Concrete Steps Skim Coating

[krux]

Morning!

A friend recommend me this "great concrete contractor." I gave the guy a shot and dreadfully regret it.

Since this was last year and I have had time to cool down, can I get my steps skim coated to make them smooth? Would it last? Even though I live in MN, I never put salt down as it faces the sun all day.

The horrible concrete results.....

 

[65ranchero]

I doubt a skim coat will last it will likely flake off with freeze/ thaw cycle

 

[kbeefy]

Here for possible solutions....

 

[Shiftless]

Me too
My friend’s cabin near Lake Tahoe has concrete steps that look way worse than that.

 

[Cairo94507]

That's a small area, better off to break out and re-pour them. This time, do not pay the contractor his final installment until you are satisfied with the work.

 

[ItsNemo]

I've seen worse ... lol but ya, short of a veneer stone or grinding or something, you won't be able to rescue that.

 

[rayra]

I'd call that fine for an area known for snow and ice. But you go ahead and try and make it smooth.

/Expecting your 'I busted my hip slipping on my smooth steps' topic next winter.

 

[krux]

Wow, if you guys think this is acceptable, I wont touch it then. It held up fine over the winter, so it sounds like it might actually be worse to skim coat it vs just leaving it. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[CraigStu]

How about covering that? I'd also be leary about a skim coat cracking and flaking but how about a few deck boards? The standard 5/4 thickness might be too much as it would mess up your step heights. Maybe there are thin ones available. Maybe buy the 5/4 and thin them down. A dado blade on a radial arm or table saw would make pretty quick work of thinning them to maybe 1/2 inch. You have a very small area to cover so even some higher end deck boards won't be a huge expense. You could work out the placement so you create a nose on the first board overhanging the riser by 1/2inch. Since they are 100% supported by the concrete 2 Tapcon screws per board would do the job so not a terrible job. Heck even structural glue might do the job w/o screws.

 

[mike93lx]

I started looking at the pictures wondering what the problem was. Maybe they just aren't highlighting it.

Either way, it isn't perfect, but that's far from a train wreck. I wouldn't veneer them with anything as it will mess up your step heights.

 

[strutaeng]

What did they look like before? What product did the guy use? Did they do good surface prep? Did they follow the Technical Data Sheets (TDS)?

They look good to me. I mean, you weren't expecting museum-quality polished concrete or something like that, were you?

Maybe you should of asked for a mock-up? LOL...I'm joking.

 

[65ranchero]

If you want to clean that up a little, use these and elbow power

Marshalltown 6" x 3" 20 Grit Rub Brick RB192

Marshalltown 6 x 3" 20 Grit Rub Brick RB192MARSHALLTOWN Rub Bricks are the best Masonry tool for cleaning bricks as well as dressing down and removing form marks from concrete. Rub bricks are Made in the USA with Global Materials.FEATURES:Clean and remove

www.google.com

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Marshalltown-RUB-BRICK/5001845331?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-bdm-_-ggl-_-LIA_BDM_210_Concrete-Block-_-5001845331-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ayUBhA4EiwATWyBrvX_cJH3sFXN7bhwWnp8tYrOkMbLewzOlWapWyKd7cvmTBdZkl67GxoCx2oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[KenC]

Recap by Quikcrete is what I'd do. My back patio, 16x16 elevated 3.5' off the ground, 4" slab was in bad shape. Lots of spalling on the edges and a couple of feet in on the lowest side due to freeze/thaw damage. It is slightly lower on the outer edge for drainage.
I patched the really deep spots with a really rich sand/cement mix with no water, just concrete latex additive after priming with more of the same additive. Then resurfaced with the Recap. It's been through two winters with no damage apparent.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Grind/chip off any high spots. Coat the low spots with a bonding adhesive then trowl on resurfacer.You may end up with color variations. Paint, possibly a thin mix of portland and water.

 

[CraigStu]

Another thought would be use 65ranchero's rub brick and then paint it. BEHR has this;

BEHR ADVANCED DeckOver® Waterproofing Coatings for Wood and Concrete | Behr

Now with better adhesion and cracking resistance, give your outdoor surfaces bold color and style with BEHR ADVANCED DeckOver® regular and textured paints for wood and concrete.

www.behr.com

It was already on the deck when we bought a house 8 years ago. We were there 5 years and it looked exactly the same when we left as when we moved in.
Cabot has similar.

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Deckcorrect--Paint/4294729418?refinement=3499777442

 

[p00p]

imo, if it meets/exceeds the code for your local area, I would not spend any time nor money on what I see.

 

[krux]

Thanks again for everyone's feedback.

This is brand new concrete that was poured last year, so nothing old. He charged me around $3,800 in cash.

For high spots, I could take the carbide stone to it.

It seems like everyone is saying just to leave it alone.

 

[mike93lx]

Now way it was 3800 for just the steps...right?

 

[racecougar]

Now way it was 3800 for just the steps...right?

Front steps, side steps, and pads.

Original thread: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/concrete-disaster.483674/#post-9150675

 

[krux]

Front steps, side steps, and pads.

Original thread: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/concrete-disaster.483674/#post-9150675

You're good!