Concrete staining a large porch

Cindy Terry
by Cindy Terry
I love my home, but hate my concrete porch, which goes around 3 sides of my house. Our home has a cedar-side look, with cedar rails and columns and is in the country. From a distance it looks like a log home. OK, the builders left the concrete a mess, plus it was never sealed and after 10 years of an outside cat dragging her kills (and blood spots I can't get off) I want to paint it. Will it look bad and will it last?? I would love to lay down a thin rock or even bricks, but can not afford it on such a large area. Any ideas out there?
  5 answers
  • Elite Crete of Indiana Elite Crete of Indiana on Aug 15, 2013
    You should never apply paint to concrete. There are several ways to change the look of concrete. Reactive acid staining, solvent based dyes or even an hybrid polymer overlay to mimic stone, brick, marble...... you name it. There are also water based colorants that can be applied but are mostly topical. I am a technical advisor and distributor for Elite Crete Systems. You can go to our corporate website at www.elitecrete.com for further information. I happen to cover Ohio and would be more than happy to discuss your project. Info@elitecreteindiana.com
  • Colleen Colleen on Aug 15, 2013
    I would paint it. I painted my concrete porch red and I love it!
  • Elite Crete of Indiana Elite Crete of Indiana on Aug 15, 2013
    Let us know how long that lasts colleen. Paint does not have the bonding powers to adhere properly to concrete. ALL concrete slabs have vapor moisture passing through it. Some more than others. Paint will not adhere to any concrete with moisture in it. Depending on how much vapor emissions passing through the concrete will determine how fast paint will start to peel off.
  • PAVERS DEPOT PAVERS DEPOT on Aug 15, 2013
    OVERLAY CONCRETE 1" PAVERS IN THE COLOR OF YOUR CHOICE.
  • Larry Chura Larry Chura on Apr 02, 2016
    I'm not saying what is best. I've used epoxy tinted sealers on concrete for many, many years now and they have all adhered and not faded. They were all in places with good drainage though!