Choosing and using acrylic dye and stain for decorative concrete

For ease of explanation, acrylic dye/stain refers to a concrete dye that has been added to either a waterbased or solvent based acrylic sealer. Basically this means that the material is simailar to a semi-transparent paint and as the material is applied, not only does the substrate get colored it also gets sealed. A huge advantage is that it is rather inexpensive and can save in labor costs as well.

Another advantage of Acrylic Dye/Stain is that it is capable of providing some degree of hide. Therefore if the substrate is stained, damaged or otherwise, an acrylic dye/stain may provide the necessary hide or opaqueness to help blend in the imperfection. Many manufacturers provide acrylic dyes that mimic their Acid Stain colors to help out with damaged or stained surfaces where the acid stain didn't properly react.

Two disadvantages of acrylic stains are that if a clear coat is not applied to protect the color, the color will show signs of wear as the surface wears. Another disadvantage of acrylic stains is that depth of color is a lot more difficult to acheive with Acrylic stains over chemically reactive stains like acid stain.

Because of new trends emerging, where decorative concrete contractors are eliminating the acid staining altogether and simply using acrylic dyes this often doesn't duplicate the depth and rich earthy tones of a true acid stain. Dyes are simply one color and acid stain chemically reacts giving a myriad of tones, dyes must be applied in layers and varying dilutions to recreate an acid stain finish.

Rather than applying a single color it is often necessary to break down the color into its basic RGB components and then layer them. For example, rather than spraying a green, spray a yellow and then a blue to get varying shades of green. This is applicable for many colors.

Click here to learn more on how to properly prepare a substrate for a dye or acrylic stain application using an acid etch or acid wash.