Acid Staining vs. Solid Stains: Finding the Perfect Finish for Your Outdoor Spaces

Is Concrete Staining A Good Option For Patios And Outdoor Spaces?

Curious about transforming your tired concrete patio into a stunning focal point for your outdoor space? Our latest episode dives deep into the world of concrete staining, revealing why this underappreciated technique might be the perfect solution for homeowners seeking both beauty and durability.

David Nanninga, president of Mile High Coatings, walks us through three distinct concrete staining methods—each with unique benefits and applications. The star of the show is acid staining, which creates a permanent chemical reaction with your concrete, resulting in rich, variegated colors that mimic natural stone. David shares his personal experience with an acid-stained patio that still looks impressive after nine years without sealing, though he explains why sealing is typically recommended.

For spaces with existing concrete damage, the dye and seal method offers redemption through diamond grinding and specialized application techniques. Meanwhile, solid stains provide a simpler, paint-like option for those preferring uniform coverage. The episode also tackles important practical concerns, including sealer options (penetrating vs. film-forming), safety considerations, and ideal applications for each technique. David's expertise shines through as he explains how these different approaches affect appearance, texture, and slip resistance—crucial factors for Colorado's variable climate.

Whether you're renovating a weathered patio, updating a basement floor, or building a new outdoor living space, this episode equips you with expert insights to make informed decisions about concrete finishing. Ready to elevate your space with a beautiful, lasting concrete treatment? Visit Milehighcoatings.com for a free quote and discover how professional concrete staining can transform your property with minimal maintenance and maximum impact.

To learn more about Mile High Coatings visit:
https://www.MileHighCoatings.com
Mile High Coatings
970-314-1023

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Mile High Coatings podcast, where we
elevate your spaces to a newpeak in quality.
Hosted by David Nanega,president of Mile High Coatings,
this podcast explores howexpert residential painting,
concrete coatings and epoxyflooring can transform garages,
basements, patios and commercialspaces across Colorado's front

(00:25):
range.
So grab your favorite beverage,sit back and dive into the
world of high-quality coatings.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thinking about transforming your patio or
outdoor space with a sleek,natural look?
Concrete staining might be youranswer.
Let's explore what homeownersshould know before choosing this
.
Finish.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Millie M, co-host andproducer.
Back in the studio with DavidNanaga, president of Mile High
Coatings.
How's it going, david?

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Oh, pretty good, Millie, how are you doing?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Doing quite well.
I am thrilled to chat aboutconcrete staining.
It's one of those upgradespeople often overlook but can
make a huge visual impact.
Is concrete staining a goodoption for patios or outdoor
spaces?

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, it absolutely can be a great option.
There's actually a fewdifferent applications of
staining that we can do.
So there's acid staining, whichI would say maybe has maybe
lost a little bit of popularityonly because there's some other

(01:32):
options available, maybeuser-friendly or DIY-friendly
types of options, and I wouldsay but acid staining is still
probably, in my opinion, thebest option out of the couple
that I'll discuss.
So the other option is a solidstain, which really amounts to

(01:53):
you know, if you can imaginepaint.
You know, just imagine puttinga coat of paint on a patio.
It's called concrete stain orsolid stain, meaning it's a
solid, consistent color withcoverage.
And then another option thatwe've done over the years is
called a dye and seal.
So a dye and seal is verypopular in basements and
interior spaces for commercialuse and all that, but we can do

(02:16):
it on patios.
It's also popular for enclosed,say, four season types of rooms
.
So I'll start back and talkabout an acid stain.
So an acid stain is a chemicalreaction with the concrete.
So what happens when an acidstain is applied to the concrete

(02:38):
?
There's metallic salts that arecarried by, but there's a
couple of different acids.
There's hydrochloric acid,muriatic acid, there's one or
two other, maybe phosphoric acid, and that may be incorrect, but
these acids they dissolve thesesalts and they carry it into
the concrete and then itfacilitates a chemical reaction

(03:01):
and actually permanently colorsthe concrete, and so the nice
thing about that is that it'spermanent color.
It can't really be worn off,and so usually acid stains, you
typically want to seal them.
However, I have a patio that Iacid stained eight or nine years
ago and I never sealed it.

(03:22):
I was going to and, and then Ikind of I was like, eh, we'll
see, we'll give it to winter.
And then, you know, a year wentby, two years went by, and here
it is eight, nine years later.
And this still looks pretty good.
It's a little worn from fromwashing it.
You know it's.
It's the color't necessarilyneed to seal it.

(03:45):
It's generally recommended toseal it though.
Um, and I'll get, and I'll talkabout the different sealers
here in a second.
But another advantage to anacid stain is you know, you can
do really any number of colors.
You can do one color.
You can do do two, three, fourcolors, Like a tie-dye patio.

(04:09):
Yeah, it kind of gives it somenatural.
I think the idea for mostpeople is that it kind of gives
it like a stone-faux sort ofnatural model type of look.
And so, yeah, yeah, there's ayou know a handful probably
eight to maybe 12 differentcolors that are that are pretty

(04:31):
popular.
That's beautiful.
Yeah and so, yeah.
So the other thing about anacid stain is that it allows you
to retain the texture of yourexisting concrete.
Meaning we stain isn't theright solution in that case.
And then we would jump to a dyeand seal, where we would

(05:07):
actually diamond grind theconcrete.
We would apply a dye in thesame fashion that we apply an
acid stain.
Now, a dye isn't going tochemically react with the
concrete, it's more of a kind ofsoaks in and stains.
It stains the concrete, and sothat does have to have a sealer
for sure, and the downside ofthat is that it can be slippery

(05:28):
when it gets wet.
So that's a popular applicationfor, like, like a four season
room that that's not going tosee snow or maybe a large amount
of rain.
And then the solid stain I feellike is probably pretty
self-explanatory.
Um, it's, it's kind of likelike a paint, you know.
So, you, I feel like it'sprobably pretty self-explanatory
.
It's kind of like a paint, youknow.
It's one color, you know grayor brown or tan or whatever.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
And you said you were going to talk about the sealers
.
Take us through that reallyquick, yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
So with a dye and seal, we use either a urethane
sealer or we use a polyasparticsealer.
So depending on sheen and sortof, there's a few different
factors on why we would use oneor the other, but both are very
durable and fine options andthose would be more of a

(06:17):
case-by-case, you knowapplication that we would, you
know, kind of talk to with thecustomer.
So with an acid stain, youdon't have to seal it, as I
mentioned earlier.
But if you do want to seal it,I personally would recommend a
penetrating sealer.
And what's going to happenthere is it gets sprayed on, it

(06:41):
soaks down into the concrete, itdries and it doesn't really
look like we did much, ifanything, from a ceiling
standpoint.
But it's going to exhibit someceiling properties.
It's going to beat up water andnot allow water penetration

(07:02):
water penetration.
Another example of a sealerwould be like a foam forming
sealer that we would use andthat's going to sit more on top
of the concrete as opposed topenetrating and sinking down
into the concrete.
So those are like acrylics andurethanes that can be applied to
protect the acid stain.
Those are going to exhibit somemore sheen typically and be a
little bit more protectiveoverall and also it's gonna
enhance and darken the acidstain, so it's gonna make that

(07:26):
the colors pop a little bit moreso so earlier I you know I skip
science class when I was a kidso you earlier you talked about
all these chemical reactions andacid and I just want to make
sure of the safety of it onceit's made and it's sealed.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Obviously you wouldn't be installing it if it
wasn't safe, but I just want toreiterate that for those people
who might have a question yeah,great, great question.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
So probably the main or a really common concern or
question that homeowners ask isoh, is it going to kill my
flowers or my grass?
So after the stain is appliedit does its chemical reaction.
It usually takes anywhere fromone to three hours for the
reaction to happen and then wego through and we neutralize the

(08:15):
stain.
So there's a few differentthings we use to neutralize it.
We rinse it off, power wash itand everything, and so at that
point the acid is neutralized,it's clean, it's rinsed off,
poses no harm to really anythingat that point.
And then, once it's dry, we canagain.

(08:35):
We can leave it alone and notdo anything.
Or, once it's dry, we can putwhatever type of sealer we want
to put on Perfect, greatquestion, anything.
Or, you know, once it's dry wecan put a you know, whatever
type of sealer we want to put on.
So yeah, great question.
Yep, there's no.
There's no future harm ordamage.
That can be done once it's youknow once it's cleaned up.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Great to know.
Really enjoyed the breakdown.
David staining sounds like asmart move for style and
durability.
Thanks again for sharing yourexpertise.
We'll see you next time.

Speaker 1 (09:02):
Thanks for tuning in to the Mile High Coatings
podcast.
Ready to give your space afresh, durable finish?
Visit milehighcoatingscom for afree price quote or call
970-314-1023.
At Mile High Coatings, we'renot just painting walls, we're
setting a new peak in quality.

(09:23):
Until next time, keep yourstandards high and your coatings
higher.