Renovation, Part 7

The day after they poured the concrete we got to look at things more closely.

We got to see the side of the house for the first time.

You'll notice (you probably already noticed last time) that the surface of the concrete isn't your normal, broom finish. We wanted a finish that is more attractive. So we had them stamp a stone finish onto our walks.

We also wanted something prettier than your basic concrete color. They gave us a card with samples of all the colors available. The card listed three grades of colors. The foreman told us that all the colors were the same price. That didn't seem right but we chose a bold red from the highest grade of colors. It turned out that we were right in thinking that it would be more expensive. The owner of the company convinced us that the color probably would be a bit too bold and we didn't want to have the added expense. So we went for a less bold (and less expensive) color.

The stamping process uses a "release agent" that adds more color and depth to the surface. It lets the stamps be removed from the concrete without lifting any of the concrete with it. As I recall, we didn't choose the release agent's color until just before they poured. I had no idea what was involved and I couldn't visualize how this new choice was going to affect the final product. I let Jerry figure this one out.

This batch of pictures show the fresh concrete with the release agent not yet washed off.

In addition to the stamps for the stonelike surface, they have other decorative stamps. Like turtles! (The page with the turtle stamps is currently showing only the stamps and not the end result. But you don't need that missing picture.)

Let's look at a turtle. Here's a close-up of one of the turtles stamped in this project.

This one is at the beginning of the walk from the garage to the front door. The release agent hasn't been washed off so it looks kind of chalky. You can see another of the turtles in this picture from the last edition (just below the cuidado tape).

The next day they washed the release agent off the walks.

That didn't improve the appearance a lot.

Here's a view of the above turtle after it got its bath.

Remember our two-way cleanout? Here it is (well, its caps) after it got washed.

There's still an oleander down there at the end of the walk. What is its fate?