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Staining exposed aggregate concrete patio?

15 years ago

I have a large back patio that is all exposed concrete aggregate, typical grey, everything else about house is in brown and tan tones, would like to stain patio slab to a brown/tan color.

I wanted to see if anyone else has stained an exposed aggregate patio. I'm wondering what the stain would do to the aggregate, if anything, obviously the concrete part would take.

I started doing some research on the web and came across multiple companies that sell "concrete acid stain" (e.g., DCSurfaces.com and directcolors.com/ConcreteStain) but no mention of aggregate and all pics of standard concrete surfaces.

Thanks in advance!

Featured Answer

Wayne Reibold
Original Author

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

The stain won't affect the stone in the aggregate so it wouldn't work for my application where I wanted to go with a tan color. What I ended up doing is use a tinted gloss sealer. From http://www.directcolors.com/product/ac-1315-high-gloss-concrete-sealer/:

DCI Tinted Concrete Sealer
Sealer: AC1315 High Gloss Concrete Sealer,
Size: 5 gallons,
Color: Buff

The pic is above. I ended up mixing Buff with Cafe Royale to get the desired color as shown. This stuff lasts really well. I live where it is wet and the patio gets dirty so I pressure wash it periodically which is hard on the finish. I put two coats on it initially to get it to cover the original gray aggregate then every couple of years put one coat on it to refresh it. My environment is pretty harsh due to how wet it is all the time so in less harsh climates probably would last longer. It keeps the sheen really well as well. It isn't slippery either due to stone in the aggregate. Big thumbs up. I applied it with a wide roller from a big box store and it goes on really nice.

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Comments (8)

sierraeast
15 years ago
I dont see the aggregate being affected but to make sure, you could contact a custom concrete contractor in your area that does acid staining for advise. Most are willing to give advise to folks.

Another avenue if you have already purchased the stain would be to give a small area a test blast in an inconspicous spot.
Shirley Denmark
7 years ago
I want to do the same thing... did you stain your aggregate patio? How did it turn out?
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PRO
User
6 years ago
Great advice! Thanks for letting us know! I want to do it too.
Tauran Ivall
2 years ago
@Wayne Reibold Do you have any close up photos of your before and after of the aggregate. Looks good from the photos you have but i am trying to do a tinted sealer over a white aggregate fireplace hearth. I dont want all the white to show through. Gray would be my preference. Would be nice to see what you were dealing with before hand to see if it would work on my application below?
Wayne Reibold
Original Author
2 years ago
I can't find any before pics. It's a semi-transparent tinted sealer so it adds subtle color not opaque but the more coats the more color.
Tauran Ivall
2 years ago
Thanks Wayne. I am hoping that the white aggregate can be colored over and barely visible. Sounds like i will need at least two coats right?
jslissman
10 months ago
No

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