Concrete Patios in Bowling Green, KY

Concrete patios turn a patch of lawn into a room you can use from spring into fall. In Bowling Green that season is long and warm, with around 41 days a year at 90 degrees or hotter, so a patio often holds the grill, a table, a fire pit and a few chairs in the shade. The work is less about the concrete itself and more about size, shape, drainage and the ground underneath.

Start with size and layout

Undersized patios are the most common regret. Six chairs around a table, pulled back far enough to sit down, take about 12 by 12 feet on their own. A grill, a lounge set or a spa each want separate room. Before any forms go in we stake out the shape with you and talk through which door you use, where the evening sun lands, where afternoon shade falls, and the path you take to the yard or the garage.

Drainage comes next

A patio is a large flat surface beside the house, which means every rain sends water somewhere. Bowling Green gets about 47 inches of rain a year, and clay soil holds water rather than draining it. We slope the patio slightly away from the foundation so water runs off toward the yard, and we look at where downspouts empty. If a downspout dumps onto the patio or beside it, we plan to extend or reroute it.

Signs you need a new patio or a replacement

• A patio that slopes toward the house or holds puddles
• Sections that have sunk or tipped, leaving a trip edge
• Cracked, flaking concrete or a crumbling old slab
• Pavers that have shifted and grown weeds
• A patio that is too small for the table and grill you have

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Base, reinforcement and pour

Sod and topsoil come out, crushed stone goes in and gets compacted, and forms are set to the slope. HomeGuide's patio guide says most residential patios should be at least 4 inches thick, and about 6 inches with added reinforcement under heavy items like hot tubs or outdoor kitchens. Exterior pours use an air-entrained mix, and joints are laid out to suit the patio's shape so shrinkage cracks have a planned place to go.

Finish options

• Broom finish: the lowest-cost surface, with good traction when wet.
• Exposed aggregate: the surface paste is rinsed away to reveal the stone in the mix, adding texture and cutting glare in summer sun.
• Integral color or stain: tint mixed into the batch or applied on top to warm up plain gray.
• Stamped: stone, slate or brick textures, covered on our Stamped Concrete page.
• Saw-cut patterns: squares or diamonds cut into the surface that also serve as control joints.

Extending an existing patio

Many Bowling Green homes have a small builder patio off the back door. We can add on to it, but new concrete never quite matches old in color. Options include a border band between old and new, a stain over both, or replacing the old slab so everything matches.

Patio care

Sweep off leaves and pollen, which can stain concrete. Rinse it a few times a year and reseal every few years to keep water, grease and tannins from soaking in. Use a plastic shovel in winter and skip rock salt on decorative finishes.