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On the left is the actual state of a garage ramp. I'd like to rectify it visually so that it looks as on the right. What knowledge/tools do I need to achieve such?

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Following the answer received, I believe my question may not be clear enough. The image on the left, illustrate some visual defects, where it makes it clear that the ramp was "patched" at one point in time and hence doesn't maintain the same visual consistency it had from the top (see half top is correct).

Please ignore the debris, materials, etc. I am specifically asking for the surface itself, do I need to break it and redo or is there a way I can apply cement or something on the top to rectify the surface so that it's uniform and visually correct?

enter image description here

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  • You are probably better off simply removing the existing ramp and pouring an entirely new one. – jwh20 Sep 18 '20 at 11:48
  • Discoloration can be from different batch / trucks if it’s only a color issue look into dye or coloring the concrete. You will never get 2 separate pours of concrete to match perfectly but over time they usually blend. – Ed Beal Sep 18 '20 at 13:43
  • The image on the right looks like a whole new slab 6-8" thick was poured on top of an older, lower ramp. It's likely that's what you'll have to do, as well. You cannot put a "skim coat" on top of the existing surface to make it "look better" and expect it will last very long. Generally speaking, concrete will need to be a minimum 4" thick in order to last when bearing weight, hence @jwh20's suggestion of rip it out & start over. – FreeMan Sep 18 '20 at 13:51
  • You could get a commercial concrete grinder and spend the next week wet grinding the driveway/ramp to get a closer match to the surface. – JACK Sep 22 '20 at 20:32
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I'd start by pressure washing the ramp with a light degreaser/driveway cleaner to see what defects remained. Some of the colorization seems to be surface stains. Then, you could epoxy-paint or stain it to at least get a uniform look, though that wont help if there are large cracks, voids or holes. Problem with any coating is that you will be driving on it, so it will be hard to maintain the "clean" uniform look (tire marks) compared to the walking ramp on the right picture.

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A dumpster and a broom would go a long way toward just cleaning up the rubbish and debris.

I am not so sure you would want to try to remove the retainer and separator walls along the sides. Those were put there for good reason and they could very well be helping to hold fill material under the sloping ramp in place.

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  • sorry but that's not the answer am looking for. I want the surface to turn into the same as what's on the right. The left image is the result of two team working on it. The half top is consistent as you can observe, while the half bottom didn't maintain the format/visual from the half top. Do I need to break the surface to some extent and redo it? If so with what tools? – joeyj Sep 18 '20 at 11:18
  • "The half top is consistent as you can observe" TBH, @joeyj, it's really hard to observe that from this particular image. From this pic, the top part does seem more tan in color, but it also appears to be more lumpy and unevenly finished, so it's hard to know what final solution you're after. – FreeMan Sep 18 '20 at 13:49
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After various discussion, it seems the best (most optimum) solution would be to apply a finish with tiles. Attempting to fix the visual defect of the raw work is not cost effective and unfortunately should have been controlled during construction itself. Porcelain tiles being said to be a good option for the purpose even though am not sure how they work against medium heavy weight vehicle.

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  • tiling where a car or truck will drive seems a terrible idea as any voids or imperfections will crack especially if rocks in the tires impact the edges of the tiles. if you want to cover it, consider some of the epoxy concrete overcoats instead. (after pressure washing!) – mark f Sep 22 '20 at 21:16
  • Tiles on a ramp???? Slick surface bad idea!!! – Jack Oct 4 '20 at 15:57
  • If the area was cleaned up and etched with acid would help show in a picture exactly what the problem is. It would leave behind ONLY the trouble spots. Use a strong solution of muratic acid to clean. Follow the instructions, but go with the strongest mix! – Jack Oct 4 '20 at 15:59

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