Color Help for Oxidized Concrete Walkways and Patio

Originally called out to do an Epoxy Quartz flooring system on a garage floor, Glen Roman of Staintec just couldn't walk away from the beautifully textured concrete around this home without wanting to fix the oxidation and erosion. "I was supposed to be there to talk about doing an epoxy on the owner's garage floor, but we walked into the backyard and it had such nice textured concrete with borders. They were just beat up." So Roman started telling the client about Newlook's products and how he could fix up the walkways and the backyard patio. "The stamped concrete had lost its color and effect," recalls Roman, "the problem areas looked pasty because of the erosion."

Before

After

Roman convinced the owner that the walkways and patio could be given new life, and at a reasonable cost. So rather than epoxy the garage floor, the owner agreed to rejuvenating the concrete around the house—an economical decision that added a lot of curb appeal.

Before	Before
After	After

"Because of the rough mottling and erosion," explains Roman, "we could have stained, but it wouldn't have fixed the problems." A regular acid stain would just have accentuated the problem areas. "Also," says Roman, "stains are typically known to produce an old-world look. This doesn't always go with a contemporary house." Roman knew with the use of Newlook stains, he could solidly color the concrete with a look that would complement the home. "Newlook stains bond well," he says, "and they won't flake or peel."

Roman explains that prepping the concrete is the first, most important step. "You have to get the concrete thoroughly clean and get a raw, fresh porous surface," he says. Roman always does a light acid-wash prior to stain. This assures him a good surface. "You also need a strong pressure washing to remove any soft, loose layers."

Roman used Newlook's dark brown color on the borders. In the fields, he used Summer Sand. Then he used Newlook's dark brown enhancer for antiquing. He sealed everything with Concrete Coatings' water-based sealer.

The project was done in Rancho Cucamonga and included the walkways, patio, and barbecue area.

Staintec
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

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