Patio, porch and pool deck coatings
Rhino Coatings installs outdoor concrete coatings on patios, front porches and steps, walkways and pool decks in Coeur d'Alene, Spokane and Boise. A non-slip silica or flake finish over a polyurea base coat, sealed with a UV-stable polyaspartic top coat that will not yellow in the sun and stays flexible through freeze-thaw.
Patio and pool deck coatings at a glance
- Surfaces
- Patios, porches, steps, walkways and pool decks
- Finish
- Silica recommended where it gets wet
- Outdoors
- UV-stable, sheds road salt and deicer
- Install
- One day on most patios
- Walk on
- About 8 hours
- Warranty
- Lifetime, residential and commercial
- Price
- Fixed and written, after a free on-site measure
Patios, porches, walkways and pool decks
Every outdoor surface gets the same system. What changes is the finish we recommend, and how much the concrete needs before we start.
Concrete patio coatings
A bare patio slab stains from grills and planters, sheds a gritty surface layer and pits where snowmelt sits. A coating seals it under a finished, colored surface that hoses clean and gives you somewhere you want to put the furniture back.
Finish we recommend: Silica for an uncovered patio that takes rain. Flake works well under a covered patio that stays dry.
Front porch and step coatings
The porch is the first thing a guest walks on and the first place winter shows up: snow tracked in, deicer scattered, a step that gets slick. We coat the porch slab and the step faces and treads together, so the finish runs to the door.
Finish we recommend: Silica for grip on the steps and treads, where wet shoes land first.
Walkway and entry coatings
Walkways carry everyone in and out in every season. A sealed, broadcast surface keeps salt and meltwater on top of the concrete instead of letting them soak in and pop the surface apart, and it gives a firmer footing than smooth, bare concrete.
Finish we recommend: Silica, for grip when the path is wet.
Pool deck coatings
A pool deck is wet all summer and bare feet are on it every day. A broadcast coating turns a stained, rough deck into an even, textured surface that rinses clean, in a color that does not yellow in the sun.
Finish we recommend: Silica, which we recommend for pool decks for its grip when wet.
A non-slip concrete coating for wet surfaces
Smooth concrete and glossy sealers get slick the moment they are wet. Our outdoor floors are built with a full broadcast, so the texture is in the floor, not painted on top of it.
- Silica finish: a fine, dense texture that grips better when wet. We recommend it for patios, walkways, porches, steps and pool decks.
- Flake finish: a textured broadcast that suits a covered patio, sunroom or greenhouse floor that stays dry.
- Both are broadcast by hand into the polyurea base coat and sealed under the polyaspartic top coat, the same method on every floor we coat.
- Silica comes in 1,700+ paint-matched Sherwin-Williams colors, so the patio can match the trim or the siding.
Why outdoor concrete needs a different coating
A patio takes sun, snow, salt and standing water that a garage floor never sees. These are the four things an exterior coating has to survive, and how ours does.
Sun and UV
Outside, the top coat has to hold its color in direct sun. Our polyaspartic top coat is UV-stable, so it does not yellow outdoors the way epoxy does.
Freeze-thaw
North Idaho and Spokane winters freeze and thaw the same slab again and again through the winter. The coating stays flexible through those cycles instead of going brittle and cracking.
Road salt and deicer
Deicer that soaks into bare concrete pits and spalls the surface. On a sealed, non-porous coating it sits on top until it is rinsed away.
Wet feet
Every outdoor floor gets a full broadcast for texture. We recommend silica outdoors, because it grips better when the surface is wet.
Coating versus sealing: a sealer treats bare concrete and wears off; a coating is a finished surface with grip and color, and a lifetime warranty against peeling and delamination. We install polyaspartic, not epoxy, because epoxy yellows in sunlight. The full comparison is on our polyaspartic vs epoxy page.
How we coat a patio in one day
Most patios, porches and walkways start and finish in a single day.
- 01
Free on-site measure
We measure the patio, porch, walkway or deck, check the concrete for cracks, spalls and old sealer, and talk through finish and color. You get a fixed, written price.
- 02
Grind and repair
The slab is diamond-ground to open the concrete, old sealer comes off, and cracks and spalls are repaired so the system bonds to sound concrete.
- 03
Base coat and broadcast
A polyurea base coat goes down and the silica or flake is broadcast into it by hand for texture and color.
- 04
UV-stable top coat
A polyaspartic top coat seals it. Walk on it in about 8 hours. A coated driveway takes cars in about 72.
Cracked, spalled or flaking concrete is repaired before the base coat; see our concrete repair page for how each kind of damage is fixed.
Outdoor concrete coating photos
Patios, a greenhouse floor and a driveway we have coated. See more in our project photos, or upload a photo of your own patio to the floor visualizer to try colors on it.
Patio and pool deck coating questions
Can you coat an outdoor concrete patio?
Yes. We coat patios, porches, walkways and pool decks with the same system we put down in a garage: a diamond-ground slab, a polyurea base coat, a broadcast for grip and color, and a UV-stable polyaspartic top coat that holds its color in the sun.
Is a coated patio or pool deck slippery when wet?
Not with a broadcast finish. Every outdoor floor gets a full broadcast for texture, and we recommend silica for patios, walkways, porches and pool decks because it grips better when wet. Flake is the usual pick for a covered area that stays dry.
Will a patio coating hold up to Idaho and Spokane winters?
Yes. The coating stays flexible through freeze-thaw cycles instead of going brittle, and road salt and deicer sit on the sealed surface instead of soaking into the concrete and pitting it. Outdoor floors carry the same lifetime warranty as every floor we coat.
Will the color fade or yellow in the sun?
The polyaspartic top coat is UV-stable, so it will not yellow outdoors the way epoxy does. That is the main reason we use it on every exterior slab.
Do you install epoxy on patios?
No. We install polyaspartic, not epoxy. Epoxy yellows in sunlight, which is why we do not put it on any floor, inside or out.
How long before we can use the patio again?
Most patios, porches and walkways are coated in a single day. You can walk on the surface in about 8 hours and put furniture back once it has cured, and a coated driveway takes cars in about 72 hours.
Can you coat a cracked or flaking porch?
Usually, yes. Cracks are filled and spalled or flaking areas are repaired and ground flush before the base coat goes down, and the rep checks the concrete at the free on-site measure. We do not pour, lift or level sunken concrete.
How long does a patio coating last?
Rhino Coatings backs every floor it coats, residential or commercial, with a lifetime warranty against peeling, delamination and hot-tire pickup. We do not publish a number of years because how long any coating lasts depends mostly on prep, which is why every slab is diamond-ground and its cracks and joints filled with polyurea first.
How much does a patio or pool deck coating cost?
It depends on the square footage, how much repair the concrete needs, and the finish you choose. You get a fixed, written price after a free on-site measure, with no surprise charges on install day.
Driveways and more concrete coatings
Driveway & patio coatings near you
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Get a free floor coating quote
Tell us about your floor and we'll set up a free on-site measure. The rep checks the slab, shows you colors and gives you a fixed, written price. No high-pressure sales.
Or call 208-500-1043
The form takes about 45 seconds, and we'll text or email you within the hour. Phones answer Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Pacific time.
- Free measure
- Fixed price
- Lifetime warranty
- Veteran-owned and insured