Thanks Rhodium, I forgot that we did think about that... for a few moments. The down-side is that we'd also have to leave the deck (that steps down to the patio) at a higher elevation to accommodate the added stone and mortar later, and who knows if we'd ever have the money to complete that, so I thought we should just give it up and accept that stone isn't going to happen. Thanks for the idea though, it's definitely a good one.

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

There are penetrating sealers for specialty concrete finishes that are not as slippery as you might think :) The texture in the stamped concrete or even decorative overlays assist with slickness and there are additives that can be put in the final seal coat to add traction. We prefer to use more texture than additive in areas that are going to be traveled by bare feet though. Celeste

Dscam, you are talking about stamped concrete as if all of it is the same ... like eating a hamburger and proclaiming, "I don't like American food!" Stamped conc. is highly variable and subject to the skill of the installer. I wouldn't recommend it unless one has a top notch installer. And probably a top notch designer, too. (Someone has to figure out how all the details are going to fit together.) Some of the less skilled ones can do a pretty bad job. Wood near the ground is not going to hold up well anywhere near as long as concrete or one of the other masonry options. The most important part of the walk/drive is getting the size/route/shape, etc. worked out well. If I were you, that's where I would be focusing my efforts. And then choose the material after all that is figured out.