Slabjack Geotechnical – D.I.Y. Concrete staining

December 8, 2014by Jerald Sargent0

slabjack logo Have you seen some of the stained concrete out there? Works of art!

Concrete staining is a great way to freshen up your entry your walks and patio or even your driveway at a fraction the cost of new.

This last summer my wife, after much cajoling convinced me to stain our entry. Let me tell you about the process.

The first step is to choose the color(s) you would like. I chose a dark brown and a lighter beige, but you can use a single color or as many as you wish. I think three would have been the best. A mocha, the beige and perhaps a terra cotta to blend the two extremes.

Start with a good power wash and allow the slab to dry. Once dry apply the first color, you can use a brush, sprayer or roller. I used a sprayer but quickly switched to the roller. After the base color is down and tack free, about two hours, you are ready for the next color. This is where a garden sprayer is magic. Just pump up the sprayer and spritz it over the base coat, don’t go too heavy, about 30% coverage is all you want. Wait about two hours, again until tack free and fill the garden sprayer with the third color, again spraying for about 30% coverage. You are looking for a mottled look that is well blended with a uniformity of mottling. Allow to dry for several hours or overnight at which point two coats of sealer should be applied over the stain.

Concrete staining really wakes up old dingy concrete and even  does a decent job of concealing thin cracks. For wider cracks a good concrete epoxy crack filler with silica sand should be used first in order to achieve the best results just remember the patch won’t accept stain very well.

OK, cost. Assuming you have paint supplies, a pressure washer and a garden sprayer, the cost for a gallon of stain is about $40 times three plus sealer. Under $200 will cover about a hundred square feet, maybe more. So call it two dollars a square foot and a day’s labor with plenty of time to drink lemonade between coats.

If my experience was indicative of what to expect, you will get rave reviews from your wife and be considered to have achieved the pinnacle of manliness, if not permanently, temporarily and that’s not too bad either.

All the big home improvement stores and specialty paint stores carry the products you’ll need and are happy to provide helpful tips along with YouTube videos we have all come to count on for repairs of any kind.

So, if your concrete has seen better days get it leveled up then stain away!

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www.SlabjackGeotechnical.com

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