Smoothing a Rough Stamped Surface

Too “ruff” for me! When a new stamped surface is abrasive on bare feet,
it may need to be ground prior to sealing.

Question:
We just got a new swimming pool installed, along with a stamped concrete deck. But the stamping created painful ridges, making the surface so abrasive to walk on that I have to wear shoes just to get to the pool. It even tore off two pads from my dog's feet. I was expecting the texture to be like other concrete walkways, but it’s like sandpaper. Now I have 1,000 square feet of walkway that I can't really walk on in bare feet. How can this pool deck be smoothed so I can walk on it comfortably? Would grinding, polishing or sealing work with a stamped pattern?

Answer:
The pattern used (random stone) is one of the most aggressive available. The picture does not show enough detail, but depending on surface smoothness prior to stamping, you can get different levels of roughness.

You have a very new slab, so I suspect that a sealer hasn’t been applied yet. (A period of 28 days should pass before application of a decorative sealer.) Applying a couple of light coats of a low-solids acrylic sealer will help alleviate a bit of the roughness, as well as bring out the color. Test this in a small area first. If a sealer doesn’t do the trick, a walk-behind sander or buffing machine with a black rough-bristle pad will take off the rough edges and soften the surface. Again, test this method first in a small area.

Nature and traffic will also diminish the roughness, but this will take time.