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

Hi! Thanks for having me on your forum I'm a newbie here (first post). But I''ve been referring to this thread as I want to make a grave maker for a deceased pet. I wondered if anyone with some concreting knowledge could help me to choose the right material to use? I'm in Australia too, so some of the materials are named differently. I've tried regular concrete (the pre-mixed kind with gravel in it) I found the gravel made it lumpy and difficult to get a nice impression with the letters. BTW I'm using the Milestones plastic letters. My next try was with mortar (i'm sure it's called the same thing over there - here is Aus it's cement and sand) the result was better, but the block itself is pretty crumbly and I'd love to achieve a perfect smooth top and crisp letters. Can anyone help? I have heard on another forum that people have used 'vinyl' cement, but I've never heard of it - maybe it's called something else over here - and can't find it in my hardware store. Thanks very much :D

The cuts should not penetrate all the way but should be shallower near the pool to allow water to be drained away to the edge of the deck. Cutting all the way will allow rain to penetrate under the deck. This can cause settlement of the underlying ground, which near a pool, is usually uncompacted fill with gravel. I like to see footers set here but many don't take this step. Five years down the road, the concrete deck can and does crack from the lack of support. The decks I've seen sealed were done using a roller near the pool and a sprayer after the first foot to 18" out. Near the pool, the roller is well soaked and the cuts get a little extra to soak down. The sprayer handles everything else. When anti-slip material is added, it's all roller . Sprayers usually clog. If the cuts do go all the way through, then polymetric sand would be a good way to keep the ants from marching but next to nothing to keep the moisture from penetrating. Scott

Some concrete sealer application require 28 days full curing time for best results... Most contractors will wait a minimum of 7 days after the water curing time is done but not recommended. Some contractors use sealing compound, if that what he is planning to use, that should be applied as soon as possible right after concrete finishing process and that will most likely fill all the voids/cracks. As uneven edges and consistent impressions go, not much you can do now, not to mention you posted a close-up picture of a few spots... if you can, please post a picture of the entire slab that will tell more about the job.