# Staining concrete



## ryan.s (Mar 25, 2005)

Hi - I'm planning to stain my concrete driveway in a couple of weekends and wanted to get some advice. The steps I'm planning to take are as follows;

1. Pressure wash the concrete driveway with mild detergent (there aren't any oil/grease stains as it's fairly new , about 6 months)
2. Skip the etching process, from what I"ve found online as long as the concrete is pourous and rough it's okay to skip. When they laid the concrete they only screeched it with a 2X4 so the surface feels like 80 grit sandpaper.
3. Apply acidic stain with a compressor and spray gun. Planning to do 2 coats.
4. Apply clear sealer with a roller. 

Any comments on the above would be appreciated. I'm not a contractor so the steps above were formulated from researching the net.

Also where is a good place to buy concrete stain. I'm in southern california and not too sure where to go. I checked home depot and the only concrete stain is the acrylic stain from behr which requires a primer. From what I gather this is more of a top film paint rather than a stain. Any local retailer or online retailer info would be appreciated.

Thanks!


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

You will ruin the spray gun. You would be better served to buy a cheap bug sprayer and use that. Other than that, it sounds like a plan.


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## ryan.s (Mar 25, 2005)

Thanks for the tip, when you say bug sprayer do you mean a garden pump sprayer?


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Yes, as cheap as you can find, since it will be trash when you are done.


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## bmartin (Dec 30, 2005)

make sure the sprayer has no metal parts.


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## ryan.s (Mar 25, 2005)

Thanks guys.

Anyone know where I could buy some concrete stain?


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## stacker (Jan 31, 2006)

*ebay*

not knowing where you are located,i would do an ebay search.


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## Zack (Aug 8, 2006)

*Here is my process*

Here is the way I go by acid staining concrete.

1. Make sure that the concrete is open. Meaning no sealers, oils, stians etc. Using a mild detergent. DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT HAS ACID. 

2. Clean the floor COMPLETLY and make sure there is no resisue left behind.

3. Let dry.

4. You can change colors with the amount of water you use so make sure you know what color they are looking for. Add the water and stain into a garden sprayer. ( Cheapest 1 gallon from lowes or home depot). 

5. With using the fan tip pass in circle or figure 8 motions making sure the sprayer is pumped up completly. Do not leave puddles because they will be there forever. You can scrub it in to make a more uniformed look. Depending on the color is how long you leave it on.

6. You will need to neutrilize the acid before you put the sealer down. Take ammonia and water and clean the acid residue up. Make sure all residue is gone. 

7. Let dry completly or the water will come through the sealer and turn it white.

8. I apply my sealers with xylene and sealer mixed into a garden sprayer. You can roll the sealer on too with a mohair roller. Do not use the same sprayer that the acid stain was in. You may still need to add grip to it just mix Sharkgrip into the sealer. DO NOT OVER APPLY THE SEALER. 

That is all it takes if you need more information go to www.concretenetwork.com. Good luck.


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## Zack (Aug 8, 2006)

*Where to buy*

There are a lot of places in Califonia to buy stain. That is one of the main places in the US where a lot of decorative concrete stain comes from. If you still can't find any Sherman williams carries stain.

Online
www.thestampstore.com
www.kemiko.com
www.decosup.com There is one in sacramento and LA
www.advancedsurfaces.com


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## Oregon_Rob (Dec 31, 2005)

make sure you get good before and after photos and post em:thumbsup:


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## bmartin (Dec 30, 2005)

White Cap and United Rentals carry acid stain.


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## Shanklesbuilder (Jun 28, 2006)

When I stained I used a garden pump sprayer then used a roler to spread it out even. Some do a splatered patern with the sprayer.


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## RED HORSE 554 (Jun 26, 2008)

*acid bath stains*



ryan.s said:


> Hi - I'm planning to stain my concrete driveway in a couple of weekends and wanted to get some advice. The steps I'm planning to take are as follows;
> 
> 1. Pressure wash the concrete driveway with mild detergent (there aren't any oil/grease stains as it's fairly new , about 6 months)
> 2. Skip the etching process, from what I"ve found online as long as the concrete is pourous and rough it's okay to skip. When they laid the concrete they only screeched it with a 2X4 so the surface feels like 80 grit sandpaper.
> ...


http://www.acidcrete.com/?gclid=CMWK9vTVjJkCFRk_awodfBjMnA acid stains this has a pdf file to show how to instal.


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