Stamped and stained is the way to go. And something to remember, every load of cement comes with a crack, but you can deal with that. Make it plenty thick, and rebar is your friend. I don't care if it is just a patio, it's cheap insurance. Just last fall, I had to tear out and re pour a large slab that was put in in 2000. It's an industrial setting and I recommended that it be 24" thick back them. At that time, it would have costed about an extra $1200 in cement. But then, 14 years later, we had to shut the whole place down, cut out a 20'x30 slab, dig it out and make it what it should have been to start with. We did do it at the same time as some other work that we were shut down for, but it did ad a fair amount of down time.
It ended up costing WAY more to fin then doing it right in the first place. Make it 6" thick, chuck some wire and 1/2" rebar in there and ull be happy with it. It may still crack but it will stay together.
It ended up costing WAY more to fin then doing it right in the first place. Make it 6" thick, chuck some wire and 1/2" rebar in there and ull be happy with it. It may still crack but it will stay together.