I had a contactor pour a cement pad near my pool about 7' x 8'. He added color which is too bright. The main problem is that it is so rough, it hurts your feet standing on it. I was going to try muriac acid to get it smooth. Does anyone have a suggestion. Will the acid bring out more color. Any tips would be appreciated on how to get it smoother.

They use a roughened surface around pools because smooth concrete can be dangerously slippery when wet. You could use some of those large rubber doormats around heavily traveled areas or indoor outdoor carpet or wear those beach shoes. Could possibly go over it with a floor sander type tool only instead of sandpaper they use a metal wire brush attachment.

I would not recommend acid for this situation. Wild's idea of a floor sander would probably work but you'll be buying lots of paper.

If you do that yourself wear eye protection and a respirator. I have a circular wire brush type of thing that fits on an electric drill You could also paint it since paint would sort of go down into the crevices but that too could be slippery.