Jewel stone is a decorative overlay bonded over existing concrete — front steps, porches, landings, walkways and patios — and sealed with a clear coat on top. FAIME prepares and repairs the concrete first, then lays the overlay, so tired or spalled steps are renewed without being torn out.
Treads, risers and landings resurfaced, with the edges and nosings rebuilt square.
Porches & Verandas
Worn or spalled porch slabs renewed in one continuous decorative surface.
Walkways & Patios
Existing concrete paths and patios overlaid to match the steps.
Clear Coat & Resealing
A clear sealer on top, and resealing of existing overlays when the coat has worn.
What It Is
An Overlay on the Concrete You Already Have.
Jewel stone sits between two other options people are usually offered for tired steps. Knowing the difference is how you avoid paying for the wrong one.
Spray-On Coating
A thin coat that changes the colour and texture from a distance. Quick and cheap, but on steps it wears through where people walk.
Jewel Stone Overlay
A polymer-modified cement layer bonded to the existing concrete, textured, coloured and clear-coated. No demolition, and a real walking surface.
Break Out & Re-Pour
New concrete, stamped or plain. The right call when the old concrete has failed structurally — and the most disruptive and expensive one.
How We Do It
The Finish Gets the Looks. The Prep Makes It Last.
01
Check the Concrete First
We look at whether the steps are sound, whether they have settled, how water drains off them and whether moisture is coming up from below. If the concrete itself has failed, we say so.
02
Profile the Surface
The old concrete is ground and cleaned so the overlay has something to bond to. Old sealers, paint and loose material come off.
03
Repair and Square Up
Cracks are routed and filled, spalled areas rebuilt, and broken stair edges and nosings re-formed so every tread finishes straight.
04
Bond Coat
A primer coat locks the overlay to the existing concrete, so the new surface behaves as part of the step rather than a skin on top of it.
05
Overlay, Texture & Colour
The overlay is applied in coats, textured or patterned, and coloured to suit the house — agreed with you before the work starts.
06
Clear Coat on Top
A clear sealer finishes the surface against water, salt and wear. We leave you with what it needs to stay that way, including which de-icer to use.
Before You Book
When an Overlay Is the Wrong Answer
An overlay is only as good as the concrete under it. These are the conditions where we will recommend fixing or replacing the concrete instead.
Good Candidates
Surface spalling, flaking and pitting from salt and freeze–thaw
Hairline cracking and worn, stained concrete
Steps that are solid but look tired
Old sealer or coatings that have failed
Fix the Concrete First
Steps that have settled, tilted or pulled away from the house
Wide structural cracks or concrete breaking up in chunks
Water coming up through the slab from below
Water that pools on the surface instead of draining off
Foundation Parging
The parging on the foundation beside the steps often fails at the same time. We can scope both on one visit.
Jewel stone is a decorative overlay applied over existing concrete — usually front steps, porches, landings, walkways and patios. A polymer-modified cement coat is bonded to the old concrete, given its texture or pattern and colour, and sealed with a clear coat on top. It renews concrete that is worn or spalled on the surface without tearing it out and pouring new.
Over surface damage, yes: spalling, hairline cracks, worn and stained concrete. Cracks are routed and filled and spalled areas rebuilt before the overlay goes on. Over concrete that is structurally failing, has settled, or has water coming up from below, no — an overlay will follow the failure underneath. In that case the honest answer is to fix or replace the concrete first, and we will say so at the site visit.
No. Stamped concrete is a full new pour, patterned while it is still wet, which means breaking out the old slab first. Jewel stone is an overlay bonded over the concrete you already have, so there is no demolition and no waste hauling. It is also different from a spray-on coating, which is much thinner and tends to wear through quickly on steps.
The clear sealer on top is what protects the finish from water, salt, stains and wear, and it is what keeps the colour looking fresh. Like any sealer on an exterior walking surface it wears, faster on the treads that take the most traffic. When water stops beading on the surface, it is time to clean and reseal — a far smaller job than redoing the overlay.
It needs dry weather and temperatures above freezing while it goes on and while it cures, so in the GTA it is spring-to-fall work. If your steps are failing over the winter, send photos and we can scope it for the first suitable weather.
Steps Looking Tired?
Send us a photo of the steps or porch — one wide shot and a close-up of the worst spot — and we’ll tell you honestly whether an overlay will last on it, with a written scope and a firm price before anything starts.
