Concrete, where the C stands for Crappy
[click image to enlarge]
With all the work that we've done, the house is looking beautiful. But as the house is looking more and more beautiful each day, the crappy old concrete around the pool is looking crappier and crappier. We're exploring our options here. Some say stain it, some say sandblast it. Staining is cheap and I can do it myself but it doesn't always hold up in this extreme climate. Kooldeck is out of the question. I really don't care for the look. So we'll price out sandblasting and etching and decide where to go from there.
Posted by MJ at May 19, 2004 11:39 AMWill staining it make it even darker - and thus hotter? Either way - nice to see the pad comming along nicely.
Posted by: Keith at May 19, 2004 03:30 PMThanks Keith. Actually concrete stain comes in a ton of different colors. I wouldn't go dark here in the desert. Youch! We were thinking that if we end up staining it would probably be a gray close to the color of the concrete.
Posted by: MJ at May 19, 2004 04:49 PMHere is what I like...leave it alone. You like the concrete look, so you decide to put stain on instead of paint. The stain doesn't go on evenly and becomes too blotchy when it dries. Since you've already committed to stain, you decide to put another coat on it. Now it is too 'thick' and you've lost the stain look/feel. You begin to contemplate painting it...then realize you should have done kooldeck or done nothing. Since you don't like kooldeck, I suggest nothing. Instead, spend a few dollars on very nice large planters (which can be moved, if you're so inclined, post-sale) with some festive flowers. Nothing diverts the eye better than some geraniums/petunias/etc. No one will notice what the concrete looks like, because they be so impressed with the house itself.
Posted by: MJS at May 25, 2004 05:00 AM