Open the Pores of Your Concrete So Stain and Sealer Can Bond

If you've ever applied stain, sealer, or paint to concrete and watched it bead up, peel off, or refuse to absorb — the problem is almost always the same: the pores of the concrete are closed. Smooth-troweled floors, polished garage slabs, and tight-finished concrete surfaces don't have the open pore structure that coatings need to penetrate and bond. The solution is etching — opening those pores so the next coating you apply can actually get into the concrete and stick.

CitrusEtch™ is a professional-grade concrete etching system that opens the pores of clean, unsealed concrete using citric acid instead of the harsh muriatic (hydrochloric) acid that most hardware-store etchers rely on. It's a concentrated powder that you mix with water, spray onto the concrete, let it dwell for 15 minutes, then neutralize and rinse. When you're done, the concrete surface feels like fine sandpaper and absorbs water within seconds — exactly the condition your stain or sealer needs to bond properly and last.

The CitrusEtch™ 2-Step Concrete Etching System includes both products required for the complete process: the CitrusEtch™ concentrate to open the pores, and ProClean Neutralizer™ concentrate to stop the etching action and restore the concrete to the right pH for staining or sealing.

Why Citric Acid Instead of Muriatic Acid?

Most concrete etching products at hardware stores use muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) — the same harsh acid used to clean swimming pools. It works, but it comes with serious drawbacks that make it unpleasant and potentially dangerous for DIYers and even experienced contractors:

• Harsh fumes that burn eyes, throat, and lungs — requires heavy-duty respiratory protection
• Chemical burns on skin contact — requires full protective clothing
• Damages surrounding materials — muriatic acid corrodes metal, kills plants, stains adjacent surfaces, and can damage anything it touches
• Hazardous storage and disposal — muriatic acid requires careful handling, storage, and disposal per local hazmat regulations
• Difficult to control — muriatic acid reacts aggressively and can over-etch concrete if left too long or applied too heavily

CitrusEtch™ uses citric acid — a naturally-derived acid that's effective at opening concrete pores without the extreme hazards of muriatic acid. The citric acid formulation:

• Dramatically lower fumes — no burning eyes, no choking, no heavy respiratory protection needed (safety glasses and gloves are still required)
• Safer on skin — citric acid is an eye irritant and should be kept off skin, but it doesn't cause the chemical burns that muriatic acid produces
• Won't damage surrounding materials — won't corrode metal railings, won't kill landscaping, won't stain adjacent surfaces
• Easier to store and dispose of — no hazmat classification, no special storage requirements
• Controlled, predictable etching — 15-minute dwell time produces consistent, reliable pore opening without the risk of over-etching

If you've been dreading the concrete etching step of your project because of muriatic acid, CitrusEtch™ is the modern alternative that gets the same job done without the hazards.

What CitrusEtch™ Is For — and What It Is NOT For

CitrusEtch™ is for: Opening the pores of clean, unsealed concrete that is too smooth or tight for stain, sealer, or paint to bond properly. The concrete must already be free of sealers, paints, coatings, and surface contamination before CitrusEtch™ is applied. CitrusEtch™ etches bare concrete — it does not remove coatings.

CitrusEtch™ is NOT for:

• Removing existing sealer, paint, or coatings — CitrusEtch™ is an etcher, not a stripper. If your concrete is currently sealed, painted, or coated, you need Destiny™ Stripper to remove the existing coating first. Once the coating is stripped and the concrete is clean, then CitrusEtch™ can be used to open the pores if needed.
• Cleaning dirty or contaminated concrete — CitrusEtch™ assumes the surface is already clean. For removing oil, grease, dirt, and surface contamination, use ProClean Degreaser™ before etching.

The correct surface prep sequence for sealed or dirty concrete:

1. Destiny™ Stripper — Remove existing sealer, paint, or coating (if present)
2. ProClean Degreaser™ — Clean and degrease the bare concrete
3. CitrusEtch™ — Open the pores of the now-clean, unsealed concrete
4. ProClean Neutralizer™ (included) — Neutralize the etch and restore proper pH
5. Apply your stain or sealer once the surface is dry and prepped

What This System Does Not Include

The 2-Step Concrete Etching System is chemicals only — CitrusEtch™ and ProClean Neutralizer™. You'll need to provide:

• An all-plastic pump-up sprayer for applying both solutions (remove the filter before use). If you don't already have one, the CitrusEtch™ 2-Step Spray System includes a sprayer.
• Spiked shoes — required to walk on the wet etching solution without leaving footprints etched into the concrete. If you don't already have spiked shoes, the CitrusEtch™ 2-Step Application System includes both a sprayer and spiked shoes.
• Safety glasses and chemical-resistant gloves — required PPE for handling citric acid solution.
• A soft-bristled brush or low-speed floor buffer — for scrubbing during the neutralization step.
• A wet-dry vacuum or cotton mop — for residue removal after rinsing.

How to Use the 2-Step Concrete Etching System

Full step-by-step instructions ship with the product. Overview:

1. Confirm the concrete is clean, unsealed, and ready for etching. The surface must be free of sealer, paint, coatings, oil, grease, and contamination. If it's not, clean and/or strip first (see surface prep sequence above).
2. Mix CitrusEtch™ concentrate with water in a clean bucket or directly in an all-plastic pump-up sprayer (remove the filter first). Follow the mixing ratio on the packet: 10 oz packet per 1 gallon of water, or 50 oz packet per 5 gallons.
3. Put on spiked shoes. This is critical — walking on the wet etching solution in regular shoes will etch your footprints permanently into the concrete.
4. Apply the CitrusEtch™ solution evenly across the concrete surface with the pump-up sprayer. Avoid pooling. Keep the surface wet — do not let the solution dry during the dwell time.
5. Let it dwell for 15 minutes. The citric acid needs this time to open the concrete pores. Keep the surface wet throughout.
6. Mix ProClean Neutralizer™ with water per the included instructions (4 oz per gallon of water) in a separate sprayer or bucket.
7. Apply ProClean Neutralizer™ evenly across the etched surface. Keep the area wet for 15 minutes.
8. Scrub the treated area with a soft-bristled brush or low-speed floor buffer with brush attachment to work the neutralizer in and loosen residue.
9. Vacuum or mop the residue. A wet-dry vacuum is more effective than a mop.
10. Rinse thoroughly with clean water multiple times. Do not let the neutralizing solution dry before rinsing. Any white powdery residue left on the surface will prevent your stain or sealer from bonding.
11. Rinse again with clean water and vacuum or mop to remove any remaining residue.

How to Know the Etch Worked

After etching, neutralizing, and rinsing, check the surface with two simple tests:

The feel test: Run your hand across the dry surface. Properly etched concrete should feel like very fine sandpaper — slightly rough and textured. If it still feels smooth, the pores aren't open enough and you should repeat the etching process.

The water test: Sprinkle water on the dry surface. The water should absorb into the concrete within 3–5 minutes. If the water beads up or sits on the surface, the pores are still too tight and you should repeat the etching process.

If the surface feels rough only because of a powdery coating (not because the pores are actually open), you need to rinse more thoroughly to remove the residue and then test again.

CitrusEtch™ Coverage and Available Sizes

Coverage: 200 square feet per gallon of mixed CitrusEtch™ solution. Both the CitrusEtch™ and ProClean Neutralizer™ are matched to the same coverage.

Available sizes:

• 200 sq ft — 10 oz CitrusEtch™ packet + 4 oz ProClean Neutralizer™ bottle. Ideal for single rooms, small patios, countertop prep, and small-scale projects.
• 1,000 sq ft — 50 oz CitrusEtch™ packet + 1 quart ProClean Neutralizer™ bottle. Contractor-scale for driveways, large patios, commercial floors, and multi-room residential projects. Lowest per-square-foot cost.

Direct Colors: Made in the USA Since 1997

Direct Colors has manufactured professional-grade concrete prep products in the USA for over 25 years. CitrusEtch™ is the citric-acid-based etcher that contractors and DIYers choose when they want effective, reliable pore opening without the hazards of muriatic acid. Paired with ProClean Neutralizer™, it's a complete 2-step system that leaves concrete ready for staining, sealing, or any coating that needs a properly prepped surface to bond.