Rant: Dropped $400 on a decorative stamped overlay and the color faded in 6 months

I was doing a patio job outside Austin last spring and the homeowner wanted that fancy stamped concrete look. I paid $400 for a colored overlay system from a specialty supplier, looked amazing for about two months. Then the sun just ate it up, turned all patchy and washed out. Did I just get a bad batch or have you guys had this happen with colored overlays before?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_ross20d ago

Man, that's frustrating but I've noticed this pattern in all kinds of outdoor stuff, not just concrete. It seems like nothing that's supposed to handle UV really does once you get south of like I-20. The sun down here just has a way of finding the weak spot in any product.

anthony_wells20d ago

Did you put a sealer on top after it cured? I've seen some of those overlay systems claim they're UV stable but then they just don't hold up in direct Texas sun. The cheap ones from big box stores seem to fade real fast, but even the expensive stuff can go bad if you skip the sealer or use the wrong type. What brand was the overlay and did you check the mixing instructions real close? Sometimes you gotta add the colorant in a specific order or it just gives up.