Why do some contractors refuse to resurface stamped concrete — and when should you walk away?
Because it is the category where prep decides everything and the downside of a wrong call is a whole patio. Experienced hands in DIY and trade forums tell stamped-concrete owners the same thing we do: how well an overlay holds depends heavily on the quality of the prep work, and where the existing surface is not sound, the risk of the overlay starting to fail within a few years is high. Stamped concrete is harder to prep than a broom finish for a simple physical reason — the pattern means the profile is uneven, so grinding has to open a bonding profile across relief rather than across a flat plane, and any existing sealer or color coat has to come off completely instead of mostly. That takes longer, and it pays less than a replacement, which is why declining the whole category is an easy business decision for some contractors. The honest version is that resurfacing stamped concrete works when the existing surface is still bonded and the slab has not moved, and does not work when it is delaminating, heaving, or sitting over an active drainage problem — and either answer should come from someone who sounded the slab in front of you rather than from a phone call.