Stamped concrete patio starting to crumble in certain areas
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Stamped concrete patio starting to crumble in certain areas
I had a stamped concrete patio poured back in may. There are areas around the stamped line that look kind of crumbly dry.. like the stamp was lifted but the area wasnt smoothed. Some areas are starting to chip away. I have been having trouble getting a hold of the guy who did it (no surprise). I did finally get a hold of him and he said he would be out today but never showed.
Below are some pictures but is there anything i can just do to be done with it? I dont feel like getting involved with a small claims court over this but if it's going to get worse then i surely will. It almost looks like it needs to be sanded smooth and then more sealer applied.
Picture:
https://imageshack.us/i/poTKOQK4j
https://imageshack.us/i/pnXBtE25p
Below are some pictures but is there anything i can just do to be done with it? I dont feel like getting involved with a small claims court over this but if it's going to get worse then i surely will. It almost looks like it needs to be sanded smooth and then more sealer applied.
Picture:
https://imageshack.us/i/poTKOQK4j
https://imageshack.us/i/pnXBtE25p
#2
Group Moderator
Sanding or grinding and sealing isn't going to help and certainly will make the bad spot more noticeable. Where are you located? Do you ever get freezing temperatures? Those cracks filled with water will deteriorate the area even more if it freezes.
Hopefully others will be along with more hopeful answers. I don't know of any cheap, simple way to repair the area.
Hopefully others will be along with more hopeful answers. I don't know of any cheap, simple way to repair the area.
#4
Member
Ha ha ha ha... (sorry for laughing - not laughing at you though).
Welcome to the club. Ten years ago I had some jabonies replace my concrete front porch. A year later I noticed some lifting off of the surface cream. The porch was stamped like yours. A few years later those areas became quite large. I started a thread here about it.
Anyways, I had some folks come out and they just shook their heads. The top layer of concrete is less than 1/16 inch thick. Now the entire porch is snafu'ed.
I feel for you. Been there. Done that. I really hope you find a solution, but I doubt you will. If you do, you might post it here.
BTW I have the same problem with the double-width driveway that is flaking away (but it's not stamped, FWIW).
Welcome to the club. Ten years ago I had some jabonies replace my concrete front porch. A year later I noticed some lifting off of the surface cream. The porch was stamped like yours. A few years later those areas became quite large. I started a thread here about it.
Anyways, I had some folks come out and they just shook their heads. The top layer of concrete is less than 1/16 inch thick. Now the entire porch is snafu'ed.
I feel for you. Been there. Done that. I really hope you find a solution, but I doubt you will. If you do, you might post it here.
BTW I have the same problem with the double-width driveway that is flaking away (but it's not stamped, FWIW).
#5
Member
Thread Starter
Well it's a good thing I have a lawyer to use. I don't get how people live their lives and careers with such dishonesty. If the guy at least tried to make it right rather than blow me off I would have worked with him and been a lot more understanding. It's the fact this guy is just kicking me to the curb by ignoring/blowing me off, acting like it's my problem now is what will be getting my lawyer in touch with him.
Are there specific people I can contact to inspect the patio professionally, and who specialize in that area, and give me a write up for a lot less money than a full home inspection?
Are there specific people I can contact to inspect the patio professionally, and who specialize in that area, and give me a write up for a lot less money than a full home inspection?
#7
Member
Thread Starter
Here are some more pictures to give you an idea. It doesn't look horrible or anything let, but it's only 4 months old and hasnt hit winter yet.
There are a lot of surface cracks, will these eventually keep getting bigger or is it more cosmetic?
There is a lot of small areas just crusting and breaking off.
.
https://imageshack.us/i/plztD4b5j
https://imageshack.us/i/poNOSE8ej
https://imageshack.us/i/plfZWXIIj
https://imageshack.us/i/plt6tiRrj
I mean am i just overreacting? Is there anything that can be done even?
To me this looks like it will cause a lot of problems in the future..
There are a lot of surface cracks, will these eventually keep getting bigger or is it more cosmetic?
There is a lot of small areas just crusting and breaking off.
.
https://imageshack.us/i/plztD4b5j
https://imageshack.us/i/poNOSE8ej
https://imageshack.us/i/plfZWXIIj
https://imageshack.us/i/plt6tiRrj
I mean am i just overreacting? Is there anything that can be done even?
To me this looks like it will cause a lot of problems in the future..
#8
Member
My comments (and I'm no concrete guy): 1. The chips at the bottom of the last photo are a harbinger of what's to come. The top of your porch is so thin that it looks like a drywall skim coat to me. To prevent chipping away in the middle of the porch, just don't walk on it. (Kinda hard to do... for a porch, I mean). 2. All of the edges are rather sharp. They should be rounded. 3. I don't think you are over-reacting. I also think that the only thing that can be done is the job. Done over, that is. 4. If you redo the job, make sure you get rebar reinforcement. Don't believe all the crap you'll hear about "fibers in the concrete give it strength". You'll pay plenty to have the job done the right way. Rebar likely will not prevent cracking of the slab, but it will prevent large pieces of the slab from separating. 5. For me, I cannot afford to redo my porch, so I just live with it. It's been 11 years now, and I have shed a tear or two. Or three. 6. Do not put any salt or other stuff to melt the ice (if you live somewhere that gets snow or ice). 7. Do NOT put any salt or other stuff to melt the ice. 8. DO NOT PUT ANY SALT OR OTHER STUFF... (you get the idea) Sorry that my post is one long paragraph. The DIY forum is the only one out of the 10 other forums that I post to that has this problem and I wish to hell that somebody would fix it.
#9
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I used to get this around some of the deeper impression (grout lines) on my stamped concrete jobs sometimes when I used a powder release (accent color). I think it has to do with the powder on top causing surface cracking when the stamp is impressed. We have started to use liquid antiquing instead the next day (so we basically stamp the colored concrete, and put the color in later).
I will say that this is very common, and hopefully he gives you some type of warranty to make sure it lasts through the winter cycles. There really isn't any way to fix it, but I have never had one crumble on me.
Please let me know if you get this resolved. I am curious to see what your contractor says.
Sincerely, Mo Sandoval
I will say that this is very common, and hopefully he gives you some type of warranty to make sure it lasts through the winter cycles. There really isn't any way to fix it, but I have never had one crumble on me.
Please let me know if you get this resolved. I am curious to see what your contractor says.
Sincerely, Mo Sandoval
Last edited by PJmax; 11-16-16 at 02:44 PM. Reason: removed business link
#10
Member
Thanks for your reply. The guy who did the job is long gone. I'll have to replace the entire porch ($4000) or wait until the rest of the "cream" breaks away and think of it as a custom "pebble surface" job. At the present wait, that will be in a very few short years...