Concrete is a popular building material because it is inexpensive and durable. Plain gray exterior concrete — whether in poured-in-place, precast or block form — tends to be a little boring to look at ...

Q: My backyard consists mainly of a concrete slab patio and a retaining wall made from concrete blocks. It's so gray that even the trailing rosemary and bougainvilleas I've planted look washed out. I ...

Q: My house was built in the '40s and has a cinder-block foundation. On the inside, it has paint that's peeling. Some of the blocks are crumbling, but the problem is not deep, less than an inch. In ...