How to apply concrete Water Based Stain

Summary

In this video by John Reynolds from Solomon Colors and Brickform, viewers learn how to apply Brickform ARTesian water-based stain on different types of concrete slabs. This non-film forming product is available in 18 versatile colors and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. The key to a flawless finish lies in meticulous surface preparation, including using products like e-etch and potentially, hydrochloric acid, depending on the type of surface. The video emphasizes the importance of balancing water and stain application to avoid color distortion and ensure a perfect seal. Reynolds also shares tips on mixing different stain colors to achieve a desired look, highlighting the ease and flexibility of using water-based stains that require no neutralizing process before sealing.

Highlights

• The ARTesian stain by Brickform is non-film forming and chemically stable. 🏗️
• Before staining, properly prepare surfaces using e-etch or acid washes. 🧽
• Mix stains thoroughly for consistent color, blending different batches if needed. 🎨
• Wet surfaces slightly before staining to enhance application. 💧
• Avoid excess stain accumulation to prevent sealer delamination. 🚫
• Customize color brightness by diluting stains with water. 💧

Key Takeaways

• The Brickform ARTesian stain offers 18 stable colors for indoor and outdoor use. 🌈
• Surface preparation is crucial for a flawless stain application. 👷‍♂️
• Ensure proper dilution and mixing of stains for even color distribution. 🎨
• Avoid heavy ponding of stain or water to prevent color distortion. 🌊
• Water-based stains are non-reactive and simplify the sealing process. 🚫🧪
• Allow adequate drying time to prevent sealer issues like blushing. 🌞

Overview

In Solomon Colors' informative tutorial, John Reynolds demonstrates the application of the Brickform ARTesian water-based stain, a versatile product designed for long-lasting, vibrant concrete finishes. The video details the product's wide range of colors and its non-reactive, non-film forming characteristics, making it perfect for diverse indoor and outdoor projects.

Reynolds emphasizes the importance of thorough surface preparation, a vital step that involves assessing the concrete's porosity and selecting the appropriate cleansing method, like e-etch application or acid washes. This ensures the surface is primed for an even stain application and optimal sealer adherence. Viewers are guided through the process of gauging the surface's absorption rate and preparing it accordingly for the ARTesian stain.

The tutorial also highlights practical tips for applying stains, such as shaking bottles well, diluting colors for desired strength, and avoiding heavy ponding to maintain even pigmentation. Reynolds reassures viewers of the ease and flexibility of working with water-based stains, as they don't require neutralization before sealing, ensuring a seamless, beautiful finish.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Brickform ARTesian Water-Based Stain The chapter introduces Brickform ARTesian Water-Based Stain, presented by John Reynolds from Solomon Colors and Brickform. This stain is characterized by its use of organic carriers and pigments, making it a non-film forming and non-chemically reactive product. It offers a variety of 18 different stable colors suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. At the outset, there is a mention of covering three of the most common types, though details on these types are not provided in the given transcript.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Types of Concrete Slabs for Staining In this chapter, different types of concrete slabs that are suitable for staining are discussed. The chapter highlights a stamped surface that can be enhanced with ARTesian stain, a common broom finish, and a hard-trowelled surface. It emphasizes that surface preparation is crucial when using Brickform ARTesian water-based stain, noting that a particular slab is already porous, which might require the use of a product called e-etch.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Importance of Surface Preparation The chapter 'Importance of Surface Preparation' highlights the necessary steps to prepare a concrete surface before applying a sealer. It discusses the broom finish's dependency on the tightness of the broom used. The preparation is crucial for the subsequent application of products like the artesian water-based stain. Additionally, there's an emphasis on applying the gem seal 400, which requires a specific concrete surface profile (CSP) of one or two. This connects with prior content on surface preparation techniques.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Selecting the Right Preparation Method This chapter focuses on the importance of selecting the appropriate preparation method for concrete surfaces to ensure a flawless product and installation. The specific method discussed is the use of an e-etch, which is necessary to properly open up the surface for an artesian stain. In cases of a broom finish, two applications of the e-etch may be required, especially for tightly trowelled surfaces, to achieve the desired results without future callbacks.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Testing Concrete Absorption The chapter discusses evaluating and preparing concrete surfaces for staining. It suggests that if the concrete has been burnt with a power trowel, more aggressive methods like hydrochloric acid washing or grinding may be needed. The process involves checking how quickly water soaks into the surface, with faster absorption indicating the surface's readiness for staining.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Applying E-Etch and Acid Solutions The chapter discusses the preparation of concrete surfaces before further treatment, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the concrete pores are open. Despite the concrete being porous, the presence of water on the surface indicates the need for additional steps to properly open the slab surface, as seen in both broom-finished and tightly trowelled slabs. The chapter explains the relevance of observing how water interacts with the surface as part of the preparation process.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Preparing to Apply the Stain In this chapter, the focus is on preparing the surface for stain application. The importance of ensuring that the pores of the slab are sufficiently open to allow for proper penetration of the water-based stain is discussed. Tests indicate that the absorption rate of the slab is good, suggesting open pores, but to enhance this, a single application of e-etch will be used. Following this treatment, the surface will be pressure washed to achieve a high level of cleanliness, especially on the broom finished surface.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Mixing and Diluting Stains for Application The chapter explains the process of applying and diluting stains for concrete surfaces. It emphasizes ensuring that the pores of the surface are open by using e-etch. On a tightly troweled slab, a strong acid solution of one-part hydrochloric acid to five parts water is recommended to effectively open the surface. For further questions on surface preparation, viewers are encouraged to watch the concrete surface preparation videos available on the website.
• 04:30 - 05:30: Applying the Water-Based Stain In this chapter titled 'Applying the Water-Based Stain,' the process of preparing and applying a Brickform artesian water-based stain to slabs is discussed. The narrator describes setting up for a small job by using small pump-up sprayers. They have prepared three sprayers, one with water, another with aged walnut stain, and a third with a highlight color named cajun red. A crucial step emphasized in the application process is vigorously shaking the bottles before use, especially if they are new, to ensure the stain is well-mixed and effective.
• 05:30 - 06:30: Avoiding Common Mistakes: Ponding and Pigment Separation The chapter titled 'Avoiding Common Mistakes: Ponding and Pigment Separation' focuses on techniques to ensure even coloration when mixing pigments. The process involves shaking the material well to re-suspend any settled pigment, ensuring even distribution. It advises combining jugs from different lot numbers for consistency in coloration across an entire slab. An example given involves using cajun red pigment, illustrating proper shaking and mixing to avoid uneven color patches.
• 06:30 - 07:30: Finalizing the Staining Process with Additional Colors In this chapter, the focus is on finalizing the staining process using additional colors. The narrator explains their preference for diluting a particular color to achieve a desired hue. By mixing the color in a one-to-one ratio with water, they reduce its intensity, opting for a more subtle red highlight instead of a strong hue. This diluted mixture is prepared directly in the sprayer, allowing for even application over previously prepared surfaces, demonstrating how to tailor color application for optimal results.
• 07:30 - 08:30: Drying Time Considerations The chapter 'Drying Time Considerations' discusses the benefits of applying water-based stain to surfaces that are slightly damp. It explains that the moisture helps to break surface tension, reducing the likelihood of uneven drying, especially in sunny or windy conditions. The importance of not over-applying the material is also emphasized, as excess material may not settle properly.
• 08:30 - 09:30: Compatible Sealers for Finishing The chapter discusses the proper techniques and guidelines for applying sealers over surfaces to ensure durability and effectiveness. It emphasizes the importance of adhering to the recommended coverage rate of 200 square feet per gallon for most cases. However, if a lighter coat is desired, especially when using lighter tinting, a rate of 300-400 square feet per gallon may be used. It also notes that typically, only one to two coats are necessary, but additional coats might be required for super porous surfaces. Special consideration should be given to tightly trowelled surfaces, where only one or two coats are recommended to prevent over-application.

How to apply concrete Water Based Stain Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hi this is John Reynolds, from Solomon colors and Brickform, here today to talk to you about our Brickform ARTesian water-based stain. this is a stain that has organic carriers in pigment it's a non film forming type of product and it's non chemically reactive we have 18 different colors and all the colors are stable indoors or outdoors but before we get started I want to go over three of the most common types of
• 00:30 - 01:00 slabs that you'll want to stain here we have a stamp surface that can be colored up really nicely with the ARTesian stain we have your common room finish and then we have a hard trowelled surface here one of the most important factors when you're using the brickform artesian water based stain is surface preparation. So we've got this that slab here which is already fairly porous so we'll probably use our product called e-etch on a
• 01:00 - 01:30 surface like this the broom finish is going to depend on how tight the broom is it's always important to remember that you have to prepare the concrete for your sealer so what we're looking at this slab and we're thinking about putting the artesian water based stain down we also have to be thinking about our sealer so on these slabs we're going to end up with our gem seal 400 which requires a CSP one or two if you watched any of our surface preparation videos
• 01:30 - 02:00 you understand that the requirements that we have for our concrete surface preparation are very specific and they're designed to help you have a flaw free product and a flaw free installation and an installation that you don't get callbacks on so when we look at doing an e-etch here that, should probably open up this surface just fine for the artesian stain. the broom finish we may have to do two applications of the e-etch to make sure that we open it up and the tightly trowelled surface
• 02:00 - 02:30 we may have to go a little more aggressive and maybe do a hydrochloric acid wash on it or even go as far as grinding the surface if it has been burnt with a power trowel. These are the slabs that we're going to color today with our artesian water based stain. Earlier i sprayed a little bit of water on it about three or four minutes ago and you can see how tight these surfaces are I sprayed water all the way back here and the water has soaked in and is starting to dissipate pretty quickly so that means
• 02:30 - 03:00 that the pores of the concrete are fairly open already but because we still have a little bit of water sitting here you want to make sure that we open that slab up even though it is fairly porous to begin with the same way with our broom finish this slab is already starting to soak in the water and the water's starting to dissipate. on this slab you can see that the water is sitting up on top we have a lot of moisture sitting up on top where it says that that tight trowelled
• 03:00 - 03:30 surface is keeping things up on top this slab we're going to need to pay attention to more so than these for opening up the pores to make sure that we get proper penetration with our water based stain okay on this slab we determined that the absorption rate is pretty good so it tells us that the pores are open but we want to open up a little bit more with e-etch product so we are going to do a single application of e-etch over this and then we'll pressure wash it and get it real clean. On our broom finished surface
• 03:30 - 04:00 it's a little bit tighter so i'll go over it with two applications of e-etch just to make sure that those pores are open. On this slab we determine that it's fairly tightly troweled so we're going to do an application with a one-part hydrochloric acid to 5 parts water so it's a fairly strong acid solution and it should be able to open up the surface if you have any questions on surface preparation always refer to our concrete surface preparation videos that you can see on our website
• 04:00 - 04:30 so we've got our slabs all cleaned off here now we're going to use our Brickform artesian water based stain since it's a small job on this using small pump up sprayers I've got one filled up with water, one filled up with our aged walnut another one filled up with a highlight color called cajun red I'm going to take these bottles and it's real important thing to shake the heck out of them and oftentimes it's good, if you've got a fresh bottle, to empty it
• 04:30 - 05:00 out about halfway shake it up to make sure that any pigment that settles down on the bottom gets re-suspended and add the material back into it re-shake it and make sure that you get a nice even coloration throughout the jug the other thing is if you've got jugs from different lot numbers make sure that you add them together so that you end up with an even coloration over your entire slab. In this container I took the cajun red and filled it up halfway
• 05:00 - 05:30 because I don't want this color as strong I'm going to dilute it one to one with water you can dilute this as much as you want with regular household water and reduce the color value I didn't want the super strong red highlight color over the top of my aged walnut so I diluted this one to one with water right there in the sprayer so now I'm ready to start applying the product ok so here we go you can see that the slabs that we pressure-washed and and
• 05:30 - 06:00 profiled are still a little bit damp. With the water based stain that's okay because what we want to do is it actually helps break the surface tension and you're less likely to get a little spots that flash dry in the Sun and the wind so that's another reason that i carry water around is that I just like to slightly dampen the surface prior to applying water based stain you don't want to over apply this material. Too much material will sit up
• 06:00 - 06:30 on the surface and cause your sealer to delaminate you want to apply at a rate of about 200 square feet per gallon 300-400 if you want a lighter coat with lighter tinting and you don't really want to apply more than 200 square feet per gallon one to two coats is about all you need the super porous surface you may need additional coats. on a very tightly trowelled surface like what we're going to do over here you don't want any more than that a coat or two
• 06:30 - 07:00 simply because we don't want pigment building up on the surface while this slab is still wet from the first layer of stain i'm going to go in and I'm going to highlight. A little bit of red color this red will just be a little accent color over the top of that aged walnut, giving a little
• 07:00 - 07:30 more character.I like to highlight wet over wet. gives it a nice natural aging effect
• 07:30 - 08:00 that's important - try to avoid heavy ponding like this what happens is a couple of things: the first is that you can see the pigments can separate this is our aged walnut and it's actually turning a green and red that's because of pigments will settle out this nice even coat here is not gonna you're not going to have trouble here but in here this can actually settle out and you want to try to avoid that so a lot of times on a stamped concrete surface like this
• 08:00 - 08:30 it's good to have a sponge a wet sponge to just dob these areas out so that you don't end up with a heavy ponding of water or water based stain that will actually do distort your color if you're on a bigger slab you can actually get a roller and roll those out and then take your water and just mist your water over it and that helps dissipate everything helps get everything even again
• 08:30 - 09:00 the other thing that that ponding material will do is it will actually deposit pigment at the surface level and that can cause your sealer to delaminate so it's important to have a nice even coloration of the surface without a lot of ponding of the product ok now as you can see artesian water based stain is starting to dry out really nicely we've got some nice coloration in here when we put our solvent based sealer on it's really going to draw out the color and quite a bit about i think what i'm
• 09:00 - 09:30 going to do is add one more color this Tiger eye, i'm just going to mist it on just to kind of add a third color and make it look even better at this point now one of the nice things about this water based stain is that i can add other colors without having to go through a washing process neutralizing process and rinsing process water based stain is a non-reactive stain so therefore i can put it on and once it's dry fully dry it's ready for sealing. now when drying
• 09:30 - 10:00 you've got to consider your weather conditions for your conditions like if you're doing the basement floor or something like that it's important to give this ample time to dry or else you can run into sealer problems such as blushing or clouding or delamination if there's too much moisture left in the slab so give yourself plenty of time to dry out in the Sun it may be as little as three or four hours inside in a basement maybe as much as 24 hours get your fans going gets stuff going to help you dry out and give yourself
• 10:00 - 10:30 plenty of time this product to dry before you seal it. any of the sealers that we have are compatible with this product you can use our Gem-Seal, Poly-seal Satin Seal, safety seal any one of our sealers will go right over the top of this and give you a beautiful finish