Patio Concrete Treatments

Polishing

• Polishing concrete will completely alter its look. To polish your floors you can hire a contractor who is an expert in concrete or you can rent a drum sander from the home improvement store and tackle the job yourself. The concrete needs to be sanded with a variety of concrete grinding pads, starting with the coarsest pad and working up to a fine-grit pad. The finer the pad and the longer you sand the further you will alter the appearance of the concrete. You can choose to sand the surface to a matte, honed finish or all the way to a high gloss. Keep in mind that polished concrete will be slick when wet. If your patio is often covered in rain or other moisture, you may want to consider a different option.

Paint

• Painted concrete may seem a little out of the ordinary but you can create some really dramatic and beautiful effects with paint. You can simply roll a solid color across the surface of the concrete to add depth and dimension to the space. Or you can use faux painting techniques to create a stone or tile appearance. Concrete can be painted to look like flagstone by tracing real pieces of flagstone onto the patio and sponge painting the concrete with three to four colors that mimic the look of real stone. Paint the grout lines with a trim brush.

  Before you paint concrete, make sure that it is sealed from moisture. Tape a piece of plastic wrap to the ground and allow it to sit there overnight. If there is condensation under the plastic wrap in the morning, you will need to seal the concrete before painting.

Stain

• Concrete stains are available in water- and acid-based varieties. Acid-based stains are slightly more difficult to work with. You will spray the stain onto the concrete and scrub the mixture into the floors with a scrub brush. Acid-based stain is also more caustic than water-based stain. Acid-based stains are appropriate when you want to create a more natural appearance. The stains are primarily earth-toned and the stain will soak into different parts of the patio differently to create slight variation in the color across the patio. Water-based stains will provide more uniform color. They are also available in a wider range of colors including bright, vivid colors. The stain can be applied with a brush or roller and is not harmful to your skin.