Cement Pad:

Before we moved here we arranged for a handyman to pour a cement pad and it didn't hold up very well. After two years the small stones started coming off and it was wearing down. In addition the surface  was uneven and it was difficult to walk on when we let the dogs out in the back yard. Concrete should not wear down due to foot traffic. There were two reasons it failed. 

1) The handyman was in a hurry and failed to make the surface level so rain and snow and ice amplified the uneven surface by eroding the low spots and the lumpy surface became worse.  Because of the lack of uniform thickness there were large gaps under the cement pad leaving it no support. 

2) The handyman apparently did not know how to mix bagged concrete properly and used to much water therefore weakening the cement which facilitated erosion. 

The remedy was to put a nice thick skim coat on the cement using high strength mortar mix. 
 The alternative was to break the pad out in pieces and repour the entire pad with properly mixed cement and making sure the dirt under the pad was level and would support the entire pad. 

It is now repaired and both the dogs and us can walk on it without those sharp small stones injuring our feet. The total cost to repair was $13.00, and a couple hours labor. A reasonable and cheap fix. 

The discolored surface is only part has dried and the darker  area is still wet. It was done over two days.