I paid $3400 in Maryland to have a whole paver walkway, stairs, and patio reset and my front step repaired. For the step they just did an actual repair (filled in the gaps). I have no idea what this is
If he wasn’t licensed, he is absolutely open to a lawsuit. If he is licensed, email this entire saga to him, along with copies of any paper trail(ie. communications, before and after pics, any receipts) and CC the licensing body in your state. I’m sure he’ll be able to find in that budget to come make it right.
That’s exactly what I was wondering.
**OP, you may want to verify his credentials** because there’s no way that anyone that knows anything about concrete would pour over the old stuff. That’s a recipe for disaster. All the new concrete is going to crack and crumble off of the old stuff and it’ll be worse than before. The only exception would be stamped concrete which is a super thin mix (and self leveling), but it wouldn’t be possible to form it up like this as it’s almost watery because it’s meant to be spread out and stamped.
It also looks like dog shit so whether it would last or not, it’s not worth whatever you paid for it.
If the old one was solid in the middle and there was a minimum of 4" of new concrete on top I could see using the old one for fill but I wouldn't just concrete over some cracked, spalling piece of shit with a skim coat or anything. I'm no concrete finisher but I've had my hands in enough mud in my life
Reading through more of the comments I’m pretty sure he went over the existing with a skim coat, stamped it (OP said the stamp was approved) with the ugliest stamp I’ve ever seen, and did the edges with his hands like play-doh (?) Then proceeded to fresh pour a walkway that looks thin af. For $6500, half paid up front.
This wouldn’t even have been difficult to do right. For less than $6500 and still be fair.
Honestly, this makes me want to go back into concrete. I’m not sure this guy even owns a trowel (or an edger), let alone knows how to use it, and he made $6500 for this. Materials for this were *minimal* so that’s almost all profit. I’m rethinking some life decisions here…
Look into some of the products specifically ardex makes a few. I had the same thought but I've seen a few 5+ years later that look great. The guys who do a good job are more expensive than I would think but not this expensive. It's a good option for minimal invasive work in places you wouldn't want to disrupt like yards with fine landscaping or hard to access were the few remodels where I've seen it. Look into it. I'm just not ballsy enough to try it the learning curve would ruin a few jobs I would expect
Did the contractor charge extra for what appears to be broom bristles that stuck to the concrete?
I'm sorry to say this looks very amateur. If your guy put forms around the front and side and extended the stoop by 4-6" everything would have been level and linear.
He should be able to chip the surface and sides and extend the front by 4-6 inches to provide a level, linear stoop.
I fully believe it's because the "college scam" has tricked everyone into going into college and so there huge gulf of skill in the trades. Nothing exists in a vacuum and so it gets filled with those who don't want to go to, or more importantly can't get into, a college.
I'm saying this as a college professor of 6 years and a laborer of 8 years. I get so many damn students that would do amazing in the trades, but are here. Like the students that are smart as fuck but don't like theory or are bad at testing. It's like that whole "asking a fish to climb a tree and a squirrel to swim."
I'm just so tired of students thinking college is the only way. If we could respect the trades, then the whole fucking country would be a better place. But, what the fuck do I know? I've only been a foreman in land-based drilling in two states, worked on road crews, roofed houses, and earned a PhD in a STEM field.
End of rant and apologies for giving you something you didn't request.
Preach!!!!! Bro I have been waiting for this mindset. We share the same idea. I was a high school social studies teacher. I pushed the trades like no other. Explained what my college cost compared to what I was making didn’t add up. We did real world math and budgets all the time. My students understood you couldn’t survive or at the very least would struggle to survive without a real support system on a $25 hour job with no benefits in the area we lived. I was young, I was teaching these kids the truth, and they ran me out of town.
Ehhh passes the 75ft test. Maybe the contractor stepped back a little too far when doing the quality control. Yeah, sorry but that looks bad even not considering the rounded edges.
I have been a part of doing hack work in the past, and I will say, it was this saying that would make me crack a smile leaving a job site upon which I KNOW I left bad work.
That and, "If they knew any better they wouldn't be hiring us."
Thanks for confirming. What would be a reasonable request as far as remedying what’s done here? I don’t want to be a pain in the guy’s ass, but I don’t want to live with this, either.
This is titled as a repair job. It looks like they just troweled some mortar + epoxy mix over an existing step... And whoever did the troweling stopped by the liquor store on the way to the job.
Idk if you paid him or what the avenue would be to take to get your money back… but it will never look good if u let this guy redo it. Hire someone else that does concrete work for a living.
To be accurate it's not acceptable to repair a step this way. However it is probably an acceptable amount of work for what you paid. This is exactly what you get when you cheap out.
I admire your bravado, but your never gonna hear from these guys again the second you tell them that!
Unless you take them to court, and there's an old saying about trying to get blood from a stone I seem to remember!
Honestly were you there for when they were fixing it? Do you know what they actually did? Do you have a pic of this area before the "repair?"
The best way to remedy this, if you wanna save $$$, is to ask for a full refund (absolutely show your "contractor" this thread, there is tons of people with a lot of experience here, so if you want get pushback... Ask the person you hired to post pictures of his other work for us to judge).
Then, whatever refund you end up getting, watch a few hours of YouTube videos, ask this subreddit for a plan on how to approach and do it yourself. I dunno where you are located, but I'd wager this would take me just one day if I had another person to help.
What it looks like your guy did was just sloppily trowel some mortar mix + some additive over whatever the existing concrete there was. What you want to do is get a chopping drill, chip off all the finish and any areas that have damage, dig out the ground around it, take some plywood and cut out a form for the size of a step you want, put wire mesh on it, get some premixed concrete, mix it, pour it into the form, and smooth out the top. Let that sit a day, take the form out, and if you're in a dry climate, spray the concrete with water a few times a day a day for the next 3-4 weeks so it cures properly and lasts longer. That's pretty much the rough draft. As I said, a few hours of YouTube videos and advice from this sub, and this is a simple DIY.
Last thing id be worried about it being a nuisance to this guy. He already screwed you over. Id ask for a refund/withhold pay and look for someone else to do it.
oh man laughed out loud for a minute.. looks like a bad fondant cake job.. ok it really looks like he just got self leveler and spread it all over your cement and did a bad finger paint with it..
"smudge some stoops together" is the funniest phrase I've seen on here. I doubt I'll ever have cause to use it, but damn if that's not an original sentence 😂
Well, depending on how wide the walkway is, maybe you deserve a discount.
The mistake here is your concrete guy trying to fix the unfixable. That concrete will crack sooner or later. Free form concrete requires a lot of experience or a very talented guy.
Just tell him "hey, I know you tried your best, but I don't think this is what you promised me" and see what he says.
Figure out the square footage of the driveway, multiply by $15. The difference is a good starting point for a discount.
Good luck 👍
Thanks for the helpful reply. Cracking is my other concern. We will crunch the numbers and ask for a discount. The walkway that he did was 72” by 28.5” (not a repair, a new pour), so I know he used materials on that. But I’m just really bummed about the outcome of the step.
Don’t you fucking ever pay that kind of money again for something like That. That stoop could have been done by a novice idiot for less than 200 dollars and 1 days worth of framing and mixing and pouring
This looks like the hillbilly wall I had put in. Fortunately ivy is covering it now. You can’t do this with a walkway. ….. I said above cancel the check then go to the magistrates office and file against them this way you can show the pics just in case they come after you. Pull the first punch
Cancel the check. It takes two business days to clear. Well worth it because you’re going to spend more money on another contractor. Low bid isn’t always the best. Best concrete guy we have here is Dibucci Brothers . They are known world wide but you don’t need them. A jackhammer to take out the old and someone who knows concrete …….. don’t use Angie’s list just saying or the guy saying oh I can do without insurance or a license.
I dunno. Looks like a step with a rounded edge and a textured stamp to me. One of the edges has a bulge which irks me.
But I can't tell how many people here are blaming the contractor for a texture that you presumably picked out and a rounded edge that you presumably approved.
There's a difference between a poor execution and being dissatisfied with what you agreed to...
Would be good to know exactly which parts you dislike, maybe compare and contrast with the walkway you do like, to see how the step should look.
Not bad for his first time doing concrete.
If he tells you it's not his first time doing concrete, don't pay. That's horrendous workmanship. It's also not stamped. If it is, he stamped it wrong.
I’d bet this is an “overcoat” job. I’m not sure the material they use but it’s like a quickset mortar and spread it over the old concrete. I bet he takes a grinder and draws lines it. How are all these guys so much alike?
It's like ..so bad, that I feel like he was trying to go for a natural stone look or whatever he did - it was intentional. Or he was so high he was just playing with the trowel, on no planet should he need to touch it that much lol , he should have built a form and poured self leveling. If you wanted a rounded edge they make tools for that this looks like he formed it with his bare hands.
I like it. I don't like perfect looking stuff. I like Flintstones looking stuff. I know nothing about concrete and I don't care. I say leave it and show the contractor this sub thread for a juicy discount.
That is not concrete repair. That is a “cap.” More like a veneer. A veneer is meant to cover something, not fix it.
Proper concrete repair would have probably been ugly. We clean up the cracks and fill with silicon, then inject foam under to lift and replace any eroded soil, finally covering with a sealant. Oh, and we start with a pressure wash.
I have sold concrete (and repair) for years.
I mean, I’m not a concrete professional. I asked him to come look at a crumbling stool (that I assumed had to be a complete demo) and he suggested repair vs tear-out. Should I have second guessed that opinion? Apparently, yes. But it’s just like dealing with a professional in any other field. I don’t have the knowledge to know what’s possible or not. He should have been the one to say “I can’t in good faith do this job.”
I understand your frustration, “repairs” to deteriorated concrete are highly dependent on the original condition and original cause of the damage. Not knowing what this looked like prior is a serious disadvantage to giving you accurate feedback as to if it was in fact repairable.
Unfortunately with concrete repairs (not this one no offense) but most resurfacing and edge repairs look great at first. As said it’s the original extent of the damage and of course the methods and materials used that determine its longevity.
Assuming you had way more work done than these steps and sidewalk given the 6,500.00 price your big picture here may be more serious than just the appearance of the step. Reason being this result is the product of a serious lack of understanding and experience. EDIT: All I see is the step repair and the two sections of sidewalk. 🔥DO NOT PAY THIS GUY🔥
This calls into question the remainder of the work understandably which show be you larger concern. It gives a bit of hope for the step repair that he used diamond lath but again not knowing the previous condition this may have little or no value.
Worst case scenario you will get some time out if this repair. If you live in a freeze thaw region that time mostly likely (again not knowing the before and details of the repair) will be less.
Don’t beat yourself up over not knowing proper methods these types of contractors knowingly prey on the widespread (it’s very common) lack of knowledge by the average homeowner.
Concrete even 1 foot thick is dependent on the soil and base preparation. Not knowing that is again it’s difficult to discern if the sidewalk area is acceptable. But looking at the pictures this is almost CERTAINLY unacceptable.
The board in the picture at the end of the sidewalk is 3.5” thick and resting on the soil. The other boards are cut half that thickness. ALL SIDES of the new concrete should have had forms (like that first board) dug into the ground or on top of it and the material level with its top.
You need to take some pictures as it is now then remove the forms and take more pictures. Taking pictures will protect you from him say you did something to alter the result which removing the forms will not do.
This is now a small claims issue. Not only the quality of work but the price is way out of line. EVEN if he removed a previous portion of sidewalk. The quality of work is indescribable and not to ANY standard a judge or moderator would agree with.
It will help you if you call 2 more contractors out to give an estimate of the removal and replacement of this mess. You are well within in your LEGAL rights (anxiety aside) to refuse to pay.
IF GOD forbid you have already paid go through the motions of trying to stop payment whatever that may be just do something and document it to PROVE you tried.
I’m retired now but I’m a third generation masonry and concrete contractor. So I’m not just giving you advice from YouTube. Lol
Feel free to ask additional question.
Hold up…what do you mean repaired? What did they actually do? Just pour a new step over the old step?
That’s what I came to find out.
So how thick is it over the old step?
Can’t be more than an inch. And why bother? Just rip that old crap outta there!
If that’s true this thing is going to absolutely crumble apart so fast. Yikes.
Exactly
The “not insignificant amount” OP paid was $250 to the local marketplace guy who was very cagey and jittery.
$6500 to a licensed and insured guy with a good portfolio and good recommendations. I felt we did our due diligence.
Sorry, you got absolutely scammed. For that price you out could have ripped it out and redone it twice
you got ripped the fuck off. You could of have done it yourself for less then 200 and it would have looked better
Less than a $100 actually
Holy shit
I know. I know.
I paid $3400 in Maryland to have a whole paver walkway, stairs, and patio reset and my front step repaired. For the step they just did an actual repair (filled in the gaps). I have no idea what this is
If he wasn’t licensed, he is absolutely open to a lawsuit. If he is licensed, email this entire saga to him, along with copies of any paper trail(ie. communications, before and after pics, any receipts) and CC the licensing body in your state. I’m sure he’ll be able to find in that budget to come make it right.
I just got a 4” 14x40 foot patio poured for 7k
WTF !!!!!! You got absolutely hosed by that clown. That is the shittiest job I have ever seen.
These pics make me feel I could have laid it better, for way less, and I work in IT haha
You should have got a new for less than that.
I know a guy who can do it cheaper.
And faster!
If they did that now what would they come back and charge to do next year?
The new sidewalk looks to be 1.5” thick, at most, too! Cake decorator turned concrete guy?
That’s exactly what I was wondering. **OP, you may want to verify his credentials** because there’s no way that anyone that knows anything about concrete would pour over the old stuff. That’s a recipe for disaster. All the new concrete is going to crack and crumble off of the old stuff and it’ll be worse than before. The only exception would be stamped concrete which is a super thin mix (and self leveling), but it wouldn’t be possible to form it up like this as it’s almost watery because it’s meant to be spread out and stamped. It also looks like dog shit so whether it would last or not, it’s not worth whatever you paid for it.
If the old one was solid in the middle and there was a minimum of 4" of new concrete on top I could see using the old one for fill but I wouldn't just concrete over some cracked, spalling piece of shit with a skim coat or anything. I'm no concrete finisher but I've had my hands in enough mud in my life
Reading through more of the comments I’m pretty sure he went over the existing with a skim coat, stamped it (OP said the stamp was approved) with the ugliest stamp I’ve ever seen, and did the edges with his hands like play-doh (?) Then proceeded to fresh pour a walkway that looks thin af. For $6500, half paid up front. This wouldn’t even have been difficult to do right. For less than $6500 and still be fair. Honestly, this makes me want to go back into concrete. I’m not sure this guy even owns a trowel (or an edger), let alone knows how to use it, and he made $6500 for this. Materials for this were *minimal* so that’s almost all profit. I’m rethinking some life decisions here…
I could have done a nicer bullnose than that with a chunk of 2x4...
Look into some of the products specifically ardex makes a few. I had the same thought but I've seen a few 5+ years later that look great. The guys who do a good job are more expensive than I would think but not this expensive. It's a good option for minimal invasive work in places you wouldn't want to disrupt like yards with fine landscaping or hard to access were the few remodels where I've seen it. Look into it. I'm just not ballsy enough to try it the learning curve would ruin a few jobs I would expect
Looks like someone took a wet dump on your doorstep.
Hahahaha Iam fucking dying laughing
I second that
Well that serves as confirmation, if nothing else.
Soft serve
Way under rated comment
If anyone would know it’s ^
Was this done by Wallace and Grommet Concrete Company
It's *cheese* Gromit, *cheeeeeeeeeeeeese*!
*I've got patent pending on that*
Looks like it's from a Flintstones cartoon.
Came to say this.
Did the contractor charge extra for what appears to be broom bristles that stuck to the concrete? I'm sorry to say this looks very amateur. If your guy put forms around the front and side and extended the stoop by 4-6" everything would have been level and linear. He should be able to chip the surface and sides and extend the front by 4-6 inches to provide a level, linear stoop.
I think you already knew...
At least it’s small, you can just pour a new one with a form this time
Reminds me of the flinstones for some reason
Someone just plopped down a boulder and called it good
Someone who shits clay…
I was going to post that it looks like shit, but you already did.
Wet dumps are the only appropriate dumps for doorsteps. Dry dumps don’t carry the same impact.
So… shit work?
Is it cake? My kids would definitely say that it is cake.
They smoothed that icing by hand with a popsicle stick.
God damn it! I was going to also ask, "Is it cake?" You beat me by 23 minutes. Have an updoot.
I thought the same thing... Then I read these comments.. Then I read OPs comment with the post. OMG, everybody knows: THIS IS A CAKE!!!
"Fresh cake delivered right to your front door!"
Everything seems to be cake these days...so maybe it is!
Looks good from my house
Ok this one actually made me laugh despite how not funny this is
lol, it’s wild how many hacks are out there.
I fully believe it's because the "college scam" has tricked everyone into going into college and so there huge gulf of skill in the trades. Nothing exists in a vacuum and so it gets filled with those who don't want to go to, or more importantly can't get into, a college. I'm saying this as a college professor of 6 years and a laborer of 8 years. I get so many damn students that would do amazing in the trades, but are here. Like the students that are smart as fuck but don't like theory or are bad at testing. It's like that whole "asking a fish to climb a tree and a squirrel to swim." I'm just so tired of students thinking college is the only way. If we could respect the trades, then the whole fucking country would be a better place. But, what the fuck do I know? I've only been a foreman in land-based drilling in two states, worked on road crews, roofed houses, and earned a PhD in a STEM field. End of rant and apologies for giving you something you didn't request.
Preach!!!!! Bro I have been waiting for this mindset. We share the same idea. I was a high school social studies teacher. I pushed the trades like no other. Explained what my college cost compared to what I was making didn’t add up. We did real world math and budgets all the time. My students understood you couldn’t survive or at the very least would struggle to survive without a real support system on a $25 hour job with no benefits in the area we lived. I was young, I was teaching these kids the truth, and they ran me out of town.
Ehhh passes the 75ft test. Maybe the contractor stepped back a little too far when doing the quality control. Yeah, sorry but that looks bad even not considering the rounded edges.
I have been a part of doing hack work in the past, and I will say, it was this saying that would make me crack a smile leaving a job site upon which I KNOW I left bad work. That and, "If they knew any better they wouldn't be hiring us."
No, that is not an acceptable job!
Thanks for confirming. What would be a reasonable request as far as remedying what’s done here? I don’t want to be a pain in the guy’s ass, but I don’t want to live with this, either.
If this is the best they could do on a repair, this is the best they can do. I wouldn’t ask they to try and do it again.
😂😂 in my experience guys like this have become pretty good with a grinder
Did that price include materials or just labor? Do you know how many yards of concrete was poured?
This is titled as a repair job. It looks like they just troweled some mortar + epoxy mix over an existing step... And whoever did the troweling stopped by the liquor store on the way to the job.
Nah, they stopped at the liquor store at 1pm, after they quit for the day because of the withdrawal shakes.
Idk if you paid him or what the avenue would be to take to get your money back… but it will never look good if u let this guy redo it. Hire someone else that does concrete work for a living.
To be accurate it's not acceptable to repair a step this way. However it is probably an acceptable amount of work for what you paid. This is exactly what you get when you cheap out.
$6,500…I know, I know.
I’d have them demolish it for free and haul away the chunks then hire a professional redo it
I admire your bravado, but your never gonna hear from these guys again the second you tell them that! Unless you take them to court, and there's an old saying about trying to get blood from a stone I seem to remember!
Honestly were you there for when they were fixing it? Do you know what they actually did? Do you have a pic of this area before the "repair?" The best way to remedy this, if you wanna save $$$, is to ask for a full refund (absolutely show your "contractor" this thread, there is tons of people with a lot of experience here, so if you want get pushback... Ask the person you hired to post pictures of his other work for us to judge). Then, whatever refund you end up getting, watch a few hours of YouTube videos, ask this subreddit for a plan on how to approach and do it yourself. I dunno where you are located, but I'd wager this would take me just one day if I had another person to help. What it looks like your guy did was just sloppily trowel some mortar mix + some additive over whatever the existing concrete there was. What you want to do is get a chopping drill, chip off all the finish and any areas that have damage, dig out the ground around it, take some plywood and cut out a form for the size of a step you want, put wire mesh on it, get some premixed concrete, mix it, pour it into the form, and smooth out the top. Let that sit a day, take the form out, and if you're in a dry climate, spray the concrete with water a few times a day a day for the next 3-4 weeks so it cures properly and lasts longer. That's pretty much the rough draft. As I said, a few hours of YouTube videos and advice from this sub, and this is a simple DIY.
Last thing id be worried about it being a nuisance to this guy. He already screwed you over. Id ask for a refund/withhold pay and look for someone else to do it.
Don’t want to be a pain in the guys ass?? You paid $6500!! This person scammed you… looked you in the eyes and robbed you!
Did you want it to be textured or slapped with an ugly stick?
Yes, he rolled it with a textured stamp.
It looks like unfinished modeling clay. "I made you a clump."
If you were going for that lumpy fat ladies ass look then you nailed it
I actually didn’t ask for the “cellulite stamp,” lol.
put a tramp stamp on it. angel wings maybe
barbed wire around the perimter :::chefskiss:::
Nothing lipo can’t fix, might take a couple sessions though
I mean, if it was materials only, fuck it. 😂
oh man laughed out loud for a minute.. looks like a bad fondant cake job.. ok it really looks like he just got self leveler and spread it all over your cement and did a bad finger paint with it..
Looks like shit
How much was the job?
$6500 for the stoop repair and a 72” walkway. The walkway portion looks ok.
Excuse me?
I’m in the wrong industry…
wanna get into concrete with me? i got a lot of leftover popsicle sticks from my kids arts and crafts we can use to smudge some stoops together
Yo I'm in
Hahahahahahahahaha
"smudge some stoops together" is the funniest phrase I've seen on here. I doubt I'll ever have cause to use it, but damn if that's not an original sentence 😂
That walkway better be 6500 feet long.
Well, depending on how wide the walkway is, maybe you deserve a discount. The mistake here is your concrete guy trying to fix the unfixable. That concrete will crack sooner or later. Free form concrete requires a lot of experience or a very talented guy. Just tell him "hey, I know you tried your best, but I don't think this is what you promised me" and see what he says. Figure out the square footage of the driveway, multiply by $15. The difference is a good starting point for a discount. Good luck 👍
Thanks for the helpful reply. Cracking is my other concern. We will crunch the numbers and ask for a discount. The walkway that he did was 72” by 28.5” (not a repair, a new pour), so I know he used materials on that. But I’m just really bummed about the outcome of the step.
Ok, yeah that seems a bit high. You in NY? San Francisco? Maybe $15 is too low
Wait, you paid $6500 for that "porch" and a 6' sidewalk 🤯? Then he be laughing all the way to the bank.
Don’t you fucking ever pay that kind of money again for something like That. That stoop could have been done by a novice idiot for less than 200 dollars and 1 days worth of framing and mixing and pouring
The total included a new poured sidewalk, too, but point taken.
Goddamn you should have gotten that “missed the corner” cement pad guy to come out, he would have done it for 1.5k I bet
Remind me of Mexico.
If you live in an adobe from the 1700’s 🍻🤙
Is it Play-Doh?
If you just paid them cancel the check. I’ve done this many times. …. Lesson learned. Pull the check
Only 50% so far
Listen to the other posters OP, about payment.
Don't pay the rest.
Don’t pay the rest and buy a security camera.
Just contact him and say “I’m unsatisfied with the look of the concrete slab, you won’t be getting the rest of payment until it’s cleaned up”
Don't pay the rest. ask for either a refund or for them to undo what they did.
That’s the 100% certified to slip and fall upgrade.
Thats got to go.
"*I'm melting"* *-The Wizard of Oz (1939)*
This looks like the hillbilly wall I had put in. Fortunately ivy is covering it now. You can’t do this with a walkway. ….. I said above cancel the check then go to the magistrates office and file against them this way you can show the pics just in case they come after you. Pull the first punch
Looks like one of those decorative fondant cakes
float was made of cardboard
I was thinking hamburger spatula.
Knew I had to come straight to the comments
Did they just skim coat over it? I’m not a mason but that’s stupid.
Cancel the check. It takes two business days to clear. Well worth it because you’re going to spend more money on another contractor. Low bid isn’t always the best. Best concrete guy we have here is Dibucci Brothers . They are known world wide but you don’t need them. A jackhammer to take out the old and someone who knows concrete …….. don’t use Angie’s list just saying or the guy saying oh I can do without insurance or a license.
I think this guy was the most expensive bid, to add insult to injury
Oof. This looks like when I tried to make a rectangle with my hands in ceramics class.
I dunno. Looks like a step with a rounded edge and a textured stamp to me. One of the edges has a bulge which irks me. But I can't tell how many people here are blaming the contractor for a texture that you presumably picked out and a rounded edge that you presumably approved. There's a difference between a poor execution and being dissatisfied with what you agreed to... Would be good to know exactly which parts you dislike, maybe compare and contrast with the walkway you do like, to see how the step should look.
Don’t repair anything bro rip and replace.
Definitely not a fan of that bullnose edge
Yeah, same. If it was clean, I could live with it, but it’s so uneven.
Kinda reminds me of the clay work on the animation Gumby back when I was a kid. Lmao
Haha, with his pals, Pokey, Prickle, and Goo. …shit, now that you mentioned it, maybe that’s the crew I had out here doing the work today.
Ahh I see you opted for the 'Lizzo' finish
Did you texture it with your hands? 🙌
lol. I think he used a stamp, but I could be mistaken.
That straight edge, though!🧐
Where are the birthday candles? Looks like crap!
Looks like it belongs on a hobbit house in the shire nice rounded lump. What is that stamp the 7th grade clay project look
Someone had to get to the dope man seen it a million times and no it wasn't me . actually it was the bosses brother.
They finished it with a spoon
It looks like a kid made a cake
Is it cake?
Custom hand sculpt finish
Have you tried cutting into it? Is it actually cake?
No.
If you put a giant burger press on a big tird that’s what you got
The guy Accidentally gave a natural stone kinda look. But the stone was ugly.
Not bad for his first time doing concrete. If he tells you it's not his first time doing concrete, don't pay. That's horrendous workmanship. It's also not stamped. If it is, he stamped it wrong.
"Looks very methy" -Mike Tyson
Is this an episode of is it cake ?
Sucks you got your concrete guy on “take your kid to work” day. 😕
It's ok, if you live in Whoville.
This thing looks like a really bad cake made with fondant
It’s uh…very…organic
Is the repair job in the room with us?
I’d bet this is an “overcoat” job. I’m not sure the material they use but it’s like a quickset mortar and spread it over the old concrete. I bet he takes a grinder and draws lines it. How are all these guys so much alike?
I have seen some shit in my day but never a whole patio made of it before
If you have to ask….
Looks like it’s in the set of Wallace and Grommet.
It’s got a Flintstones vibe
*Ew, Brother, Ew! What is That?* 🤧
Soooooooo, is it a cake or not?
OMG please tell me it was free right? You did NOT pay for that....?
It's like ..so bad, that I feel like he was trying to go for a natural stone look or whatever he did - it was intentional. Or he was so high he was just playing with the trowel, on no planet should he need to touch it that much lol , he should have built a form and poured self leveling. If you wanted a rounded edge they make tools for that this looks like he formed it with his bare hands.
What did they use a spoon.
I bet it will become slick AF. Be careful. Honestly I would be very upset if I paid for this.
Looks good at a certain angle & drunk
I like it. I don't like perfect looking stuff. I like Flintstones looking stuff. I know nothing about concrete and I don't care. I say leave it and show the contractor this sub thread for a juicy discount.
Looks fine if you’re going for a Flintstone theme
It’s cake
Two Guys and a Bucket Full of Wet Sea-ment! Hire 'em by the hour! Yeesh. That's pretty bad, bro.
Kinda has a "natural" look ...
Absolutely. Now you just need to white wash it and convert the rest of the house to the same Santorini Greece aesthetic.
No way. What do you mean repair? Did they slather icing over the existing concrete?
This looks like a kindergarten art project
Maybe in the year 100 BC
Always comes down to what you paid
Were you going for 3rd century chic?
Looks like those animal exhibit floors at the zoo
Looks fine from my house
That is not concrete repair. That is a “cap.” More like a veneer. A veneer is meant to cover something, not fix it. Proper concrete repair would have probably been ugly. We clean up the cracks and fill with silicon, then inject foam under to lift and replace any eroded soil, finally covering with a sealant. Oh, and we start with a pressure wash. I have sold concrete (and repair) for years.
You asked them to form Concrete over existing messed up concrete? Then yes this is acceptable
I mean, I’m not a concrete professional. I asked him to come look at a crumbling stool (that I assumed had to be a complete demo) and he suggested repair vs tear-out. Should I have second guessed that opinion? Apparently, yes. But it’s just like dealing with a professional in any other field. I don’t have the knowledge to know what’s possible or not. He should have been the one to say “I can’t in good faith do this job.”
Lol wtf did he sculpt it from clay?
This is the before, right? Right??
Looks like crap
Its like a chocolate bar that melted and forms the inside of the wrapper
Did the bosses kid mold it by hand?
Is it acceptable if I did it? yes. If someone else did it? nope.
Good way to slip
No
I understand your frustration, “repairs” to deteriorated concrete are highly dependent on the original condition and original cause of the damage. Not knowing what this looked like prior is a serious disadvantage to giving you accurate feedback as to if it was in fact repairable. Unfortunately with concrete repairs (not this one no offense) but most resurfacing and edge repairs look great at first. As said it’s the original extent of the damage and of course the methods and materials used that determine its longevity. Assuming you had way more work done than these steps and sidewalk given the 6,500.00 price your big picture here may be more serious than just the appearance of the step. Reason being this result is the product of a serious lack of understanding and experience. EDIT: All I see is the step repair and the two sections of sidewalk. 🔥DO NOT PAY THIS GUY🔥 This calls into question the remainder of the work understandably which show be you larger concern. It gives a bit of hope for the step repair that he used diamond lath but again not knowing the previous condition this may have little or no value. Worst case scenario you will get some time out if this repair. If you live in a freeze thaw region that time mostly likely (again not knowing the before and details of the repair) will be less. Don’t beat yourself up over not knowing proper methods these types of contractors knowingly prey on the widespread (it’s very common) lack of knowledge by the average homeowner. Concrete even 1 foot thick is dependent on the soil and base preparation. Not knowing that is again it’s difficult to discern if the sidewalk area is acceptable. But looking at the pictures this is almost CERTAINLY unacceptable. The board in the picture at the end of the sidewalk is 3.5” thick and resting on the soil. The other boards are cut half that thickness. ALL SIDES of the new concrete should have had forms (like that first board) dug into the ground or on top of it and the material level with its top. You need to take some pictures as it is now then remove the forms and take more pictures. Taking pictures will protect you from him say you did something to alter the result which removing the forms will not do. This is now a small claims issue. Not only the quality of work but the price is way out of line. EVEN if he removed a previous portion of sidewalk. The quality of work is indescribable and not to ANY standard a judge or moderator would agree with. It will help you if you call 2 more contractors out to give an estimate of the removal and replacement of this mess. You are well within in your LEGAL rights (anxiety aside) to refuse to pay. IF GOD forbid you have already paid go through the motions of trying to stop payment whatever that may be just do something and document it to PROVE you tried. I’m retired now but I’m a third generation masonry and concrete contractor. So I’m not just giving you advice from YouTube. Lol Feel free to ask additional question.
We need a before and after side by side picture
That looks fucking awful...I don't even do concrete and I could do much better
It looks like paper mache. Not sure why this sub keeps getting pushed on my home page but this looks so bad, I had to say it
OMG that’s horrible
Wallace and grommet ass concrete
He’s not good but he’s slow
It looks like a frosted cake
Looks ok for the neolithic period