"Paint on, Paint off"-How we resurface concrete in Keller, TX by SolCrete, LLC

This project shows how we applied a trowel down overlay to resurface concrete for a patio in Keller, Tx. The challenging part was the two layers of epoxy paint that had been rolled over on certain parts of the patio that needed to be removed. The homeowner had already tried to chemically strip it but that didn't pan out so we knew we were just going to have to grind it off. The problem with grinding epoxy is that as the grinding stone heats up it turns the epoxy into a gooey mess that just swirls around. We didn't have a choice so we just pushed through with frequent stops to clean the stones.

Before we resurface concrete the floor needs to be properly prepared. This can be by grinding as we did here, power washing and/or acid etching prior to applying the trowel down overlay. This helps make sure that the overlay material will adhere tightly to the concrete. Usually, for exterior projects, we resurface concrete in two steps, the first is where we apply a skim coat that fills in small imperfections in the concrete and sticks tightly to the floor. The second step is the actual trowel down. It is the same overlay material we used in the first but while putting it down we "hand whip it" to create a textured surface.

Once this textured layer had dried we can proceed directly to staining it or, as in this project, score (cut) it into a random stone pattern. First we chalk out a stone pattern on the floor as a guide and then use an angle grinder with a diamond blade to cut it directly into the floor. The scoring process creates random stones so that the floor has a pattern to it on top of having a stone like texture.

After scoring we apply concrete stains to the floor. Usually we will put down two to four highlight colors depending on the look you want. We can do subtle highlights like you see here or stain each individual stone a different color. Whenever we resurface concrete we always wrap it up with a sealer to protect the floor. Thank you for your time. Call us at 940.594.9257 or visit us at www.solcrete.com or email us at info at solcrete.com for more information.