I live in SC, my back porch has an aluminum cover, very nice. My concrete pad is stained and cracked. What can I do to make it look good?
Thanks
Tawnya

Put indoor outdoor carpet over it. You glue it down.

There are many options, as many as your wallet can handle. Indoor outdoor carpet is an option but I have never been fond of it and its near impossible to remove. Google the topic and you will get sites like Decorative Concrete Treatments Let Homeowners' Creativity Surface (http://www.thermilate.com/articles/decorative_concrete_treatments.shtml)

Thanks for the replies, I don't think carpet is an option, but I will check out the web site.
Thanks again.
Tawnya

While I/O carpet is an option, it does have its drawbacks as well. Although it has a rubber backing, it may also trap any moisture between the rubber backing and the concrete, causing further problems with existing cracks and pits.

Other options include filling the cracks, pressure washing the concrete and cleaning it up to your liking and possibly either staining or using a concrete paint to add some color as well as an acrylic coating.

You could even go so far as to lay stringers and build what amounts to a deck over the concrete, depending on the step down height from the door to the concrete. If it's about 3-4 inches from the threshold to the concrete, you may have the necessary height to accomplish this.

We're currently looking into laying ceramic tile. Our last resort will be to refurbish the concrete like you mentioned.

Ceramic tile on cracked concrete will eventually give you cracked ceramic.

Acid stain the concrete and leave the cracks for character.
Stained Concrete - Staining Concrete - How to Tips for Acid Stained Cement - The Concrete Network (http://www.concretenetwork.com/stained-concrete/)

That's not a bad idea! Thanks, I'll look into it. After trying out several colors of outdoor tile, we decided not to go with tile because it just looks so boring. For the expense, an acid stain may not be exciting but it would be more in line with the cost.

Did you see how good some of the floors look that are acid stained.
I stained and painted my concrete garage.
Painting and staining concrete garage floor - Garage Designs - Decorating Ideas - HGTV Rate My Space (http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Garages/Painting-and-staining-concrete-garage-floor/detail.esi?oid=1416188)