Salmon Creek Patio Resurfacing Done Right the Second Time

Here is the mistake, and we see it every summer: someone buys a can of porch paint or a box-store patio kit, rolls it onto a 20-year-old slab without grinding, and it looks great for one summer. Then water gets under it, it bubbles, it peels in sheets, and the patio looks worse than bare concrete. In the 1990s and 2000s subdivisions around Salmon Creek and Mount Vista, a lot of back patios are sitting in that state right now.

A proper overlay starts by removing all of it. We grind the old paint down to sound concrete, fill the control-joint cracks, and only then put down new material. It is more work up front, and it is the only reason the result lasts ten years instead of one. Skipping that step is how the last coating failed.

Why Grinding First Matters on a Previously Painted Slab

Paint sits on top of concrete. Our overlay bonds into it. That bond is what lets a polymer-modified topping at 60 to 80 mils survive rain, sun, and the occasional frost without lifting. With the right profile underneath, we can stamp it with a slate, brick, or flagstone look, tint it to match the siding or trim, and lock it in with acrylic sealer that carries some grit for traction.

Salmon Creek lots near the creek and the greenway are shadier than most of Vancouver. That shade keeps patios damp, and damp concrete under peeling paint turns green fast. Removing the paint and sealing the new surface cuts down on that, and a yearly rinse handles the rest. The whole system is backed by a 10-year warranty.

Our Patio & Outdoor Coatings System

Materials: Polymer overlay with color mixed in, acrylic sealer
Thickness: 60-80 mils
Install time: 1-2 days
Walk on it: 1-2 days after
Furniture back: about a week after
Warranty: 10 years

Freeze-thaw rated. Anti-slip.

Subdivision Slabs Near the Creek and the Greenway

The typical Salmon Creek patio is about 25 years old, structurally sound, with a control-joint crack or two and tire marks where a trailer or mower sat. Homes in Felida and Pleasant Valley often have larger patios under a roof overhang, which stay drier and are easier to schedule. Near Klineline Pond and the Salmon Creek Greenway, trees keep slabs shaded and damp, so we meter them before starting. We are about 15 minutes up I-5, which lets us time the sealer coat for the warmest, driest part of the day.

Salmon Creek Neighborhoods We Cover

Salmon Creek, Felida, Mount Vista, Pleasant Valley, Klineline

Salmon Creek Patio Pricing With Paint Removal

Most patios here are between 280 and 340 square feet, and nearly all of them were poured by the same few production builders in the growth years. At $5 to $10 per square foot, expect about $1,400 to $3,400. A slab with old paint lands in the upper half, because grinding it off takes time. A clean, never-painted patio of the same size usually lands closer to the low number.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you coat over the peeling paint on my Salmon Creek patio?

No, and anyone who offers to is setting you up for the same failure. The paint has to be ground off down to bare concrete. Otherwise the new overlay is only as strong as the old paint holding it, and that paint is already letting go.

How is this different from the patio kit sold at the hardware store?

The kits are thin paints or stains that sit on the surface. Ours is a polymer cement overlay several times thicker, bonded to ground concrete, textured, colored, and sealed. It is a new wearing surface, not a coat of paint, and it is warranted for 10 years.

Will the cracks along the control joints show through the overlay?

Control joints are meant to crack, and they can move a little with temperature. We either fill them or honor them by cutting the joint back in after the overlay goes down. Honoring the joint keeps a random crack from appearing somewhere else in the pattern.

Our patio is under the trees near Klineline Pond. How often do we rinse it?

Once a year is the baseline. Under heavy shade, some people do a quick rinse in spring and again in fall after the leaves come down. Leaves left in piles all winter hold moisture and stain any surface, so blow them off when you can.

How many days will we lose the patio during the install?

Most Salmon Creek patios take one or two days on site, including grinding off old paint. Foot traffic across a Salmon Creek patio is okay within a day or two of our last coat, but furniture and the grill stay off for about a week while it cures. So figure on roughly a week and a half before the patio is fully set up again.

Nearby Cities Where We Also Install Patio & Outdoor Coatings