Before & After

Cookhouse Concrete Floor Staining: A Contest Winner

Feb 11, 2022 Justin Richardson

Scott Orr won our September 2021 contest with this backyard cookhouse floor, and it is worth reading because he documented one decision he would make differently — which is rarer and more useful than a list of things that went right. Fiberglass-reinforced concrete, 60 days of cure, and then English Red and Azure Blue acid stain with a hand-made veining technique.

The finished cookhouse floor in English Red and Azure Blue EverStain™.

Cure time: 60 days on new fiberglass-reinforced concrete before staining
Prep: Washed with a concrete cleaner containing a mild etcher
Base: 2 qt. English Red diluted 1:1, then a second coat undiluted for marbling
Veining: Undiluted Azure Blue through a piece of cardboard with ripped edges
The deeper blue: One tablespoon of Miracle-Gro powder into the last third of the Azure Blue
Heat management: Tarps hung to keep sun off the slab so the reaction had time to work
Sealer: Two coats of solvent-based acrylic satin, 24 hours apart, then stay off it for days

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Azure Blue EverStain Swatch — The two colors — Azure Blue.

English Red EverStain Swatch — English Red EverStain™.

The regret worth learning from

“I sprayed on 2 quarts of English Red diluted 1:1 using a pump-up sprayer for the first coat. I waited 4 hours, then sprayed undiluted English Red for the second coat for a marbling effect.”
“If you want a marbling effect, use a lighter color for the first coat instead of cutting with water. You will get a better reaction with undiluted acid. This is the only thing I wished I had done differently.”
— Scott Orr

That is a genuinely important distinction. Diluting acid stain with water weakens the reaction, not just the color — you get less mineral development and a flatter result. If you want two tones, use two colors at full strength rather than one color at two dilutions. (Compare the bathroom project in stained concrete bathroom floors, where four dilutions of one color was the goal — the difference is that a subtle tonal range and a marbled contrast are two different targets.)

CookHouse Concrete Floor — The bare cookhouse slab.

EverStain - CookHouse - English Red EverStain Application — English Red going down.

Using cardboard with ripped edges for vein technique — Cardboard with ripped edges used as a veining guide.

The veining, and the Miracle-Gro

After the base was neutralized and rinsed, he applied about two-thirds of a quart of undiluted Azure Blue with a small spray bottle, using the torn cardboard as an edge guide to get a vein effect. Then the trick: one tablespoon of Miracle-Gro powder mixed into the remaining third of the Azure Blue, which produced a much deeper blue. He spritzed and gently poured that over parts of the veining, and finally went back with the leftover English Red to darken areas that had come out lighter than he wanted.

Both techniques have their own full write-ups: six ways to make a vein and why Miracle-Gro intensifies blue.

CookHouse Concrete Floor Stained Azure Blue, English Red EverStain

The finished floor — English Red, Azure Blue, and Miracle-Gro deepened veins.

Two tips about heat, and one about rollers

On heat: “Due to it being hot here in Texas and my project outside, I hung tarps to keep sun from hitting concrete after applying the acid stain so drying would not [be] hastened and a good reaction would have time to occur. Do not apply acid stain to hot concrete as the liquid won’t have time to soak in due to evaporation and will leave a lot of powdery residue which is wasted product.”
— Scott Orr

Temperatures were in the mid-80s to low-90s, so the stain dried in about six hours and the reaction had finished. More on working in heat in summer staining and sealing.

On sealer: “If rolling sealer, roll first coat in one direction and the second coat in the other direction. For example east–west then north–south to get even more coverage. I always roll on sealer to obtain good coverage.”
— Scott Orr

Safety, in his words: long sleeves, pants, goggles and gloves whenever you are working with acid stain.