We have stamped concrete, which then had mortar joints hand carved roughly 1/8" deep. The stones were painted with a sprayer and the joint lines were then hand painted. It looked awesome for a while, though a bit slippery. The coping is PA Bluestone. This is an excellent article discussion bluestone.
Everything You Need to Know About Pennsylvania Bluestone The stone is very dense and is the natural cleft variety, not the thermal finished variety. It has only ever had one small piece flake off of one stone since installation. Since the natural cleft stone is separated at it's natural fissures, it can also have some remnant pieces come off as it gets to the next solid layer. However, note that it is very hot in full sun in the heat of summer. You can't stand on it when dry in bare feet during those times. Not a big deal for us. Flip flops or get it wet.
Now 7 years later, the paint has mostly faded and worn away. I won't bother repainting it because, although it looked great, it would be a ton of work and will need maintenance to maintain and do again someday. I did seal it for the first year or two, though it faded anyway. I like that it still has texture and form, though it lacks much of the color. It is now maintenance free, aside for an occasional powerwash, which I've not done yet. It is no longer slippery.
