Sacramento concrete resurfacing
A thin, polymer-modified overlay that is colored and stamped with a stone, slate, brick or wood-plank pattern, then accented with stains and sealed. It gives an existing patio, walk or entry the look of stamped concrete without pouring a new slab.
A stampable overlay is placed thicker than a skim coat, typically a quarter inch or more, because the stamp has to press a pattern into it without hitting the old slab. The mix is a polymer-modified cement with color added either integrally (mixed in) or through a colored base. It goes down over a ground, profiled surface and a bond coat, and it is screeded and floated flat before stamping starts.
Pattern mats are rigid and carry the grout lines of stone, slate, cobble or plank. Texture skins are flexible sheets that add surface grain without joints, and they are used to blend the edges and around steps where a rigid mat will not reach. Before stamping, a release agent is applied so the mats do not stick. Powdered release in a contrasting color leaves an antiqued look in the low areas after it is washed off; a clear liquid release keeps the base color uniform. Timing is everything: stamp too early and the pattern slumps, too late and it will not take. In hot weather that window can shrink considerably, so large areas are broken into sections.
Color can be deepened after stamping. Acid, or reactive, stains react chemically with the lime in cement and produce mottled, variegated tones that look like natural stone, but the result varies with the mix and needs to be neutralized and rinsed afterwards. Water-based stains are pigments that soak in and stay where they are put, giving more predictable color and a wider range. Many stone looks use both: a reactive stain for depth and a water-based stain to pick out individual stones.
The control joints in the slab underneath still have to come through the overlay. A good layout hides them in a grout line of the stone pattern so the joint reads as part of the design. The finished surface is sealed, usually with an acrylic that deepens color. Film sealers can be slippery when wet, so a fine anti-slip grit is often mixed into the final coat on steps and pool surrounds; see pool deck resurfacing for cooler textured alternatives.
In Rocklin and the rockier parts of Folsom, shallow granite and volcanic bedrock make digging out an old slab difficult, which is part of why a decorative overlay is often chosen over a new pour. A granite-gray stone pattern also fits Rocklin, a town built on more than 60 granite quarries. For a vehicle area, the plainer approach on the driveway resurfacing page is often the better choice.
How long does it take? Decorative overlays take longer than plain ones: usually three to five days, because each layer, the stamping and the color all need time to set.
These often come up on the same property or the same visit:
Patios, front walks and side yards brought back to one even, slip-resistant surface.
Read more →A bonded overlay over a cracked, stained or spalled driveway - new surface, same slab.
Read more →Textured, light-colored deck finishes that are kinder to bare feet in a valley summer.
Read more →Written quote
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