Terracotta Stained Concrete: Before and After Photos Gallery with How-To Tips

• Project Info:
  • Project Completed In: 5 day(s)
  • Estimate of Square Footage: 1000 sq. ft.
  • Project Description:
    Driveway was previously stained and faded over time. I did lots of research and determined the best material to use was ColorWave stain and a solvent based sealer. After power washing thoroughly, I applied two coats of stain followed by two coats of sealer. Results are excellent.
  • Personal Tips:
    Make sure surface is properly prepared prior to applying stain and sealer.
  • Direct Colors Products Used:
    Colorwave and EasySeal satin

  Other Products Used:
  Ecological based stripper.

• My total square feet is around 180 sq ft. I haven’t started the other area yet due to the current issue with the stain.
• I started the project by cleaning the concrete patio area first with water rinse and then with a commercial concrete clean & etch solution using a stiff hand-held bristle broom brush.
• I repeated this step several times to make sure that I removed as much of the grime and dirt buildup as possible.
• I allowed the area too dry and after drying performed a water test to see if water would absorb in the concrete or remain on the surface.
• Water test was successful so I began to tape the area off with painters plastic and tape.
• Started applying the Terracotta stain with pump sprayer and using spike shoes. The concrete easily absorbed the stain  but seemed to be very light in color that I applied a second coat after allowing the first coat to dry after 5 hours. Temperature was around 85 degrees so the stain was drying rather quickly.
• After allowing the second coat to dry overnight. I still needed to apply some more to certain areas that were not as dark as the other areas.
•  So I ended up applying (3) coats of the Antiquing Terracotta Stain.
• After allowing the third application of the stain to dry. I noticed a fine power like dust on the surface of my concrete and was not sure if I needed to proceed before applying the high gloss sealer. I called Direct Colors and was told my product of Antiquing Terracotta can be applied without neutralizing the concrete area.
• I then proceeded to apply the EasySeal Gloss Sealer using a pump sprayer. Allowing first coat to dry before applying the second coat.
• The patio area looked great but after a couple of weeks dark patterns started to show through the stain and sealer in the area most exposed to direct sunlight.
• I must admit that I didn’t use a commercial power washer but hand scrubbing with concrete clean & etch solution and water from my garden hose with a turbo jet high spray hose nozzle.

Direct Colors Reply:

Hi Eric,

My first concern is that the concrete possibly having some of that chemical left on the surface, causing an unwanted chemical reaction. My next concern is having too much of the pigment on the surface with three coats. It is really hard to see the true color of our Antiquing Stain without sealer being applied, and sometimes customers will apply more than what is needed. Once the mineral spirits are dry and done off-gassing, you’re just left with powdered pigments nested on the concrete and in the pores. If there is too much pigment on the surface, this can cause adhesion issues with the acrylic surface. The sealer ends up attaching to the pigment and not the surface of the actual concrete, or it will “lift”, or lose adhesion quickly if not well-bonded to the concrete. It’s also possible that there was a bit of moisture left in the concrete and it has gotten trapped between the sealer and the surface.

So, let’s try something. First, if you have any sealer leftover, use it for this, and if not, pick up a small container of xylene from a local hardware store. In one of the smaller areas, off to the side, very lightly spritz a small amount of the sealer or xylene over it and walk away. This will emulsify the sealer and help it re-adhere or allow the moisture to escape. Allow it to fully cure and let me know how it looks, if it worked or if it goes back to the way it looks now.

• Project Completed In: 5 day(s)
• Estimate of Square Footage: 400 sq. ft.
• Project Description:
  Ten years ago we had installed a paver patio on the back of our home. At the time we had installed a brick fire pit in the center, but due to the shape of the back porch it was never workable at the corner caused smoke to swirl upwards and everyone hated it. After a few years I knocked down the brick firepit but was left with a hole that I filled with river pebbles with the intention of finding a circular outdoor rug to cover it under the table. I was never able to find a rug that we liked so we were left with pebbles constantly being kicked everywhere and a place our dog used to dig in. I decided to see if I could find a circular paver kit that could fill in the hole and found one and had it installed last fall. The pavers were supposed to have a reddish tint to them, but instead came mostly gray and they did not match the current pavers at all. I then found you guys and decided to stain the circle a red tint and darken the existing gray pavers. After consulting you guys I ordered a test kit and decided on Terra Cotta and Charcoal colors. I first pressure washed the existing pavers and then adding polymeric sand. After drying I sprayed on the coat of Terra Cotta in the circle and then followed with the Charcoal for the grays. I decided to do the concrete back porch as well. I came back later and added additional coats of Charcoal by brush to the darkest existing gray pavers as well as the darkest Red pavers to give it more of a cobble stone effect. After fully drying I began adding the sealant. Ended up with approximately three coats of sealer.
• Personal Tips:
  With no differences in color or places that you need to protect it’s an incredibly easy job. However, if the plan is to maintain an edge between two distinct colors, plan it out ahead of time. The pavers I was working with were VERY porous, so it absorbed and spread into them like alcohol would into chalk. Even when I was doing the parts by hand I needed to be careful to not get too close to the edge for fear of it bleeding. Also be aware of some overspray. Finally, even though I’d done the math I would have been happier had I ordered an additional bottle of Charcoal and Sealant. I ended up ordering a third bottle of sealer during the project because it was clear l I was not going to have enough to put down as many layers as I’d have liked. Because of that the project took a week longer because I had to wait for the order to come in.

Project Info:

• Project Completed In: 3 day(s)
• Estimate of Square Footage: 285 sq. ft.
• Project Description:
  this was a raised concrete patio on top of a wine cellar. It was roughly 30 years old. Tried acid staining Cola worked good. But avocado did not take. So I switch to Portico. What a great product!! It did everything I hope it would do plus more. Love this product. Everybody on your staff that I spoke to was so informative and helpful great bunch of people you have!
• Personal Tips:
  don’t be afraid to try the different colors. I preferred wet on wet worked really well. And you need to have the spike shoes. it is very important that you wear them! You cannot make a mistake with this product. However the color comes is the way it is and it’s beautiful no matter which way you look at it. You just have to have patience. And maybe in artistic flair. Again great product. But most of all you need to take your TIME!
• Direct Colors Products Used:
  Aztec brown, fern green, olive, Terracotta Portico stains & EasySeal satin.

Other Products Used:
Pro clean neutralizer, acid stain avocado, acid stain cola.