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

You're a zone colder than it's range, so it's probably compost now. You can dig it up and check the roots, but I doubt if there's much hope that it's dormant.

I see lots of concrete decks in my area and very few of them are 4" think and more like 2-1/2" and they crack...even at 4" you will get cracks. I re-did my decks on my previous home and laid porcelain tile on them and the decks looked great. You have to use the correct additive in the thinset and grout and of course you need the correct subfloor. I used regular concrete sealer on my tile decks and it looked good and really wasn't too slippery.

I wasted money and time trying to seal my stamped concrete patio with a glossy, wet look sealant. About 10% looks wet/glossy, rest doesn't even look like it was sealed. Prior to application, I cleaned, pressure washed and followed directions. Its 8 months old stamped concrete, never sealed before. Is there anyway I can open the pours so that it absorbs the sealer?