If your home has an old concrete patio that looks worn and pitted, concrete resurfacing is a great way to improve its appearance. Concrete resurfacer is made from a mixture of cement and plastic polymers. When applied over a concrete slab, the cement hardens and the plastic polymers cause the hardened cement to bond to your existing slab. The new layer of cement will cover up all of the cosmetic blemishes on your patio, making it look new. To learn more about the process of resurfacing a concrete patio and what problems it can correct, read on.

How Does a Contractor Resurface a Concrete Patio?

In order to resurface a concrete patio, the contractor will start by using a powerful pressure washer to completely clean the surface. In addition to removing dirt and oil from the patio, the pressure washer will make the surface rougher, which allows the concrete resurfacer to bind to the concrete better.

After cleaning the surface, any large cracks in the patio will be patched with crack filler. Once the cracks are filled, the contractor will brush liquid concrete resurfacer over the entire patio, making sure it's smooth. Concrete resurfacer dries and hardens quickly. Once it does, your concrete patio will have an entirely new surface layer of cement.

What Issues Can Be Fixed By Resurfacing Concrete?

Concrete resurfacing is a great solution for improving the appearance of old concrete with extensive staining. The concrete resurfacer creates an entirely new cement layer on top of the concrete, which will hide any stains. Resurfacing your concrete patio will also hide any cracks in it.

Resurfacing concrete also improves the texture of old concrete that has become pitted due to age. As a concrete patio ages, some of the cement on the top layer will become worn down, exposing the stone aggregate in the concrete. The exposed stone aggregate makes the surface look pitted, and it also makes it painful to walk on the patio with your bare feet.

What Issues Can't Be Fixed by Resurfacing Concrete?

Resurfacing concrete is a cosmetic fix since the new cement layer on top of the concrete is too thin to provide any structural support to the slab. If your patio is cracking due to tree roots growing underneath it or the soil shifting around it when those cracks will continue to spread even if you resurface the patio. When the cracks spread, they will break apart the new cement layer and cause it to chip off.

If your concrete patio is structurally sound and simply looks worn due to age, however, then concrete resurfacing is the perfect low-cost option to improve its appearance. Call a concrete contractor in your area and have your patio assessed to determine if it's structurally sound enough for resurfacing. It's a much less expensive alternative to demolishing the slab and pouring a new one in its place, and it will cover up all of the stains and dirt on your old patio.