How to Stain or Paint Cement

Painting or staining your cement will add color and a renewed look to just about any cement structure. Stains fully work with the cement's permeable nature, soaking into all of its grooves, niches, and crannies as long as the surface is somewhat rough. If the structure feels as if you are running your hand over sand paper, then the cement will accept a stain. Painting requires adding a specialized sealant after a prepping process.

Things You'll Need

• Soap, any kind
• Water
• Scrub brush, durable
• Fans (optional)
• Safety goggles
• Stain sprayer
• Cement stain
• Cement sealant
• Cement paint
• Paintbrush or roller

Instructions

Staining

1. Decide how long after the cement is laid down that you want to apply the stain. Some builders prefer to stain the cement only a few days after laying it down and others prefer to wait 28 days until the cement is completely dry. The only difference is personal preference and the strength of the stain to be applied. Full-strength stain will need to be applied if the cement is fully dry. A diluted version could be applied if the cement was not fully dry. Consult the packaging for exact diluting proportions and instructions.

2. Make sure the cement is clean and bug free before proceeding. You can use a mixture of soap and water and a scrub brush to accomplish this, followed by using a pressure washer. Wait until the surface appears to be dry before applying the stain. Use fans in your work area if needed to speed the drying processes.

3. Wear safety goggles. Use a sprayer to apply the stain in straight lines back and forth across the structure. Use a bristle brush to scrub the overlapping streams into the cement. This procedure will prevent puddles from forming. Nothing more needs to be done to stain the cement.

Painting

1. Make sure it has been around 28 days after laying the concrete down to make sure it's fully dry. You cannot paint cement with any moisture left in it. Your cement may dry faster if any chemical enhancers are used during the building process to speed drying time.

2. Make sure the cement is clean and bug free. Use soap and water with a scrub brush, to be followed by using a pressure washer. Wait until the surface appears to be completely dry. Use fans in your work area if needed to speed the drying processes.

3. Use a paintbrush or roller to to apply the cement sealant in an even layer on the structure. The sealant will prevent the paint from soaking into the cement so you must wait to paint until the sealant is completely dry.

4. Use a paintbrush or roller to evenly apply cement paint. Let this completely dry, and you will be finished painting the cement.

Tips & Warnings

• The final shade of a stain is dependent upon the moisture content of the cement. If you choose to apply stain 10 days after pouring the cement in one section, use the same time interval between pouring the cement and applying the stain in all other sections so that the color is as consistent as possible throughout the structure. For example, if you stain one section 3 days after the cement has been poured, and another section 5 days afterward, the resulting color shades in the two sections will differ.

• Do not apply stain in the rain because the water will cause the stain to run or blotch before it dries.

• Read labels carefully. Some stains are just film coverings, not true stains. In addition, some sealants will act as the sealant and paint all in one.

References

• Ask the Builder: Concrete Stains
• Concrete Network: Concrete Stain Application