Direct Colors DIY Home Improvement · Episode 17
Listen to this episode
Air temperature tells you almost nothing — a dark slab in direct sun runs far hotter than the day does. Shawna Turner on the towel-and-thermometer test that gives you the number that matters, the 80°F ceiling for staining, and why sealing a hot slab traps rising air as bubbles that collapse into permanent pits.
4 min 10 sec · Download MP3 (5.8 MB)
For this job you need: EverStain™ · EasySeal™
Not sure which is right for your slab? Send us the details — the free project consultation is a person, not a form letter.
The written guide on this topic, with photographs: Applying Acid Stain and Concrete Sealer in Summer.
Editor’s note. This episode was recorded some years ago. The transcript below has been corrected where the facts have changed; nothing about the technique has been altered.
- No products are named in this episode — it is entirely technique, so nothing here has been renamed or repriced.
- The temperature figures given on air (stain below 75–80°F slab temperature) are left as spoken. They are guidance from the recording, not a specification — follow the instructions supplied with the product you buy.
- Two questions in the recovered transcript had lost their speaker attribution and run into the previous answer; they have been restored to the interviewer. One was also garbled — “What can be with our outdoor concrete besides wait until the fall?” — and reads as “What can be done with…”, the only word supplied to complete a question. One further clause was repaired the same way: “The most important step for homeowners applying acid stain…” reads as “The most important step is applying acid stain…”.
- The sign-off’s RSS-feed line and social links have been dropped — the list included Google+, which shut down in 2019, and Twitter, now X.
- The series is no longer in production, so the closing reference to a twice-monthly schedule reads in the past tense.
- Housekeeping, applied to every episode in this archive. The spoken sign-off has been rewritten to point here rather than at the old directcolors.com/listen address. The RSS-feed line, the social-media list and any pointers to retired photo-gallery, blog or video pages have been dropped, along with pointers to pages that have since been retired or superseded by the links under What’s Next — in some episodes that removes a whole sentence or a short exchange. Every speaker says “design consultation”; the service is now called the free project consultation, and we have used the current name throughout rather than send you to a page that no longer exists. Run-on speaker turns, duplicated intro lines and obvious transcription slips have been repaired without changing meaning. Nothing bearing on technique, safety or product choice has been altered; those changes are itemized above.
Still accurate in full: this episode is about physics and timing, not products. The phone number is unchanged.
What you need for this job
The heat rules matter more than the products, but these are the products they apply to.
- The stain
- EverStain™ Acid Stain — work in the cool of the day, not on a hot slab
- Seal it
- EasySeal™ — solvent-based, so mind the slab temperature
- A low-odor alternative indoors
- AcquaSeal™
If you are working in real heat, send your conditions through the free project consultation before you open a bottle.
Full transcript
Amie Nolen: Applying acid stain and concrete sealer in the summer months can be challenging, especially if you live in a hot climate. Here are a few tips from our own General Manager, Shawna Turner, for outdoor concrete and countertop projects that will help DIYers get it right the first time. Welcome to the podcast, Shawna.
Shawna Turner: Thank you.
AN: What are some of the challenges homeowners face when acid staining and sealing outdoor concrete in the summertime?
ST: Concrete temperature and wind conditions often determine success or failure for an acid stain project. Hot, dry conditions can cause acid stain to prematurely dry before properly reacting with the concrete. But how hot is too hot? Concrete shouldn’t be more than 75–80°F for best staining results. Dry, windy conditions can wick the moisture from the concrete, leaving a blotchy appearance behind, particularly when using both light and dark colors.
AN: What can be done with our outdoor concrete besides wait until the fall?
ST: Well, it’s not quite as bad as all that. The most important step is applying acid stain either late in the evening or early in the morning, when concrete temperatures are at their lowest. As the day heats up, so does the concrete, and air begins to pass through the surface. When temperatures are cooling, the concrete contracts and is therefore a better candidate for staining or sealing.
ST: Keep in mind that direct sunlight and ambient temperature are not the same. Lay a thermometer on the concrete surface and cover it with a towel. If after 4–5 minutes the temperature is greater than 80°F, do not stain. Another valuable tip is to lightly dampen — not flood — the concrete before applying acid stain, to add moisture and prevent premature drying. Premature drying can retard color development and isn’t helpful if you’re working with multiple colors outdoors.
AN: What about sealing specifically? I know hot temperatures can really cause problems. What should customers be looking out for?
ST: Without question, do not attempt to seal in the heat of the day. Colored concrete in direct sunlight, especially dark browns and black, could be several times hotter than the ambient temperature, and just a few minutes of sunlight will raise the surface temperature very quickly. If the concrete is too hot, small air bubbles will often appear either during the application or just after. The air bubbles are formed by air rising through the concrete and becoming trapped in the sealer. The bubbles will eventually collapse, leaving unattractive concave spots behind. Not very attractive, especially on outdoor kitchen countertops.
ST: Finding the right time of day to apply concrete sealer during the summer months can be a challenge. Sealers, like acid stain, should be applied when the concrete is at its lowest temperature — either early in the morning or late in the evening. East-facing concrete should be sealed later in the day, and west-facing early in the morning.
AN: What time of year do you normally do maintenance on your decorative concrete?
ST: Never if I can get away with it! No, I’m kidding. I usually do my resealing in the late spring, when you can get a couple of rain-free days, and if that fails, before winter sets in. Because I live in Oklahoma where the summers are very hot, I seldom attempt to seal my exterior concrete during the summer months. It can be done, but most of the time I don’t want to get up that early.
AN: Thanks for the summertime acid staining and sealing advice. I hope everyone will listen in before beginning their projects this summer season. If you have questions, call one of our expert technicians at 877-255-2656 and we’ll help you select the best products and technique for your needs. If you prefer email, send in a free online project consultation and we’ll get back to you within 24–48 hours. Direct Colors DIY Home Improvement podcasts were produced twice monthly for your enjoyment, and the show notes live here in the Direct Colors listening archive. Thanks again for joining us!
What’s Next
- The written guide → Applying Acid Stain and Sealer in Summer
- Coverage on rough outdoor slabs → the coverage episode
- The full staining method → How to Apply Acid Stain
- Sealer choice → Best Concrete Sealer · How to Apply Concrete Sealer
- Shop → EverStain™ · EasySeal™
