Acid Stained Concrete

Hey guys! Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my step by step instruction on how to DIY acid stain your concrete!

We have stained concrete inside of our home so now it’s time to add some outside! There are so many colors and options for staining your concrete! Inside we score the concrete which make it look like 12×12 stone. In another area we used a stencil and added a large R to our entryway. At some point I will do a tutorial on staining new indoor concrete. You can check out the inside of our home by clicking here🏠!

When we were building our house clumsy me spilled a brand new container of wood stain on the back porch. I was staining the wood planks on the ceiling and… Oops!!!

So right off the bat we had ugly brown blotches on the back porch. We thought about adding a stone such as skate, but staining it is the easiest and most affordable fix.

WARNING⚠️ Acid staining process will vary depending on your concrete finish, age of the concrete, and build up! If you are planning on staining your concrete using this tutorial, I would recommend testing the stain on a small hidden area first. You will also get different variations depending on the brand of stain you use. I have used different stains and have found that majority of them have the same results. Please take the time to research acid stain and watch other tutorials prior to performing.⚠️

💕You can check out the video of this process by clicking here!

Here is the porch before applying the stain.

CLEAN AND COVER

➡️Cleaning your concrete is probably one of the most important steps. Even brand new concrete it is essential to thoroughly clean it prior to applying the stain. You can rent equipment at your local hardware stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. For this project I am using our pressure washer with surface attachment . I first applied concrete cleaner. I then went over the patio twice with the surface attachment. This attachment is super easy to use. Then I applied concrete cleaner one last time and use the pressure washer with the nozzle attached. After that I allowed 24 hours for the concrete to dry.

You can find this surface attachment by clicking HERE

Now cover your siding or if you are working inside your baseboard and walls. You can use brown paper or plastic to do this. I used brown paper and blue painters tape.

❗️❗️A couple of important points:

Ensure your product is an acid stain or etching stain. NOT A PAINT
Ensure that your concrete is clean and dry
Allow 24 hours between coats
Do not allow anyone to walk on the area until thoroughly dry! This includes each step listed below!!! ❗️❗️

STAIN

Using your sprayer mix the stain according to specifications. Several of the stains are a 1:1 mixture of stain and water. Read your products label carefully. Using a measuring cup mix according to your product specifications.

⚠️MAKE SURE YOUR SPRAYER IS NOT SET ON STREAM and is on wide spray. If your nozzle is set on stream you will have lines of stain! Which you DO NOT WANT! Believe it or not I have seen someone do this and the end results were not good! 🤦🏻‍♀️

This is the brand I used for the porch.

➡️Evenly apply the stain using the wide spray setting. Look back over your first coat and add more stain to areas that don’t appear well covered.

Allow 24 hours to dry.

I know, I know, it looks brown and blotchy. But, this is just the color that you can see while the chemical process is occurring.

AFTER IT DRIES…. You can wet a small area to see how it will look. The color when the floor is wet is close to the color your floor will be after you have sealed it.

Water will not hurt the stain because the acid is soaking into the concrete and chemically reacting with it, but do not use a cleaner or soap. Again READ YOUR PRODUCTS LABLE.

I wanted my stain darker so I applied a second coat.

Again…. allow 24 hours to dry.

After you have achieved the desired color then you will need to rinse the product off. Some labels will use a buffer such as baking powder to stop the chemical reaction. I used baking soda and again used the wand and pressure washer.

SEAL AND POLISH

Make sure you are happy with the color before you seal it.

Remember when the floor is wet that is close to how it will look once sealed.

Take down all of your paper before you seal it and make sure you the stain is around the edges. You can always use a sponge and apply more stain in small areas that you may have missed.

➡️Use a roller and pour out the sealer and roll it.

Allow 24 hours to dry.

➡️Now for polish… the polish will give your floor the wet look if that’s what you are wanting. This is also the step that makes the floor a little slick! This step IS NOT REQUIRED, but it’s my fave! You can apply 2-3 coats until the desired look is achieved.

Read the manufacturers label on your product for full instructions. You simply mop the polish on and allow up to 4 hours to dry between coats.

There are several steps to this process, but overall it’s easy. To keep the wet look, you will need to apply the polish around every 3-6 months depending on traffic.