Are overlays less expensive than concrete?
One of the common misconceptions I see online is that concrete overlays are less expensive than replacing concrete. This is usually untrue except for a select few instances. There are very few places where an overlay makes sense. In the vast majority of cases, we recommend tearing out the old concrete and replacing it with new concrete.
The times an overlay makes sense usually have to do with the mess created with a replacement or damage that could happen to structure or infrastructure. In my opinion, the three instances where an overlay might make sense would be an interior floor, a pool deck or a porch.
While a stamped concrete overlay on an interior floor makes practical sense in that it saves the mess of tearing out the existing floor, it doesn’t usually work from a financial standpoint. Stamped concrete overlays cost quite a bit more than most flooring materials, even high-end travertine tile or wood flooring. Most people just choose those other products.
Occasionally we will do an overlay on a porch because it eliminates the need to structurally support the porch while concrete is torn out. The prep work for an overlay is also less labor intensive than setting porch forms. I have also seen instances where part of a building structure is placed on 4" concrete rather than a foundation. This can happen in older cottages or unapproved additions. In these cases, removing concrete flatwork will cause a wall to sink or exterior masonry to detach from the wall.
Pool decks are an area where overlays make the most sense. It can be very expensive to tear out a pool deck, because there are many things that require caution and make tear out a time-consuming process. The coping can easily be bent when removing the concrete. The bonding wire that runs around the pool connecting metal panels, handrails, ladder brackets and diving board jigs can be yanked out. It’s also easy to wreck a skimmer box or drop concrete into the pool and gouge the interior of the pool. Most pools have a fence around them, so getting in and tearing the pool deck out becomes a task that usually requires hours of jackhammering or total fence removal.
The most popular type of overlay that we use around pools is called a spray overlay. A spray overlay is a cement product that gets sprayed over the existing concrete using an air compressor and hopper gun. After spraying, the overlay is knocked down with a trowel. This product has a few different names depending on who makes it. Common trade names are spray deck, sun deck or kool deck. A great feature about using this material is that the texture makes the pool deck feel cooler on your feet than the standard brushed concrete beneath it. The material is also very easy to use over existing substrates. It is thin (about the thickness of a credit card) so it will not create a high build above the existing pool coping. It is easy to make into borders and designs and is available in many different colors. We use this same spray overlay to cover up unsightly retaining walls or porch faces. Spay overlays are less expensive than a pool deck replacement.
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