Limiting your concrete flooring options to the inside of your home is a short-sighted and expensive mistake.
By asking your concrete polishing contractor to work their magic on your driveway, pool deck and patio, you save yourself the expense of buying pavers and stones, having them installed and replacing them as they become weather-worn, chipped, stained and damaged.
With concrete, you don’t have to worry about weather, erosion, weeds, or any other gift of nature ruining your outdoor surface.One option for designing the perfect outdoor concrete surface is acid staining.
By using acid staining, your local contractor can give outside concrete surfaces the beautiful and popular appearance of terra cotta, travertine, marble and other stones along with the durability and easy-to-clean finish of polished concrete.
In addition to giving your concrete a new life, acid staining your outdoor concrete surfaces can give your entire home and lawn an affordable face lift! The first step your concrete polishing contractor will take is to prepare your surface for acid staining by cleaning the concrete thoroughly.
This will include sweeping and power washing the area as well as scrubbing the concrete to remove stubborn dirt and debris. It is crucial that the concrete be allowed to dry once the cleaning is complete.
Acid staining a driveway
- Next, your concrete polishing contractor will mix the acid. Acid staining concrete is a very serious and potentially dangerous job that involves the use of toxic substances. Your contractor has the appropriate protective clothing and breathing apparatus to ensure his or her safety.
- You will be encouraged to keep children and pets away from the area until the process is complete. There is a specific measurement of acid to water that your concrete polishing contractor will use to ensure the staining is safe and effective.
- Once the acid and water are mixed to create the perfect staining solution, your contractor will hose off your driveway and begin to apply the acid staining mixture. In order to ensure terra cotta or other stone-like results, your contractor must be very careful and diligent in applying the acid stain to your concrete driveway or patio evenly.
- It will take approximately thirty minutes for the concrete to completely absorb the acid and transform into the color the stone you’ve picked.
- Once your contractor sees that the acid stain has been completely absorbed, he or she will hose the acid residue off of the concrete. Your contractor may need to sweep away some of the more stubborn acid mixture.
Terra cotta concrete driveway
While the acid staining creates the foundation color and appearance of stone, there may be additional steps your contractor needs to complete in order to create travertine, terra cotta, marble and stone finishes.
Your contractor will replicate the look of grout lines, natural shadows and mottled textures in order to give the concrete an authentic appearance. Once your contractor has completed the work, you won’t be able to tell by looking at your concrete that it is not the real stone or tile surface you originally wanted.