“For my Santa Cruz beach house project, I conceptualized and designed the house and back courtyard with the assistance of a local contractor, who totally rebuilt the home and courtyard in about 8 months’ time.

“To get the ideal home exterior protection near the ocean, I chose stucco. We used one of your standard color powders added to the final concrete mix or “color coat” in a small motorized concrete mixer which is applied (sprayed from a gun) on top of the grey scratch coat and lathe. We loved the results.

“We used a 10-1 concrete stucco to pigment ratio (about 9-10 lbs. powdered dye for each 90 lb. bag), which was mixed in a portable motorized mixer and sprayed directly onto the house with a stucco gun. We used the ratio that you suggested, and we added no other coloring. It was the stock color you provided. The base color of the concrete was grey.

“The stucco guy did not charge anything extra for mixing the color in. They always do a color coat of some kind; grey and white are just more common.

“The house took about a week to complete (each coat of concrete had to dry) start to finish. The backyard was done later, and took about three days.

“A few days after the initial application we applied (with a roller) a clear waterproof sealant. That was it!

“We saved almost $4,000 by not having to paint the exterior. Also, if the stucco gets chipped, it is the same color underneath.

“I highly recommend your products and your service. You guys are the best!”

- Jim Goudge
Santa Cruz, CA

Also, Jim was kind enough to offer a 10 percent discount to Direct Colors customers. Just visit him over at www.beachhouseforyou.com!

Jim’s Shopping List!

175 pounds of 1311 (Tarnished Brass) Concrete Pigment
10 gallons of Sprayable Satin Finished Sealer

Direct Colors has come up with the perfect solution, Deco Gel. This is the only gelled acid stain mix available on the market today. We’ve used it to decorate a boring concrete bird bath, and you’ll get all the details below!

Shawna started with a pretty ugly gray concrete birdbath. She chose deco gel acid stain Malayan Buff and Coffee Brown Deco Gel to add color in a precise 2-tone design to give interest where the water will actually sit in the birdbath.

“Because the birdbath was shaped like a bowl, liquid acid stain was out of the question; it would just run to the middle of the bath. Instead we decided to go with a new product, Deco Gel. The beauty of this stuff, is you can really get artistic in small spaces. It won’t run all over the place like liquid acid stain.”

“As usual, I did a surface preparation with a diluted de-greaser and let the surface dry thoroughly. Once everything was clean and ready to go, I laid the lid in the middle to maintain the circle shape I wanted. Around that, I applied the deco gel in a thick layer with a foam brush for texture.

“I left this to process four or five hours, Then we neutralized the gel and cleaned it up. After the deco gel, we did a light misting of Coffee Brown Acid Stain to give a little additional color on the surface.

“We’ll be using Sprayable Satin Finish Concrete Sealer, applied with a plastic pump-up sprayer. We always recommend a sprayable sealer for statuary and garden decor because they are so easy to use, and can completely coat small crevices and creases.”

  Shawna’s Shopping List

Malayan Buff Deco Gel
Coffee Brown Deco Gel
Coffee Brown Acid Stain
Sprayable Satin Finish Sealer

Thank you.

K. Searcy

Answer: Icky-Sticky Unstuck easily removes permanent marker from painted or varnished surfaces like doors and cabinetry. The product should immediately remove the marks and leave no trace behind no matter how long the marks have been on the surface.

Thank you.

Shawna Turner

Thank you.

P. Habib

Answer: Most household floor cleaners will clean acrylic wax without damaging it if the dilution instructions on the package are followed.

Regards
Frank Turner

“We bought a few acres of property, which is a south face and nice view, but is on a bit of a slope. We decided we needed to cut into a bank and needed a retaining wall. We found a company that made 3000-lb. ecology blocks nearby, so we decided to make the retaining wall out of them.

“We used about 160 blocks — 4′ x 2.5′ x 2′ — to make the wall. When it was finished, it looked good, but we decided if we could color the wall, it would not look so commercial.

“We looked into different staining methods and decided on the acid stain for longevity and virtually no maintenance. We talked to different companies and had very good luck with Direct Colors Inc. They were very helpful on the phone on how to apply and had a very good price on the stain. We went with the Cola color acid stain with the sprayable satin finish acrylic sealer.

“We let the blocks cure for three months and then pressure-washed them to make sure they were clean. Three days later, we sprayed the blocks with the acid stain.

“We used a cheap sprayer and a stiff long-handled brush. My wife and I were able to apply all the acid stain in two hours. One of us would spray and the other would brush the stain in. We then let it set for another two hours, and then applied soda water with the sprayer to neutralize the acid.

“What we learned was it was very easy, but we should have covered up better. I was thinking because we were outside we would be fine, but we had a little burning skin afterwards. Nothing bad, but a word of caution: follow the directions and cover all skin and use a respirator.

“We had a nice hot day, so the next day I sprayed the sealer, which was very easy. I did both applications in the morning when it was cool, so when the day warmed up, the drying was very fast.

“We are absolutely satisfied with the results and get many compliments. We call our work the Great Wall of Glenoma for the little town it is located in. The wall now blends in with the hillside and doesn’t look commercial.

“Thank you.”

-Larry and Tina

Larry’s Shopping List

 10 gallons of Cola Concrete Acid Stain
10 gallons of Sprayable Satin Finish Sealer

Julie had a retaining wall on her property that was a bright white eyesore. Here’s how she stained the wall for the better:

“I used your gel stain two years ago to stain a 120 foot white concrete retaining wall. The wall now looks great and I get a lot of compliments. I need one more quart of coffee brown gel stain to finish an area that I could not reach because my neighbor’s fence was too close.

“The wall was a regular poured concrete wall in a brick pattern form. I took a clean broom to wipe the concrete wall from any debris. I applied the Deco Gel with a paint brush. I spot stained occasional orange bricks then did the rest with coffee brown (not black). Then I used a sprayer with water and baking soda to neutralize the stain after it remained on the wall for many hours.”

-Julie J.

Julie’s Shopping List:

8 gallons of Coffee Brown Deco Gel
1 quart of Black Deco Gel
1 quart of English Red Deco Gel
3 gallons of Sprayable Satin Finish Sealer

Homeowner and Direct Colors President, Frank Turner, wanted to create a beautiful garden in his backyard and highlight his business’ specialty – acid stained concrete.  “At the time [2003], very few people in Oklahoma had stamped and stained concrete around their homes.  In fact, my wife was a little worried about how it would look in the end. As you can see, the walkways, patios and driveway turned out great.” 

Mr. Turner applied Direct Colors Complete Gray Overlay to an existing driveway and two patios.  After using a gauge rake to assure a uniform thickness, the surface was lightly troweled in preparation for stamping.  An Ashler Slate stamp was used for the driveway and patios while a Random Stone pattern was selected for the garden walkways. “The driveway was 1650 sq. ft. and the patios about 1000 sq. ft. We used five stamps and one floppy for the driveway although I would have preferred to have seven.  Both the driveway and the patios took us about 12 hours to stamp.”  The overlay was given approximately 10 -15 days to set up before staining.

The walkways were formed, poured and stamped across the backyard and around the gardens. “We used three stamps and a floppy to complete the walkways. Fortunately, this process only took six hours to finish. August tends to be pretty hot in Oklahoma.”  The walkways were given a full month to cure before acid staining.

“We used Direct Colors English Red Acid Stain for the entire 3450 square feet.  We left the stain on overnight to get a deep red color on the surface. We were very pleased with the outcome.”  The Turners’ used just over 17 gallons of stain for their project.  The amount of stain needed will vary from project to project depending on the condition and age of the concrete.

“Because this was an outdoor slab and we didn’t want a glossy finish, my wife and I opted for the Sprayable Satin Finish Sealer. This sealer has fewer solids and is generally less slippery when wet which is always a concern for outdoor concrete.” Approximately the same amount of sealer as acid stain was used to seal the surfaces.

“I knew when a kid leaned out the window of the school bus and said he loved our driveway, we were on to something.  Staining your outdoor concrete is a relatively easy, inexpensive option to make your home really stand out.”

“To prepare the concrete for staining, I thoroughly swept and vacuumed as much dirt as possible. Then, I used a metal scraper to remove dried-on paint and rust spots from the concrete, and vacuumed again. I had to use a stiff brush to scrub some difficult paint stains.

“I used an organic degreaser cleaner diluted with water and mopped the entire floor. I used a squeegee to push all the dirty water down the basement drain, and then rinsed the floor two more times with fresh water and used the squeegee again. I let it dry for 24 hours, with a large box fan to assist in drying.

“My basement is approximately 400 square feet. Here are the Direct Color products and amounts I used:

• 1.5 gallons of Desert Amber
• 1 gallon of Malayan Buff
• 1 gallon Krystal Kote water-based sealant (my basement is very dry with no sump pump)
• 1 gallon of residential floor wax

“I diluted the Desert Amber with a 3:1 ratio (3 quarts stain, 1 quart distilled water) and put this into a garden sprayer. I sprayed an even coat over the entire basement surface, and let it sit for an hour. I had the sprayer nozzle about 8 inches from the surface for the base coat. After an hour, some natural pooling had occurred due to the uneven concrete surface.

“I used full strength Malayan Buff and applied it only to the high/dry parts of the concrete, where there wasn’t a standing pool of acid already on the floor. On this part, I put the sprayer nozzle much closer to the surface to force the pooling action to occur. This resulted in the darker color pooling down into the lighter colors, and gave it a unique marbling/pooling effect.

“I wore my golf shoes; this helped to prevent footprints but still allowed you to walk on the surface.

“I let this stand for 8 hours, and then I used a watering can with a baking soda/water mixture to neutralize the acid. Again, I used the squeegee to remove all the water from the surface. I rinsed it once more with more baking soda, and rinsed it three more times with clean water. I let it dry for another 24 hours with the box fan to assist drying time.

“At this point, the floor was ready for the clear coat. I used a 9.25-inch nap roller. I used the garden sprayer again to wet the surface with the clear coat, and then used the roller to spread and even it out. I had just enough sealant to coat the entire 400 sq. ft. with only one gallon (per the instructions – thinner coat of sealant provides a more durable surface, so my goal was to use as little as possible). The clear coat turned out perfect. There’s virtually no visible roller marks and it’s a nice gloss finish.

“Waxing the floor was simple. I just used a clean mop and dragged it over the surface as directed. I applied four coats. The wax made the floor a little streaky, but I’m sure I could buff it out with a dry microfiber mop.

“For other DIY customers, I would strongly recommend performing a test sample before coating the entire floor. I tested the stain under the stairs where I wasn’t going to notice it, and this helped me to gauge how much I needed to dilute the stain to get my desired color.”

-Scott Coventry

Thank you, Scott. Your basement looks amazing! You did a great job with it.

If you have a concrete acid stain project that you’re particularly proud of, write in and tell us about it! Send your stories to info@directcolors.com. We’d love to hear about them!

Scott’s Shopping List

1.5 gallons of Desert Amber
1 gallon of Malayan Buff
1 gallon Krystal Kote

Larry

Answer:
Larry,

Yes you can acid stain patio pavers but depending on the beginning color, the final color may be somewhat different from Acid Stain on regular gray concrete. Keep in mind that brick surfaces maybe more porous than a standard concrete slab so more than the recommended amount of Acid Stain and sealer might be required for the job.

Don’t forget to seal the surface after Acid Staining. I recommend the Sprayable Satin Finish Sealer or the WR Meadows Water-based Sealer if you live in New England or California.

Regards,
Frank Turner

Thanks,
Terrie

Answer:
Terrie,

Acid Stain can be applied with a paint brush or foam brush if desired, but you should look at our Deco Gel Acid Stain for projects that require close work. Liquid Acid Stain is a bit hard to control for design or other fine work as it tends to bleed under masking tape, etc. Deco Gel is a gelled acid stain that does not run or bleed like liquid acid stains and should be used for borders, stencils or free-hand artwork.

Regards,
Frank Turner