Hello all... I am looking for help here. i have been doing a lot of reading regarding finishes for a Concrete Slab. I have about 500 sq ft of a concrete slab next to my home in the backyard that I would like to do something nice with. Cars do not park here, just mainly walking and the dogs running. I have read regarding painting, staining (water based/acid based) and I was very incline towards acid staining until I spoke to a pro that told me if I acid staining on a broom finish concrete, I would just get a stain that looks a lot like paint or as if I just used wood stain since it will be a basic color. It will not have the effect of pictures that one sees online. So this in a way killed my idea since I was thinking it was going to end up like the pics. So I am looking for advise on what I should do on this slab. I mainly want something that I can DIY and not spend tons of money on like artistic concrete, etc... Hopefully I can get some good info here... Thanks again

I have a driveway that runs up the side of my house and it is about 8 feet wide it runs straight into an unattached garage. At the back of the house there is a patio/turn around area. There is no drainage system as it is all cement right up to the house and water sits by my back steps every time it rains. If it is a light rain it isn't too much of a problem, but in heavy rains it covers the whole drive and patio/turn around area. It stands about 4-5 inches near the steps. I am worried that this water is causing the patio to sink more as it drains and possibly coming into my basement. I was going to check into getting a utility pump to pump the water down the driveway (which is sloped properly from the side of the house to the road. I wasn't sure if this was the best short term fix (long term would be to have a cement company come out). Any other ideas or if this is good what type of pump should I purchase to drain this area? B