Laying Concrete on Top of a Path That's Already There

by Lady Constance
(Port Vila - Vanuatu.)

Q: Greetings Mr Concrete Man,

I have just discovered your web site and can hardly sit still to write this email waiting for your response..

I have an oldish walkway in cement as well as the outside suround of a swimming pool.This is approx 12 yards by 6 yards. I wish to cover this with new cement and add colour and a design as I go.

How thick do I need to make the new cement so it doesn't crack and what mixture would I need to make the cement.
If I use ordinary cement with fine sand, say 3 to 1 mix
without adding anything else other than water will this take a certain amount of walking traffic.?

The cement would be mixed by shovel and put on with a shovel and trowel.After the design is imprinted into the cement(by Hand) would I then sprinkle a dry mixture of sand, cement and colour,over the area and gently tap the colour into the drying cement with the imprint there already.? (Everything done by hand)

After this has been done....would I need to put a sealer over the top of the above or is it o.k. to leave it as is.

I live in the South Pacific in Vanuatu and we get quite a lot of strong sunlight.
I thank you in advance for any advice you can give me and also for your time.

I am so excited to hear what you can tell me I am carrying on like a cat on a hot tin roof.
Have a great week.

Sunniest Cheers
Connie


A: Hi Connie,

You can just call me Concrete Man, or Alan, no need to be so formal ;-) ...Sounds like an interesting little project you have there.

I recommend that your new concrete be 1.5 inches thick for your walkway. This is a good thickness for stamping. Keep in-mind that you cannot prevent concrete from cracking due to its weak tensile strength, the best you can do is control it. As for load tolerance, that would depend on the condition and thickness of your existing slab.

Personally, I would sprinkle a powder color hardener on the top instead of sand and cement, to prevent sticking.

For the mix, use 2 parts gravel, 1 part sand, and 1 part cement for your overlay. Since you will be stamping the concrete, you may want to consider using #69 gravel instead of the typical #57 gravel so you can get a better stamped finish.

You definitely should seal the concrete when you are done with an acrylic sealant to protect the results of your hard work. I actually would apply two coats of sealer, especially with the strong sunlight you will be having.

I think I've hit on everything you asked, Connie. Thank you for them and feel free to follow-up if more come up.

The pages below may help you along your way:

http://www.meet-mr-concrete.com/concrete-stamps.html

http://www.meet-mr-concrete.com/how-to-stain-concrete.html

http://www.meet-mr-concrete.com/concrete-dye.html


Best regards,

Alan
Meet-Mr-Concrete.com
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