & can be paired with the other techniques very easily. You can even "practice" with a few different types of trowels and a big tray of mud to see what different effects & patterns you can come up with. One option that has not been mentioned is what is known as "integral color". This comes as either a liquid or dry powder and is added at the time the concrete is mixed. It is 100% permenent, but can tend to look a little "flat" on some applications. While you often see it used to create very strong coloration, I personally think the best effects are when it is fairly sublte and just takes the "grayness" or coldness off the concrete a little. Some of the lighter and more neautral colors are great when mixed with the kind of effects you seem to be moving towards...and...stains or glazes on top of subtly colored concrete can look really wonderful. They tend to highlight any texture that's there. Anyhow...as you can see there are endless possibilities. And below is another link. This site has some pretty good color charts, but you still have to "squint & imagine" how they might look if you cut the color way back. Good news is, most contractors can provide actual mix samples in advance. Best of luck and no matter what else you do...have fun. All my best, Tango Here is a link that might be useful: Nice Color Charts

Oh, woe is me! I'm feeling like an 'easy mark'. We are owners among other mostly Senior owners in a nice, but not plush, 310-unit complex on 23 acres: Maui Kamaole. These are primarily vacation rental condos with current market between $500K and $1M. (We're smallest.) The contractor can park on the internal access road 50 feet from the lanai to do the 14 X 17 X 5" pour if he uses a concrete pump fed through or over a low hedge. Removal of 120 sq ft of old 2 X 10 slabs would have to go to the end of the hedge via wheelbarrows -- maybe 150 ft. I don't know about disposal costs, but there are no building permits required. The contractor can park 10 feet from the courtyard gate to remove the concrete blocks there and pour 11 X 12 X 5". We may not do the walled courtyard. It exists primarily as a buffer between the condo BR and parking. There are about 300 random-shaped concrete blocks. I suppose they could be re-purposed. (I don't suppose they could be poured *over* to create a smooth, level surface? It's not as though we have freezing temps here.) My only similar cost comparison is the $8K we spent to tile the interior of our condo 11 years ago: 830 sq ft, laid on the diagonal w/tile 'baseboard'. The material was $3200 of that. I don't have a formal proposal yet. I'm hoping his $10K 'ballpark' for the lanai was intended to create a price from which he'll discount! I'm willing to pay somewhat more for a recommended contractor here, where there is a lot of fly-by-night, but...what would YOU pay?

JVMAGIC do you have any pics? we'll be getting a stamped concrete as well and are leaning towards the san diego buff, would very much like see it. We're looking for a sand tone color. Thx in adv.

I know nothing about this - but was thinking that the materials are going to expand and contract (depending of course on climate) and I would think that if you put anything over concrete, it might expand and concract at a different rate, therefore causing problems. I just had someone out to give some estimates. Actually, he is doing a design first. He said the flagstone could be reinstalled if that is what I want - and need 3/4" gap between. He did not talk about putting it over concrete. The flagstone patio shown recently (can't remember who) is absolutely stunning. It also looks like it is in a warm part of the country - which I am not. My only advice is do your homework. When I had the first flagstone put down, the guy came in and I hired him. I trusted him to do it right. Big mistake. Huge. They took out the grass and plopped down the flagstone. Now it is a mess and needs to get replaced. Good luck!!