Questions about concrete stamping for patio?

I have an existing concrete patio that I want to dress up with a stamp and stain. The patio already has an epoxy paint finish on it that is pretty worn. My question is, can I put the layover right on top of that epoxy, or will I need to use a grinder to take down that surface first for better adhesion? Thanks for any helpful suggestions!

4 Comments on “Questions about concrete stamping for patio?

  1. Give it a good sweep and go straight over the top.

  2. i would say it depends on the product you use. i know there are some products that have a binding agent in them so they can go directly over concrete.
    most likely you’d be fine, maybe just sweep or wash the patio first.
    there are lots of epoxy products available for garage floors, i know for sure that those can go directly over finished concrete.

  3. dude you have to start all over , tear out the old and ,in with the new.

  4. Your question will require a two part answer.
    1) if you are going to apply stamped concrete over existing than there will more to the preparation of the base (existing concrete) than just sweeping and putting a hose to it. YOU MUST remove the epoxy coating first, this can be done by grinding it off. Even though some stamping applications comes with bonding agents, this won’t guaranteed adhesion to the base. some de-lamination will occur and repairs will be impossible to match (if existing epoxy is not removed).after grinding off the old epoxy you can do 2 things to finalizing preparation of the surface.

    a) use muratic acid and water . use one part acid and three parts water. this will loosen any dirt and insure proper adhesion.

    b) use 2000 p.s.i. power washer

    2) If you are going to use stain i,e. acid stain, Than you must also remove the existing epoxy, only the epoxy must be removed using a another process. use a epoxy remover, after the Epoxy is removed, than finalize the prep work by using a power washer. The reason you want to remove the epoxy is that the satin won’t take , becouse the surface is a artificial surface and not natural, acid stainig is made for bare concrete.do not use a grinder becouse the grinding will show thru.
    sorry if I misspelled some. spell check here’s terrible

    hope this helps,
    Good Luck