# Concrete Acid Stain DIY Gone Wrong!



## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

Need help in the Little Rock area. Private Message me if you are in the area and can help. I am waving the white flag with my right, and throwing in the towel with my left. Thanks!


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

you're amongst friends or, if not friends, understanding guyz,,, what happen'd & where'd you buy the mtl ? hope you didn't acid wash conc floor prior to staining,,, have colleagues in little rock who do this work professionally - best !

irc


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## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

itsreallyconc said:


> you're amongst friends or, if not friends, understanding guyz,,, what happen'd & where'd you buy the mtl ? hope you didn't acid wash conc floor prior to staining,,, have colleagues in little rock who do this work professionally - best !
> 
> irc


Thanks. I sent you a message with the history of this mess. Also I rented a 3500 psi Pressure Washer today...Took a good layer off of the stain from the other day. Still not sure on what to do next. So bummed.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

no pm found :huh:

irc


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## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

itsreallyconc said:


> no pm found :huh:
> 
> irc


Meh. Not sure why it did not go through. 

Here goes: I Had resurfaced a side of our walkway up to the front door a couple of months ago (I think you helped with that too) where I had taken off a shotty brick veneer that was coming apart. I had fixed the facing of a couple of steps too that had cracks. No big deal, even for an amatuer DIY'er.

So my Wife and I want to do something to bring it all together. We decide on Kemiko Acid Stain (Golden Wheat). Bought it at Farrell Calhoun here in town. It was nowhere near the color of the sample. It turned our driveway orange. And the steps and side with new concrete a rust color. Nightmare. Here's where I really F'd it up. I cleaned it down and decided to try on the side where the veneer brick was to do a Quikrete Resurfacer and add a Buff color tint to it. It actually came out pretty good. Same neutral color as our house. So thought, let me take care of the driveway the same way. Nope. First section of the driveway and the color is a dirty white blotchy mess.

Yesterday rented the 3500 psi...Took off ALL of the side work that I have done. Stain/Concrete all gone. Back to square one. I did the same to the driveway and it actually did take a layer of stain off. Will finish the rest this morning.

Need your professional advice, and possibly a colleague in the area that you trust. I don't know what my options are at this point as we have spent a small fortune already. Maybe leave the driveway as is at the moment and let nature fade it a bit. Maybe have someone work on the side and walkway for now. We still need to build a retaining wall in front of it. And try not to laugh at me too hard here. My lesson is learned, I just want to make it right. Hopefully without spending an arm and a leg.

Thanks.


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

I can't respond to all of your issues, it's nearly impossible to do so w/o actually being on site. But, I can say that it's fairly common for acid stains to have a "rust" appearance before they're sealed. They act much differently when sealed with an acrylic, enhancing sealer. If your not happy with a clear sealer, you can also tint the sealer to tone the color down a bit. 

That said, I do the vast majority of acid staining on interior floors, mostly because there's just too many variable to try to deal with outside, and more often than not, acid staining old concrete typically looks terrible IMPO......


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## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

jomama45 said:


> I can't respond to all of your issues, it's nearly impossible to do so w/o actually being on site. But, I can say that it's fairly common for acid stains to have a "rust" appearance before they're sealed. They act much differently when sealed with an acrylic, enhancing sealer. If your not happy with a clear sealer, you can also tint the sealer to tone the color down a bit.
> 
> That said, I do the vast majority of acid staining on interior floors, mostly because there's just too many variable to try to deal with outside, and more often than not, acid staining old concrete typically looks terrible IMPO......


Thanks. In
your opinion would a resurfacing be possible here?


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

his name's brad holmes - he's either in little rock or hot springs,,, contact him @ http://www.elitecretemidsouth.com/ yes,surfacing is possible,,, here's the front of our d/w but i'm not in the diy class,,, yes, we do seal it annually,,, we will stain exterior & interior IF the conc's in good shape,,, sometimes we'll ask the plant for a ticket to see if flyash was used or not as it will affect color,,, good luck !

irc


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## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

itsreallyconc said:


> his name's brad holmes - he's either in little rock or hot springs,,, contact him @ http://www.elitecretemidsouth.com/ yes,surfacing is possible,,, here's the front of our d/w but i'm not in the diy class,,, yes, we do seal it annually,,, we will stain exterior & interior IF the conc's in good shape,,, sometimes we'll ask the plant for a ticket to see if flyash was used or not as it will affect color,,, good luck !
> 
> irc


Thanks IRC, I will check them out!


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

fyi, that's 2 apps of antique red stain'd onto wet conc ( no fly ash in design mix ) in an atl summer ( 95f that day ),,, neutralized & allow'd to dry,,, seal'd in the afternoon w/2 coats of css sealer ( 100f conc temp ),,, NO ONE recommends that method however wanted to finish prior to bride returning from sale day @ macy's :laughing:

irc


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## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

itsreallyconc said:


> fyi, that's 2 apps of antique red stain'd onto wet conc ( no fly ash in design mix ) in an atl summer ( 95f that day ),,, neutralized & allow'd to dry,,, seal'd in the afternoon w/2 coats of css sealer ( 100f conc temp ),,, NO ONE recommends that method however wanted to finish prior to bride returning from sale day @ macy's :laughing:
> 
> irc


LOL. At this point...I'm looking to resurface with no color. Concrete color would be 100 times better than what I have. I just want it all to look uniform and good.


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## Newman73 (May 20, 2014)

Newman73 said:


> LOL. At this point...I'm looking to resurface with no color. Concrete color would be 100 times better than what I have. I just want it all to look uniform and good.


IRC-

So far I have (2) quotes from local contractors. One which includes connecting two pipe culverts and filling dirt 25 ft in length.

First quote came from a referral from your link above Elite Crete Midsouth which was http://techneconcrete.com/ which includes cutting and filling 16" concrete repair at foot of driveway, installing a 100 sqft dumpster w/ small sidewalk, and new solid overlay "Thin Finish" $3597.50

Second quote is from http://www.planitdirt.com which includes all of the above except they use an overlay "Broom Finish", but also installing and filling drainage ditch with 15' x 25" corrugated pipe to connect two culverts in my frontyard. $4600.00, but I still supply the pipe.

What'd you think? I think I can prob get the pipe installed and covered for cheaper than the $1000 difference here.


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## rafaelrobertson (6 mo ago)

jomama45 said:


> I can't respond to all of your issues, it's nearly impossible to do so w/o actually being on site. But, I can say that it's fairly common for acid stains to have a "rust" appearance before they're sealed. They act much differently when sealed with an acrylic, enhancing sealer. If your not happy with a clear sealer, you can also tint the sealer to tone the color down a bit.
> 
> That said, I do the vast majority of acid staining on interior floors, mostly because there's just too many variable to try to deal with outside, and more often than not, acid staining old concrete typically looks terrible IMPO......
> 
> acid staining tampa


I am having the same issue.


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## Matt1963 (5 mo ago)

rafaelrobertson said:


> I am having the same issue.


Detailed explanation....(what you've done/used) and what are your issues. 

Post pictures.


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## Racinmason (3 mo ago)

Matt1963 said:


> Detailed explanation....(what you've done/used) and what are your issues.
> 
> Post pictures.


You're responding to an 8 year old thread


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## Matt1963 (5 mo ago)

Racinmason said:


> You're responding to an 8 year old thread


No I responded to a person who reactivated an old thread.

I didn't bother telling them it was old because it gets old telling people that!


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## Racinmason (3 mo ago)

Just my attempt at humor, this place can use it!


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## Matt1963 (5 mo ago)

Racinmason said:


> Just my attempt at humor, this place can use it!


I hear ya.....plus paybacks!


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## Racinmason (3 mo ago)

Matt1963 said:


> I hear ya.....plus paybacks!


Yep....that's expected


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