Direct Colors DIY Home Improvement · Episode 11
Listen to this episode
Oil in the pores blocks everything — stain cannot react and sealer will bubble or flake off it. But the goal is not a spotless slab. Shawna Turner on the test that actually matters (does water bead or throw a rainbow sheen?), the absorbent-and-solvent method for pulling oil back out, and why vegetable oil of all things is the hardest to shift.
4 min 46 sec · Download MP3 (6.6 MB)
For this job you need: ProClean Degreaser™ · 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: Concrete Stain Garage Floor: Gallery & How-To.
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.
- “DCI Concrete Degreaser Cleaner” is now ProClean Degreaser™. “Sprayable Satin Finish Sealer” is now EasySeal™ Satin, and “liquid colored antique” is now Antiquing™.
- Oil Dri and the named hardware chains are third-party products and retailers, not Direct Colors lines; they are left as spoken.
- ⚠ Safety, added by us and not said on air. Xylene and mineral spirits are flammable and give off harmful vapor. Work outdoors or with strong ventilation, keep them away from any ignition source, and wear gloves and eye protection. This step should never be done in a closed garage. On disposal the episode says only to “dispose of responsibly”; specifically, the saturated absorbent is solvent-soaked waste — follow your local rules for it rather than putting it in household waste.
- 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.
- 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photo-gallery, blog or video pages have been dropped, along with pointers to pages that have since been retired or superseded by the links under What’s Next — in some episodes that removes a whole sentence or a short exchange.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 is a diagnostic-and-cleaning episode, and none of it depends on a product name. The beading and rainbow-sheen test is still the right test.
What you need for this job
Get the oil out first. Nothing colors over a contaminated slab.
- Pull the oil out
- ProClean Degreaser™
- Profile the slab once it is clean
- CitrusEtch™
- Then color it
- EverStain™ Acid Stain, or EasyTint™ Tinted Sealer if you would rather cover than react
Old, deep oil does not always come out completely. Send us a photograph through the free project consultation and we will tell you honestly.
Full transcript
Amie Nolen: You’re listening to Direct Colors podcast Episode 11: How to Remove Oil Stains from Concrete. If this is your first time listening, then thanks for joining us. One of the biggest challenges to acid staining garage floors, driveways and patios is oil stains in the concrete. Motor or vegetable oil, and animal fats if the spill is around the barbecue, can be very challenging to remove, and unless properly removed will prevent acid stain, concrete stains or sealer from penetrating the concrete.
AN: I’m Amie Nolen and today we’re talking with Direct Colors General Manager, Shawna Turner, about how to successfully dissolve oils in the concrete surface before staining and sealing. Welcome, Shawna.
Shawna Turner: Thank you.
AN: Now, tell us why it’s important to remove the oil stains in the first place?
ST: Well, oil can penetrate deeply into the concrete, so it’s important to clean up a spill quickly. Once oil has entered the concrete pores, nothing else can penetrate or adhere on top of it. So basically the stain won’t take to the concrete, and the sealer will likely bubble up or flake off after application. Not the desired outcome, for sure.
AN: How do you know you have oil in the concrete surface?
ST: Water will often bead up over an oil stain, or display a rainbow sheen when wet. That’s probably the best way to determine if you’ve got a stain that requires additional cleaning. Sometimes an old oil stain will still be visible but nothing remains in the concrete surface, so it’s as ready to stain as it’s going to get at that point.
AN: So what’s the first step in the process?
ST: Clean the concrete with a solution of ProClean Degreaser™ and water. Observe after cleaning whether water is beading up over any oil spill area. If there is no indication of a spill that needs attention, rinse the concrete thoroughly, allow to dry and proceed with staining.
ST: If some evidence of beading or oil sheen exists, we recommend another cleaning step. Purchase a bag of oil absorbent such as Oil Dri and create a mound of the material over the spill area. Pour a solvent like odorless mineral spirits or xylene over the mound and leave until completely dry. Solvents can generally be purchased at your local Ace or True Value hardware store. Once the solvent has evaporated, sweep the absorbent away and dispose of it responsibly. Clean again with the degreaser and water solution, rinse and look for beading. Success is unlikely to be a perfect concrete slab with no signs of the staining. In most cases the oil stain may still be visible, but if there is no beading or rainbow sheen, the concrete should stain and seal successfully.
AN: What if it doesn’t? What then?
ST: Sometimes it does take more than one application to completely remove the oil from the concrete surface. Repeat the steps until the beading and/or sheen disappear. The process may need to be repeated up to 4 times if the oil stain is particularly large or very old. Vegetable oil, oddly enough, is one of the most difficult oils to dissolve and sometimes requires mechanical abrasion using a floor sander and a 50–100 grit pad to finally resolve. For outdoor concrete in general, and garage floors specifically, I recommend EasySeal™ Satin for safety when wet, ease of application and fast repair should damage occur.
AN: What can customers do about unsightly oil stains that might be ready to color but can still be seen in the concrete?
ST: I would definitely complete the floor prep work before placing an order for product. Select acid stain or Antiquing™ colors that will help mask the appearance of the oil so it will be less noticeable overall. Keep in mind that, with a few exceptions, most concrete is covered with patio furniture, storage or other things that make oil stains less apparent when you begin living on the concrete.
AN: Thank you, Shawna, for joining us today and for the helpful DIY tips. 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.
What’s Next
- Garage floors start to finish → Concrete Stain Garage Floor
- Everything else that has to come off first → Concrete Surface Preparation
- Driveways → Stained Concrete Driveways · Driveway Color Ideas
- Colors that hide a lot → Acid Stain Colors Guide
- Shop → ProClean Degreaser™ · EverStain™ · EasySeal™
