A polymer overlay is a bonding cementitious material that can be trowelled over existing concrete, giving you a new concrete surface. Polymer overlay cannot be applied over existing flooring such as wood, ceramic tile, sheet linoleum or vinyl composition tile. These materials have to be removed and the concrete thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the polymer overlay. The overlay goes down at about 1/8" — 1/4" thickness. This is not a material used to "cap" floors, in fact a concrete cap can be no less than 3" deep. Polymer overlay is important because it goes on thin and has more psi (pounds per square inch) than foundation concrete. Once applied, it can be stained and scored in any color and design.

A polymer overlay does have a distinct look different than foundation concrete, it tends to have more texture and character and some sections may be a little smoother than others. You may be able to see some trowel patterns or chatter. All of these characteristics bring out the mottling and variegation needed for a successfully stained look. Foundation concrete is usually power-trowelled or at least trowelled over repeatedly to make it very smooth like marble. Overlay does not trowel down quite like that, but it is still smooth and comfortable, not to mention absolutely beautiful. An overlay is not meant to blend into concrete and it is not a patch that is hidden in the middle of a concrete floor. There are many ways to be creative with the overlay, but if you have a significant area of a larger area that is obviously in need of an overlay, the whole area needs to be overlaid as well.

A note about staining: Polymer Overlay accepts stain differntly than foundation concrete. For example, if your kitchen has an overlay and your living room doesn't, the color will look slightly different in the kitchen than in the living room. If you wanted two different colors, this would be a good place to do it. A simple border separating both areas with the same color is another effective solution.