Concrete Driveways - Bring Your Driveway Back to Life

Chemical staining is one of the most unique and classy looks in the decorative concrete realm. You can turn an old concrete driveway into a work of art, or take your new concrete project to a new level. Chemical staining may be applied to new or old concrete, stamped concrete, decorative overlays, vertical surfaces and virtually any cementitious material.

Chemical stains are a great way to accent any concrete engraving job, especially where some color is desired. Chemical Stains penetrate the concrete surface to create beautiful color tones in existing concrete. Stains react directly with the concrete's minerals and produce uneven, mottled, and variegated color effects. The colors which are acquired by chemical stains are generally limited but these colors are all natural occurring colors or earthy tones and can provide an accent or camouflaging effect for most concrete jobs.

Chemical staining works very well on new and old concrete alike and truly outstanding results can be achieved over decorative polymer overlays. Furthermore chemical staining is a very durable product if properly protected with sealer and can be applied to both interiors and exteriors or even in high traffic areas.

What makes chemical staining such an attractive option is that it gives concrete a mottled, variegated, marble like look. Chemical staining creates beautiful colors on concrete, mostly earth tone browns, reddish browns and greens. Never expect chemical staining to be uniform or have an even tone, you'll get different reactions from slab to slab, and even on the same job you may see different coloration patterns. However, the flaws in old concrete can actually contribute positively to the look of the finished product depending on the nature of the product.

Chemical staining can be applied to walks, entrances, driveways, living rooms, bathrooms, patios, high traffic areas and even vertically to any cementitious surface.

Not every concrete floor is eligible for a chemical stain, though age is not an issue, the shape it's in is. A smooth concrete surface will yield more attractive results than an old worn one. If the concrete is spalled, the aggregate is exposed or has previously been acid etched, the stain may not "take in" and will not look as desired because the aggregate does not react with the stain, only materials in the concrete paste do. On some applications where the surface is textured, as in stamped concrete or stamped overlays, acid stain provides even more depth of color, larger selection and realistic look to the surface.

Limitations

Because there are so many variables in the staining procedure, it is impossible to guarantee an exact color or effect. Not only does the cement content of the concrete have an effect on the final color, but the sands and gravels used also influence the results, as does the use of any admixtures within the concrete. Other, less obvious factors also impact upon the final appearance; the type and amount of trowelling the concrete received during placement; the time elapsed since the concrete was poured; the starting color of the slab; the moisture level within the concrete, even the prevailing weather conditions, all have an effect on the finished results.

Consequently, each surface so treated is unique, and as such, it is important that you, the homeowner, are aware of the highly variable results and is not expecting a very definite finished look. Even a test panel cannot predict exactly just what the final appearance will be.