# Screwed up concrete



## MetroMan (Jul 20, 2009)

plain and simple , my crew did a stamped concrete job that im not happy with and am sure my client wont be happy. any suggestions on how to fix it? and our client company relationship?


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## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

Tear it out, do it over. Simple. Dissatisfied customers are bad for business.


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

MetroMan said:


> plain and simple , my crew did a stamped concrete job that im not happy with and am sure my client wont be happy. any suggestions on how to fix it? and our client company relationship?



Sub it out to a concrete contractor that knows what they are doing? 

There really is not easy fix for most concrete errors. Apologize to the owner and sub it to a pro that makes it right


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## poisonfangs (Jul 20, 2009)

Looks like your going to eat that job. Discuss with your client on what needs to be done to make it right by them and keep them as a client.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Usually, you can do a pretty crappy job of floating and finishing something that is going to be stamped. Unless you got your stamps all sorts of whopper-jawed, it's kind of hard to screw up.


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## ChrWright (Jul 17, 2007)

It's hard to give advice with zero info. What's wrong with it and how did it get that way? Concrete is concrete... there's no "fixing it" after it dries.

From your short post--with no intro of yourself and who you are--I can't even tell if you know what you're doing. If you're doing stamped concrete how is it you and your people don't know how to work with it? 

Why did your crew do this without you in the first place?

Just curious...


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## silvertree (Jul 22, 2007)

Ditto, I think.
If your in the business you know the answer. Cement gets hard after a while so its either good or bad. 
If your thinking an overlay, you'll have 2 jobs your in trouble for.:sad:


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## CookeCarpentry (Feb 26, 2009)

I echo one of the above posters....rip it out and re-do. On your dime of course. Subs are your friend (if you treat them right) learn to use qualified ones if you or your in house crew cannot complete a job to 100% satisfy the customer.

Or you could try painting it...


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## PGD (May 20, 2009)

joasis said:


> Tear it out, do it over. Simple. Dissatisfied customers are bad for business.


 
I agree with Joasis, but take some pictures first so's we can all see it, and then give your lead employee some new concrete boots.


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

From the sound of these posts these guys don't know **** about concrete. Post a pic. Not knowing what is wrong with it there is a plethora of answers. It can be chipped grinded and massaged in to a quality piece. May even be able to remove sections of the slab and repour it. Then there is the acid staining instead of painting :lol: painting.


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## ChrWright (Jul 17, 2007)

JustaFramer said:


> From the sound of these posts these guys don't know **** about concrete. Post a pic. Not knowing what is wrong with it there is a plethora of answers. It can be chipped grinded and massaged in a quality piece. May even be able to remove sections of the slab and repour it. Then there is the acid staining instead of painting :lol: painting.


Would that be a "deep tissue" massage, or swedish? :laughing:

Here's hoping for a "happy ending"... :thumbup:


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## JumboJack (Aug 14, 2007)

I tend to avoid situations like this by only doing things I know how to do right....Call me crazy.


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

ChrWright said:


> Would that be a "deep tissue" massage, or swedish? :laughing:
> 
> Here's hoping for a "happy ending"... :thumbup:



For not doing right the first time I would be hoping for a happy ending in this sad saga. :whistling


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## willworkforbeer (Mar 7, 2009)

MetroMan said:


> plain and simple , my crew did a stamped concrete job that im not happy with and am sure my client wont be happy. any suggestions on how to fix it? and our client company relationship?


Do it over, new concrete is easier to remove then old concrete. If you dont have the nuts to handle a setback then you should get out of construction.


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## tgeb (Feb 9, 2006)

I think all the above has pretty much covered it.

Take some pics and post them here.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Maybe post up some pictures and size of area and problems you have with it so that some experts can give you some advice. There's many fixes on the market for almost any type of concrete finish so perhaps it may be an easy fix but if your guys have made a proper mess of it perhaps it's way beyond that.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

I think he stood us up. Did he rent his stamps at home creepo?


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## Metrojoebarbs (Mar 10, 2007)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I think he stood us up. Did he rent his stamps at home creepo?


More than likely it was a homeowner who hired a hack. He got exactly what he paid for and now he's looking for the proper way to have this hack fix it. 

I would have told the idiot to paint it and forget about it...


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## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

I've been in the same boat many times before, except that I was present, & could never simply blame it on my employees. The best & easiest solution is to indeed tear it out & try it again. There is no magic wand or "easy button" for concrete, especially in the decorative market. I did my first stamp job about 6 years ago on Halloween, in Wisconsin, with a wind advisory (about 40-50 mph gusts), & a lot of texture from the cedar trees surrounding the pour. I failed big time, at least in my own opinion. But I was lucky to at least make one good decision: experiment in stamped concrete at my own house, on my own time, on my own money. I've dicked with that stupid patio for all these years now, & it still looks like shid! There are indeed many things to go wrong with a stamp job. Few are repairable the next day. The biggest challenge with stamped concrete, especially when using powered release vs. clear liquid, is you never actually see the job until the next day when you go to rinse it off. By then, it's too late.

BTW, I'm not too proud to say I've torn out pain old broomed concrete before also. Quite a few times actually. I'm preaty picky, though, & realize that if it doesn't look good the next day, it's not going to look good the day after that, or the day after that, or , well you get the point. I actually prefer to rip the concrete out ASAP, as it far esier to deal with then, & is easier on the pocket book. I've actually torn out concrete so green that we've ben able to recycle the rod mat in the concrete. In reality though, my goal is to limit tear-outs to 1 a year, which is fairly easy when you pour concrete for a living. It's easier to handle if you figure it in to your overhead, cost of doing business, etc... Plus, it's some of the best advertising you can possibly do, a contractor who actually stand behind his work, no matter how much it costs him!


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## BobsLandscaping (May 25, 2009)

I never could get the hang of concrete patios. Wish I could, it'd be good for business. I've seen poured concrete patios w/ intricate designs in them. How do you do that? Any tips you pros would care to share? PM, email, or call (during daylight hours please) if you don't want to put the info out for anyone to read.


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