I have never seen a crumbling concrete slab sucessfully repaired with that kind of product. J.

I believe White Sands does it all. I'll send you their phone number by email. Thanks for the comment on the tiles on the steps. We really like it too. Much better than the little diamond tiles. Because my mother is elderly (89) and still swims with us, we wanted to be sure she could see the steps clearly, so the bright flip flops are perfect for us. The salesperson with White Sands - Cindy, too - told us about a pool they did in which the owners had one shoe on the top step, the other shoe on the next, a bikini top on the pool floor near the steps and the bottoms further out in the pool. Then they finished it off by having the beautiful mosaic of a mermaid swimming with a turtle a little further out. Isn't that cute? The mosaic possibilities are really wonderful and I think they add a nice touch. There are also really nice shell and starfish tiles that are just the right size - about 3"x3" - in a variety of solid colors. We had planned to use the starfish but wanted the sandy beige ones and the store was out of that color when we stopped in. So we switched to the fish and flip flops. Now I'm glad we did because the bright colors are so easy for my mother to see. If the cost had not been an issue, I would like to have used the seahorses and seaweed along the sides of the pool. Here is a link that might be useful: cool tiles

In my last home, on the advice of a landscape architect, we used pami pebbles for our aggregate walkway/patio and had the concrete mix tinted a medium brown-reddish color. It was a beautiful combination, especially in contrast with plant materials and a flagstone and brick accent wall. Got many compliments over the years. I didn't find it hard to walk on with bare feet because the pami pebbles are so smooth. We had our backyard patio installed a few years later by a different company and was talked out of using the same materials. Never liked the patio as much as the front yard - in looks or bare-foot comfort.

Stephen, in your climate there is no need to go to any extraordinary lengths to protect your containerized maples in winter. They should be able to remain outside without issue. Your plant hardiness zone is nearly identical to mine and all my maples remain in place outdoors all winter. The only time I have ever done any protecting on my containerized JM's is when we were expecting an extended "arctic blast" (2 or more days of temps in low 20's /-4C) and then I gathered all my small ones together and covered loosely with bubble wrap. JM roots are sensitive to cold damage when grown in containers, especially small containers, so that would be my ONLY concern. JM's can be grown in terra cotta. You may just have to water more frequently in summer as terra cotta is very porous and moisture evaporates easily. And most TC is not very winter hardy - it spalls and fractures easily in freezing weather. JM's do NOT require an ericaceous fertilizer. Any good container fertilizer is fine. I use Osmocote each spring (and when repotting) and supplement with a liquid fertilizer with a full range of trace elements a few times during the growing season. Any JM, regardless of coloring, will appreciate some shade, especially during the hottest part of the day in summer. But if one lives in a cool summer climate - as I assume you do - full sun is usually not much of an issue, unless it is a highly variegated variety or with very pale yellow, gold or cream colored foliage. These all need a bit of shade to look their best. I know that wind is supposed to be an issue and maybe in a cold winter area it is but I have never encountered a problem with JM's and wind. And I live on a large salt water sound that is a funnel for some serious winter winds!