my hubby is a concrete contractor in central calif. the price of concrete jumped way up here also. he is charging $8.75 per Sq. Ft. for stamped and colored concrete. the more colors you add, the more cost. This typically includes colored concrete and a different colored release which gives it the two toned look. We went with 2 colors of release to give highlights here and there. this does not include the cost of sealing the concrete after it's done. We are building a pool as we speak and are expecting to pay about $600.00 to seal the concrete and add something called rhino? to make the surface slightly gritty to prevent slipping. To maintain the concrete you need to re-seal it about every 2 years at the cost of around $400. Bear in mind that this is a DIY price. If you have seen colored concrete unsealed and then sealed there is no way you are going to opt out of sealing. HUGE difference! Any concrete is going to be hot in full sun. Be sure to ask what makes a sundeck/kooldeck stay cool? (These types of names vary according to where you live) Is it because the indentations hold water which will ultimately cool it off? If this is the case then stamped concrete will do the same as long as the stamp you choose has deep indentations.

Hi Bob, we did go by there yesterday. Did you see the stamped/ stained coating they do as well? It looks really nice, but EVERYONE including the people that work there say it is HOT on the feet! One lady said she finds herself apologizing to guests at her own pool about it all the time, LOL! We eliminated that as an option based on the hot-foot problem. They said that Master Deck replaced Kool Deck and that it is about as forgiving on the feet as anything you can get (as long as you don't go too dark on the color). Apparently Kool Deck had some kind of matrix that was applied to the concrete, then the coating went over that. They were having delamination problems with it in the DFW area, so quit using it and replaced it with Master Deck. Master Deck looks the same as Kool Deck, but the coating goes directly on the concrete (no matrix). They say they've had good longevity from it. The patio at the showroom has been in 3 years and was in perfect shape. If you're wondering about their deck prices: Washed aggregate- 7.25 s/f Master Deck- 9.75 s/f Patterned & stained concrete- 12.50 s/f We like how the Master Deck looks and we also like that it contrasts well with the existing washed aggregate patio. We're just trying to decide if we like it 875 bucks worth, haha! That's the cost difference on the 350 s/f worth of decking we have. By the way, if you end up going with Hobert tell them we sent you and we'll get a referral fee which we'll be happy to split with you :-) I think it's 300 bucks.

I am in a similar situation. I want to redo my old kool deck. I'm wondering if a composite decking would work. Please let me know if you decided what to do with yours and how it turned out.

First let's see if we can get your pics to show up: That's an awesome pergola!! When you pour the patio extension, make sure that it is doweled into the existing patio so the two will move together. As small as the extension is I wouldn't bother with an expansion joint, just do it as a cold joint. Personally I would not try to extend the Kooldeck because there won't be a clean transition across the line no matter what and it will probably cost you a lot to get someone out there just to do that tiny area. I would suggest going with a contrasting material, maybe some tile or stone. You could even pour a concrete extension on both sides as well and do a tile or stone border around all 3 sides.