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Need layout/design help
caTom	04-27-2008 16:51:04
Member Posts: 3 Joined: 04-27-2008	I am new to staining and to the forum but very excited about my first project which is a large outdoor patio at my business. I have about 7,000 sf of broom finished concrete I am planning to stain. The slab is several months old. I have done some testing and have great results using some browns and greens from Brickform. However, I am not sure what kind of design or pattern I should use, if any. Are there any artisan types that could help? Here is a pic of the area. We are going to add some arobors made of large old timbers for shade. This area will have tables and chairs and foot traffic.

consci	04-27-2008 17:15:36
Member Posts: 63 Joined: 04-02-2008	That's not a patio, it's a freakin parking lot. Layout what and where you are going to place permanent fixtures. I use cheap masking tape to outline space requirements for seating, entertainment, ect. First rule "FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION" sometimes subtle is better in a big area like that. You may have better results in the end if you use lines from your cold joints as part of the design, different pours may take stain differently

suntacsys	04-27-2008 18:31:02
Member Posts: 1135 Joined: --	i see random cracking in your slab's future,,, who laid out that jnt pattern ? ? ? best [the original] measure-twice-cut-once-in-the-wrong-place yic-yac

usconc	04-27-2008 19:25:23
Member Posts: 803 Joined: --	sorry but that driveway - er "patio" - looks like crap. and if you stain it the way it is, it's going to look like even more crap. you've got to even out the coloring on the surface of the concrete. i would pressure wash first. if that doesn't work, i'd try a floor machine with a black pad. if that doesn't work, i'd probably pressure wash with a sand injector. if you want a design, cut all the individual slabs in half from corner to corner and then stain the pieces slightly different tones of the same color or different colors that aren't too far apart. staining broom finish isn't easy. it can go south real quick. especially on a project that big. i would try the most inconspicuous slab first and see what it looks like when done. better to ruin just one slab than the whole parking lot - er "patio". good luck.

dcs inc	04-27-2008 20:57:40
Member Posts: 192 Joined: --	Why not turn this into a show room? You could apply seperators by banding areas and doing different applications. I wish I had this kind of show room space. gene ec-Indy

caTom	04-28-2008 07:43:59
Member Posts: 3 Joined: 04-27-2008	Great reply, thanks. I never thought the dark blobs would be a problem, I thought they would just stain a little different and add to the effect of stain. I dont think I have blobs in my test area, so I may have to go ahead with one slab only to see how it comes out. Also, the idea that the cold joints should be used in the design is a real consideration, and your idea of cutting the slabs in half is worth thinking about. I had been thinking of doing some dark 12" bands across the slab both ways on about 18 foot centers, and then doing similar but different stain mixtures between the bands. But as you say, the different slabs are going to come out different along the cold joints, and that may not look so good with the bands. Yes, there is some random shrinkage cracks, I am hoping to highlight them with stain to enhance the rustic effect.

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