When staining concrete, surface preparation is a key step. This is vital to insure that you get the most effective and blemish free stain possible.  First, put some water on the surface of the concrete in various location to see if it is absorbed.  If the water beads up then curing agents or sealers may be blocking absorption. These agents along with any grease, oil, paint drops, taping compounds, caulk and other possible contaminates must be removed before staining.  Clean the concrete by applying solvents and stripping agents, sanding, grinding, and scraping surface contaminates. If you choose a stripping agent that will mix with water you will have a much easier time picking up removed contaminants.  If grinding the concrete, try to avoid leaving marks as they will reflect through the colored finish.  You can achieve this by using the proper grinding head/pad and lightly touching it to the concrete while moving it in small circles until blemishes are removed.  If need be, patch the concrete using an acrylic modified, low shrinkage material that will accept stain.  Unfortunately, these patches WILL show in the finished product, and the owner should be made aware of this. The final step is to wash the concrete with water and detergent.  It’s easiest to pick up the leftover residue with a wet vacuum.  If applying water based stain or dye you may want to acid etch the concrete to improve adherence and absorption.  DO NOT acid etch the concrete when using a chemical acid based stain.  This will decrease the lime in the concrete and cause the chemical reaction to be minimal.

7039 HWY 276 Royce City, Texas 75189 Phone (972)289-1700 email: stevenv@decorativeconstructionsupply.com
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