Damaged concrete is a problem most homeowners want to avoid dealing with altogether, however, to do so just exacerbates the problem and leads to more expense down the road.  A budget friendly option for homeowners who are looking to repair damaged concrete is to resurface it with a micro-topping or an overlay followed by the application of a penetrating concrete stain.

Shades of Color was recently contacted by a homeowner whose walkout concrete patio had been damaged by hail right after the slab had been poured.  The homeowners just wanted the original broom texture finish restored with some color added to dress it up a bit.

After repairs were made to the hail damaged areas, a broom textured overlay was installed which covered the entire surface and hid any remaining imperfections in the concrete substrate.  A penetrating concrete stain was then applied to add color so that the finish looked like colored concrete.

Penetrating stains are a great option for this type of concrete treatment because they don’t change the underlying texture of the overlay and they don’t wear off except as the surface itself wears.  It’s a great alternative for homeowners who want more than just gray concrete, but don’t want a heavily patterned or textured finish.

This concrete treatment is recommended for concrete that is spalled, or has been damaged by hail, subjected to spills or stains … or is just plain ugly. The slab itself must be structurally sound with no major cracks.  As with all coatings, maintenance is required on this type of concrete finish and frequency will depend on the exposure of the finish to freeze-thaw conditions, weather, and traffic, etc.