Saving Your Slab: How to Transform Aging Concrete Without Demolition

Can You Install New Concrete Over My Existing Slab?

Are you staring at a cracked, stained, or just plain ugly concrete surface and dreading the thought of a complete tear-out? Before you rent that jackhammer, listen to what Ed Rivas has to say about the remarkably effective alternative that could save you thousands.

In this enlightening conversation, Ed reveals the truth about concrete resurfacing – a process that can transform aging, worn concrete into beautiful decorative surfaces without the mess, expense, and disruption of demolition. He breaks down the critical difference between cosmetic hairline cracks (which are merely aesthetic) and serious structural issues that might require more extensive repairs. You'll discover how concrete overlays apply a surprisingly thin layer—less than a quarter-inch thick—that won't create awkward transitions with surrounding areas yet delivers impressive durability with 4,000 PSI strength.

The creative possibilities might surprise you most of all. Ed describes how these overlays can be stamped, carved, and colored to mimic expensive natural materials like stone or travertine, giving homeowners endless design options. He shares a real customer success story where resurfacing saved a homeowner thousands after removing an outdoor kitchen left damaged concrete by their pool. Best of all, most residential projects take just a couple of days from start to finish. Whether your concrete concerns involve a driveway, patio, pool deck, or garage floor, this episode offers solutions that blend practicality with outstanding aesthetics. Ready to transform your tired concrete? Ed's expertise proves you don't need to start from scratch to get stunning results.

To learn more about Concrete & Epoxy by CSI visit:
https://www.CSIUS.net
Concrete & Epoxy by CSI
972-292-8057

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
you're listening to ed the concrete man, the only
podcast where cracks get fixed,floors get fancy and concrete
becomes cool.
Hosted by ed revis, founder andceo of concrete and epoxy by
csi, serving up solid advice andeven more solid surfaces across
north dallas, whether it's yourdriveway, patio, garage or

(00:24):
mystery slab, we build andbeautify concrete and we've got
the trowel marks to prove it.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Is your old slab looking rough and you're
wondering if you need to tear itall out?
Good news Ed's got optionsthat'll save you time, money and
a whole lot of mess.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host slashproducer.
Back in the studio with EdRivas, founder and CEO of
Concrete and Epoxy by CSI.

(00:59):
Ed, how's it going today?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Doing pretty good, sofia, how are you today?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
I'm doing well, Ed, and that's great to hear, so can
you inform our listeners?
Can you install new concreteover existing slab?

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yes, I mean technically, it's not installing
new concrete.
There are certain materialsthat are like mixed with
concrete, that you can utilizeto resurface concrete.
So if you have a concrete thatdoesn't look that good, it may
have some hairline cracks, whichhairline cracks are nothing

(01:38):
other than static.
If your concrete is too solidand you want to make it look
good, we can use a resurfacing.
Also, a lot of people know themas overlay or stem-decorated
concrete.
We can make it look like new oreven better than that.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Are hairline cracks an issue in the long run?

Speaker 3 (01:59):
They're not.
Hairline cracks happentypically because of the
movement on the concrete, theconcrete stress.
So there is a shrinkage and thehairline cracks are not just
aesthetic, they're not going toaffect the strength of your
concrete.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
And what's involved in assessing whether my slab is
structurally sound.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
If you have cracks in your concrete and those cracks
are bigger than, like I will say, six inches.
If you have a headland crack,it's not a problem, but if you
see that it's like I'm sorry, Idon't mean to say six inches,
half inch, if they're biggerthan half inch and you start

(02:44):
seeing like the rebar inside andall that, that's a major
problem because it may startcracking even more.
That is when you can think thatthere is something wrong with
the structure of your concrete.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Understood Now how thick is new concrete layer when
it's installed over an old slab.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
An overlay or a decorative resurfacing concrete
is only about a, not even aquarter of an inch.
So some people worry about, oh,if I do this because we do it a
lot like in pool decks they say, oh, so my concrete now is
going to be higher than the restof the areas and now it's

(03:29):
really not going to be evennoticeable, because it's very
thin, it's very resistant, itgives you 4,000 PSI but it's not
really thick.
It's a thin layer of concretemix.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Can you stamp or color the new concrete overlay?

Speaker 3 (03:48):
Most definitely.
Actually, most of theapplications that we do with
resurfacing concrete is likedecorative.
You can make it look almostanything.
You can make it look like stone, you can make it look like
travertine, you can make it lookmany different ways, because
that's a material that we'reactually going to lay the
material and then we can carvein any way that you like, any

(04:09):
shape.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Now, how long does this kind of project typically
take, from start to finish?

Speaker 3 (04:17):
It depends on the actual size of the project, but
let's say a regular patio thatis 304 hundred square feet is a
couple days job.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Now, does that depend on how you want to decorate the
new overlay?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
If yes and no, it's more related to the size,
because I mean first you have toput the first layer of the
material and it has to dry, andthen next day you do the
coloring and then you have toseal it.
Also Now, like I say, a regularsize, you can do any shape, and
it's still a couple of days.
Now, if you start getting intosomething bigger, then of course

(04:58):
increase the timing, but anaverage body of four or 500
square feet is a couple of days.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Now, what kind of bonding agents or overlay
systems do you use?

Speaker 3 (05:10):
I mean there are different materials that you can
buy.
The material that we use is amix of cement with stone and you
have to create a certainprofile on the base concrete.
We watch it very well.
If there is not enough profile,we have to grind it to come up
with some profile.
So the material really grabs tothe bottom one.
If there is not enough profile,we have to grind it to come up

(05:30):
with some profiles.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
So the material really grabs to the bottom one.
That sounds like a lengthyprocess, is it?

Speaker 3 (05:37):
I mean, if you don't know how to do it, maybe, but
we're experienced, we've beendoing it for a long time.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
So we find a way to make it more like easy for us
Any final words that you have on.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
If you have any concrete that you think may need
it doesn't look that good oryou're not sure if it needs to
be redone, give us a call and wecan give you a free estimate.
We can go and assess the actualproject or your project and we
can give you an honest opinionif you really need to redo it,
or we can do a resurfacing foryou and it's very durable.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
Now.
Are there any other signs thatthe concrete needs to be redone?

Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean, if you have a big opening, bigger than a
hairline crack, you may have toredo the concrete.
But if it's just something thinas a hairline crack, you may
have to redo the concrete, butif it's just something thin as a
hairline crack, we can do theresurfacing.
Now sometimes you see, likeyour power wash it too hard and
you see little rocks and thingslike that.
That's when you probably wantto do a resurfacing to make it

(06:42):
look nicer.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Do you have any stories of clients who came
across that same issue?
Do?

Speaker 3 (06:49):
you have any stories of clients who came across that
same issue?
Wow, do we have time for that?
I have so many clients that wecan help with that.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
During the last few years Just a quick story to
share.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
I mean the other day I went to a client that they
used to have a kitchen on thepool and the patio next to the
pool deck.
So the concrete on theirkitchen, when they remove it, it
was completely bad, it waslooking pretty bad.
So the client called me,thinking that they need to like
demolish the concrete and redoit again to make it look like

(07:21):
even or nice.
And we were able to save them afew thousand dollars because
instead of redoing the concretewe were able to do a resurfacing
and make the whole area looknice and even.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Wow, thank you for those helpful insights, ed.
We'll catch you on the nextepisode.
Have a fantastic rest of yourday.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Thank you, sofia.
It's good talking to you and tothe audience.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
That's it for this episode of Ed the Concrete man,
because boring concrete is solast season.
Want your space to shine andnot crack.
Call Ed at 945-400-4362 for afree in-home consultation or
visit csiusnet.
From driveways to patios andeverything in between, if it's

(08:10):
concrete, we've got you covered.
Until next time, keep it smoothand let Ed handle the heavy
stuff.