New Concrete patio problems - any feedback?

[Joshua Dorkin]

Hey guys -
I need your help. I just spent a fair amount of money to demolish and rebuild a patio in my back yard. My contractor poured it while it was raining and then covered part of the patio with plastic sheeting, while allowing other parts not affected by rain to remain uncovered.

Regardless of what they did, here are some photos of the result (click links below the image for large pics).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrdorkin/6134615367/in/photostream
As you can see from this pic, the patio is 2 colors. You'll also notice some black spots which are from tar. Supposedly the contractor is going to use gasoline to remove the tar.

Any idea if that is effective?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrdorkin/6134615285/in/photostream
This pic is from the other side of the patio. It is horribly stained from either being covered or from leaves from our maple tree that fell on it.

Does anyone know if there's a way to fix these?

When i showed the contractor on Friday, he said that these issues of color are normal, and I explained that was not a satisfactory answer. I told him that he needs to rectify it and was told he would see what he could do on Monday.

Frankly, I expect that he's going to find that there is no simple answer.

I think that maybe we can have him stain the patio to correct it, but what would you guys recommend in this case? Are we in a position where there is no solution but to rebuild the patio from scratch?

I'm certainly not going to accept a new patio that looks like it is 5-6 years old for the money I spent . . . I just want to be educated for my conversation with him.

Any ideas? Any thoughts?

[Aaron McGinnis]

Most everything I can say has been pointed out. Covering the concrete will effect how fast it cures, so time may be a possible solution.

The leaves will pressure wash off. Start with low pressure and no solvent, and move up from there.

Muriatic acid is a definite possibility, but I'd use it as a last resort.

Finally, using an epoxy stain will completely cover any discoloration.

The contractor saying "This is normal" is chock-full-o-shyte.