What stained concrete means in Augusta
Acid stain reacts chemically with the lime in the concrete and produces a variegated, translucent, mottled colour that looks like stone. The palette is limited to earth tones and the result is never fully predictable.
Water-based stains are pigment carried into the surface. The colour range is much wider, including blues and greens, and the result is more uniform and more controllable.
Staining an existing Augusta slab works with what forty years of red clay dust, pollen and pressure washing have done to it, and on an old slab that variation becomes the finished look.
- Thickness
- applies to existing or new slabs
- Mix
- acid stain reacts with lime, water-based sits in the pores
- Ready to use
- neutralise, rinse, seal
- Typical cost
- $3–$8 per square foot over an existing slab
- Service life
- recoat every 3–5 years outdoors
How stained concrete is put on
The slab has to be clean, open and free of sealer. Stain will not penetrate through a sealer, a curing compound or a power-washed but still sealed surface, and where it partly penetrates you get blotches.
Existing patches, glue residue and oil stains all take colour differently, and on an old slab that variation is the finished look. That is either the charm or the problem, and it should be tested in a corner first.
Acid stain gets neutralised and rinsed thoroughly after it has reacted. Residual acid under a sealer will keep working and lift the sealer later.
Colour is protected by a sealer, and outdoors that sealer is the maintenance item. Once it wears through, UV takes the colour with it.
What stained concrete costs in Augusta, GA
Cheaper than any finish that involves new concrete, which is the appeal. Priced per square foot by the number of colours and whether a pattern is cut into the slab.
Dramatically cheaper than any option involving new concrete, priced per square foot by the number of colours.
Where stained concrete goes wrong in GA
Staining a slab that has been sealed at some point in its life is the recurring disappointment. Nobody knows it was sealed until the stain refuses to take in patches.
Iron in the local soil leaves rust staining on a lot of older slabs here, and stain is translucent, so that staining shows through rather than being covered.
Where we do stained concrete
We cover Augusta, Columbia County and the South Carolina side of the CSRA, including and 34 more areas.
Questions we get asked about stained concrete
Will stain hide cracks and patches?
No. It is translucent, so everything in the slab shows through. Acid stain in particular emphasises variation.
Acid or water-based?
Acid for a mottled stone look in earth tones. Water-based for a wider colour range and a more even result.
How long does stained concrete last?
The colour is in the slab. What wears is the sealer over it, and outdoors that needs redoing every few years.
Get a free quote
Tell us what you need. We answer the same day, and the on-site visit is free.
Get a price for your stained concrete
Call (762) 320-6343 and we will come out, measure, and leave you a written quote. There is no charge for the visit and no obligation afterwards.