Exposed Aggregate concrete help

[teesquare]

I am retired - but owned a company that fixed concrete problems. I currently consult with architects and owners in commercial construction projects.

First - Don't panic and do something to ruin what you have. It can be made to look much more like what you desire. And - Yes, you CAN make it worse. Especially by following many of the in-experienced ( and some hare-brained ) advisements I see in this thread.

Second - contact a company called ProSoCo. They are on line. They are the biggest and best at finding ways to fix and maintain exposed aggregate as well as many other forms of decorative concrete. They will have a rep that work with commercial construction material supplies that serve your area. Find out the names of the companies that sell their products.

Third - Once you know more about how the ProSoCo cleaners, acid based detergents, and sealers work - decide if it is something you want to perform or have a contractor that specializes in this type of "cleaning up behind a slob" work do this. After cleaning - this surface will need a penetrative water repellent applied to prevent freeze/thaw spalling ( rocks popping out )

And - lastly...folks who have no actual experience in these things seem to feel empowered to get on a computer and tell someone else how to fix" a problem. They ought to be head slapped for that. And, you really should do your research for fixing this with an attorney letter to the concrete contractor - and Google. Not a discussion forum about tractors.

I will private message you my phone number and if I can be of further help - please give me a call. I feel your pain, and in honor of your wife and her diagnosis - and will do my best to answer any questions and direct you to people/places for getting this solved.

T

 

[oneal hicks]

Should not pay for such a bad job.

 

[rocco611]

pea gravel exposed aggregate is what you have, the color is different that salt and pepper .how big is the slab? looking at the pictures I don't think you will ever be happy with it. you can live with it or break it up and start over. Years ago I did an exposed aggregate patio on the 1rst house I owned. I practiced first by making some exposed aggregate pavers before I did a whole patio. I used 1" con mix then seeded and tamped in salt and pepper stones ( small black and white stones ) then sprayed sugar water over the top and gently used water and broom to expose the stones. there is a learning curve to doing exposed aggregate. it takes some practice to get it right.

 

[lilranch2001]

After seeing the picture with the level in it, I'd say the contractor did the best job he knew how to do and his best isn't what you contracted for. That's actually quite a bad job unless it was intentional for drainage. I have the same problem in my area. Not sure there is really a solution to this other than tearing it out and getting a different contractor. I've not tried muratic acid on concrete so don't know how that would work, you might try phosphoric acid. That'll eat the concrete and leave the stones, but you run the risk of undercutting the stones and they'll then become loose and be worse than what you have.

There is an option to overlay this with an epoxy and gravel mix. I think they call it Cool Deck and use it around swimming pools for bare feet and drainage. I'd call pool companies to see what they have available as an overlay.

Most epoxies will not hold up under u/v radiation….. would have to go to a urethane or something that will withstand the environment

 

[mx842]

I Feel your pain, I had the same thing happen to me when I first built my house and even now, every time I look at it i get pizzed. Yours like mine was just a shi**y job, The concrete got away from him before he applied the retarder and nothing at that point could have changed the outcome. Exposed aggregate if done right can be a beautiful thing but if it is not done right the only thing that will fix it is to rip it out and start over. That was not an option for me because I was on a budget and trying to get that guy in court would have been another waste of money. I had some people come out a few months later that said they could fix it but in the end that was just another waste of good hard-earned money.
Sorry to hear about your wife and I hope this doesn't make things worse for her. Stress is a terrible thing to deal with.

 

[kenhar]

Sandblast a corner or area off to the side to determine what pressure gives the desired results.

 

[mx842]

pea gravel exposed aggregate is what you have, the color is different that salt and pepper .how big is the slab? looking at the pictures I don't think you will ever be happy with it. you can live with it or break it up and start over. Years ago I did an exposed aggregate patio on the 1rst house I owned. I practiced first by making some exposed aggregate pavers before I did a whole patio. I used 1" con mix then seeded and tamped in salt and pepper stones ( small black and white stones ) then sprayed sugar water over the top and gently used water and broom to expose the stones. there is a learning curve to doing exposed aggregate. it takes some practice to get it right.

It doesn't matter what kind of gravel you use it all depends on what the desired color and pattern you want in the end. There are different colors and different size stone to think about and that should be relayed to the batch plant where the concrete is dispatched from.
Weather it is larger stone or pea gravel makes no difference to the concrete you work it the same. The mix is worked so that by gravity the rock settles down leaving a thin layer of pasty mud exposed just like with any type pour. At that point you have one of three options, a brushed finish, a slick finish, or the exposed aggregate look, well, there's also the stamped option but that's a whole different ball game. If you want the rock exposed, you spray on the retardant and wait until the lower-level set's up then you pressure wash the mud off leaving the desired results.
If timed and prepared correctly there is no reason any of the exposed rock should ever pop out and should last as long as any other finish would last. Of-course you would probably want to apply a resin-based sealer to the finish a day or two later to make it shine.

 

[Yanmar VIO]

I have been in the concrete industry for 40+ years. When dealing with decorative concrete, it is best to check with your local ready-mix producer or concrete tool supplier for references. We go to a lot of jobsites and we know who is good, bad, and ugly... I also encourage homeowners to go look at other jobs the contractor has done in the area. One issue with concrete is we can have the best materials, QC dept., mixes, plants, drivers, etc., but when the load leaves the plant, we don't have much control on the weather conditions or what the purchaser does with it... As a producer, we have special mixes for exposed aggregates. Those mixes have a higher percentage of pea gravel; in our area contractors don't 'seed' in materials. They are always 6 sack mixes because the smaller the rock size, the greater the surface area of the material, so more cement is required to coat that material. We offer a couple different 3/8 materials from different rock sources, which produce different colors. Concrete producers have to be careful with exposed materials because the absorption rates can be higher from some sources, leading to 'pop outs' when those materials are frozen in wet winter conditions. In the "old days", contractors who did exposed aggregate would mix up their own concoctions of sugar water, etc. About 15 years ago commercial surface retarders such as Top Cast became available. This lowered the bar, allowing a lot of the less skilled contractors to offer exposed work, or say they could do it. From the appearance of this job, this contactor is not a concrete specialist, but probably some guy who thinks he is. Those joints are not straight, and he screwed up the exposure badly-pretty much has to come out, or be topped... Personally, I prefer saw joints to tooled joints, but that requires another site visit, additional equipment, etc. Lastly, the photo you displayed as what you wanted appears to be an epoxy type job from a pool surface company, which is a different product/procedure. That may be the route to follow to get a fix on this mess, but I don't think those guys are cheap...

 

[Alan46]

Have you thought about contacting the state contractor licensing board and filing a complaint?

 

[technomill]

I would use acid to remove3 the top layer and scrub then wash off should take the residual left on those areas may have to use a wire brush to scrub but that should work but be careful with the acid and make sure to use all the precautions on the label you can find it at most hardware stores.