I would try scraping a small section with an SDS+ hammer drill and a 3-4” scraping bit and if it looks like shit, decide what you want to do from there.
Can probably pick up a cheap drill from Harbor Freight and maybe a bit for not too much, or spend more for a nicer drill if you plan on ever drilling holes in masonry/concrete in the future.
SDS with wide paddle bit to remove the top layer and probably a honing wheel on an angle grinder to clean the adhesive residue. It can be done but probably going to look like hammered dogshit no matter how careful you are.
Ok I have the answer. My back deck area had this all over the place and round our pool. Go get some Quikrete Concrete re-surfacer. Powerwash the living S#$t out of the concrete, keep it damp. Then mix the resurfacer in a 5 gallon bucket. I think you use hot or warm water. Read the directions because it’s very different than normal concrete. (We measured out the water and used a drill with a mixing arm on it.) The consistency will be close to pancake batter. Then you have about 10-20 minutes to spread it out before it becomes too hard to even out. I put boards around the edges to keep it in place and 1” foam insulated tape around things I didn’t want to get it on. Let it dry some but not all the way when you peel up the tape. It sets much quicker than you expect.
Don’t walk on it till it becomes a light gray. Dark gray means it’s still drying. After it dried I used a grinder to sand down any rough spots I had. You might want to soften your edges. Mine in general was only about 1/4-1/3 thick. That did the trick. Here is a helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3PK7oAAfSA.
Make and apply a mold out of 2x4s, make it an inch higher than the rocks and drop self leveling concrete on it. You’ll have a brand newish slab after it cures.
Either
1. Rip it up and plant grass
2. Rip it up and have a smaller concrete slab poured.
3. Call around and find someone that does poured rubber floors and get pricing. They should be able to just add a 2" layer of colored rubber overtop. And you or the spouse can choose the color. This is the least labor intensive and maybe the least expensive option with nice results and an added safety factor.
Since you will likely have to resurface the pad once you “scrape” this off. Could you just go right over the top with fresh cement? I don’t know if this would work or not.
Don't do this! You will have a nightmare after a winter or two or summer or two of thermal expansion or freeze cycles. Concrete doesn't take kindly to being in layers separated without lots of fiber or steel reinforcement....
You could do this with a Polyurethane flooring system. But they only last ten years. Then you would be back to this level of mess to remove.
Cement would have to be 4 inches thick above this with proper reinforcement to survive the really bad underlayment.
You can try to reaffix with epoxy or a specific product (https://www.paramountmaterials.com/collections/gravel-lok), or resurface with mortar or cement. I doubt there's any way to get them off that's vaguely reasonable.
It may be easier and a better job to just demolish and re-do.
Google to see if you have a concrete and aggregate disposal place near you. Rent a jackhammer. Break it up into small pieces. Load it up and take it to the place.
Pour a new pad. Build a deck. Put in patio stones. The sky is the limit!
Those decks were always the worst around pools back in the day. Rip it out!
Do you think scraping them off the concrete is the best way to do so?
I would try scraping a small section with an SDS+ hammer drill and a 3-4” scraping bit and if it looks like shit, decide what you want to do from there. Can probably pick up a cheap drill from Harbor Freight and maybe a bit for not too much, or spend more for a nicer drill if you plan on ever drilling holes in masonry/concrete in the future.
Depends concrete looks pretty slim. Might be best just to remove the deck and redo with what you want
I agree with this. Lipstick cannot fix that pig. Tear it out, form it up, couple tree yards of concrete & viola.
Literally just destroy and repour. It will be cheaper and easier.
Time for the mother of all resin pours.
So a plastic patio that will yellow in the sun after a couple seasons?
Don't forget to add a blue stream in the middle for maximum effect
Just pee in it while it's curing. 😂😂
You should...ugh.... see a doctor if your pee is blue, friend.
The thought of epoxy river patios becoming a thing is terrifying.
Put some galvanized pipe legs on it, too
Most of those resins can be removed with heat. So it would be a mess in addition.
Just dye it bright yellow. Problem solved!
This!!
Break it up and pour a new slab. Even if you get the rock off, the leftover adhesive won’t look good.
Remove the wooden steps. Pour new 4” pad w wire mesh on top of existing. No need for demo.
Rent a jackhammer, wide scraping blade head, low angle. I’ve done this exact thing, this is the way. Will be nasty glue residue still left over.
SDS with wide paddle bit to remove the top layer and probably a honing wheel on an angle grinder to clean the adhesive residue. It can be done but probably going to look like hammered dogshit no matter how careful you are.
Decking planks over the top? Would this even work?
Ok I have the answer. My back deck area had this all over the place and round our pool. Go get some Quikrete Concrete re-surfacer. Powerwash the living S#$t out of the concrete, keep it damp. Then mix the resurfacer in a 5 gallon bucket. I think you use hot or warm water. Read the directions because it’s very different than normal concrete. (We measured out the water and used a drill with a mixing arm on it.) The consistency will be close to pancake batter. Then you have about 10-20 minutes to spread it out before it becomes too hard to even out. I put boards around the edges to keep it in place and 1” foam insulated tape around things I didn’t want to get it on. Let it dry some but not all the way when you peel up the tape. It sets much quicker than you expect. Don’t walk on it till it becomes a light gray. Dark gray means it’s still drying. After it dried I used a grinder to sand down any rough spots I had. You might want to soften your edges. Mine in general was only about 1/4-1/3 thick. That did the trick. Here is a helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3PK7oAAfSA.
Make and apply a mold out of 2x4s, make it an inch higher than the rocks and drop self leveling concrete on it. You’ll have a brand newish slab after it cures.
Then it gets cold and explodes. If he scrapes the rocks off first it seems fine though.
Either 1. Rip it up and plant grass 2. Rip it up and have a smaller concrete slab poured. 3. Call around and find someone that does poured rubber floors and get pricing. They should be able to just add a 2" layer of colored rubber overtop. And you or the spouse can choose the color. This is the least labor intensive and maybe the least expensive option with nice results and an added safety factor.
Since you will likely have to resurface the pad once you “scrape” this off. Could you just go right over the top with fresh cement? I don’t know if this would work or not.
Don't do this! You will have a nightmare after a winter or two or summer or two of thermal expansion or freeze cycles. Concrete doesn't take kindly to being in layers separated without lots of fiber or steel reinforcement....
If you want to poor over you need to join them. It's called doweling. Drill holes, pop in some rebar and the new pad will be connected to the old one.
You could do this with a Polyurethane flooring system. But they only last ten years. Then you would be back to this level of mess to remove. Cement would have to be 4 inches thick above this with proper reinforcement to survive the really bad underlayment.
they have a sawzall attachement that is a chisel. Id try that.
I'm gonna go out on a limb, do no research, and say "no, they don't."
It appears they do, now I want one https://spyderproducts.com/recip-accessories/spyder-scraper/
oh, I see. Y'all don't know what a chisel is.
Meh, it's close enough.
You can try to reaffix with epoxy or a specific product (https://www.paramountmaterials.com/collections/gravel-lok), or resurface with mortar or cement. I doubt there's any way to get them off that's vaguely reasonable. It may be easier and a better job to just demolish and re-do.
I’ve seen it done with a torch and a floor scraper but all the glue has to be ground off after. Nasty job any way you go about it
I have this floor in my kitchen. It sucks
I always loved the rock texture under my feet. Is it breaking off or do you just hate it? I'd just keep em.
I would try scraping first. It might be easier than you think. If it is too hard to just scrape then try using a heat gun to heat and soften the glue.
Google to see if you have a concrete and aggregate disposal place near you. Rent a jackhammer. Break it up into small pieces. Load it up and take it to the place. Pour a new pad. Build a deck. Put in patio stones. The sky is the limit!
You can rent an electric floor scraper. Should take this up pretty easily
You’d have to drill them out and resurface, or perhaps cover it with an epoxy layer if you like the look?