How to Recolor Stamped Concrete? (The Best Way!)

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How Do You Bring Color Back to Stamped Concrete?

Wish your stamped concrete patio looked as pretty as it did when it was new? Well maybe you did neglect it somewhat. Possibly it was not resealed when it should have been. The color has faded and the patio looks quite colorless and drab. Can you recolor stamped concrete? How do you bring color back to stamped concrete?

You can bring color back to stamped concrete. You will need to adopt one of the following three options depending on the state of your patio.

• Thorough Cleaning : (State A)
• Pressure Wash & Reseal : (State B)
• Recolor the Stamped Concrete : (State C)

The uniqueness and beauty of stamped concrete is a combination of free form textured pattern and an interplay of color tones. Typically stamped concrete has a primary color and a complimentary highlight color. The two tones pop out when a good quality sealer is applied.

The stamped concrete patio or deck looks gorgeous when it is new. As time passes, the wear & tear will take its toll and the stamped concrete may not look like new.

State A

Sometimes, it may be quite a simple problem. You have been quite busy and have not had the time to sweep, vacuum or wash the stamped concrete. Dirt, grime, oil stains start building up and before you know it the bright colors of stamped concrete are no longer visible.

State B

A slightly more common problem is that you may have neglected to reseal the stamped concrete. Stamped concrete should be sealed once every 2 – 3 years. Time & traffic will wear down & dull the sealer film. The color will still be there but it won’t pop anymore.

State C

The most serious situation is if the stamped concrete has not been resealed for several years, possibly 5 – 10 years. In this situation, not only would the sealer film be completely depleted, most of the color would have also faded or been washed away.

The state in which your patio is, will determine the best way to bring color back to your stamped concrete. So lets get into each one.

How To Clean Stamped Concrete? (State A)

Sometimes a stamped concrete deck or patio looks unappealing simply because it has not been swept or washed for months. Maybe, you were away on a long vacation. Dirt, debris and dry leaves have covered the deck. Mold, mildew or moss have started feeling at home on the deck.

To get your stamped concrete looking good and like new, all you need to do is give it a thorough cleaning. These are the steps that you need to follow:

Sweeping

1. Remove large debris such as branches manually
2. Clear the deck of movable furniture, potted plants, etc.
3. Sweep the deck with a soft bristled broom or brush. Collect the dust in a pan as you go.
4. Do not drag the dirt all over the deck. There could be sharp objects that could scratch the deck
5. Follow up with a vacuum to get the finer dust hiding in the cracks & crevices

A heavy duty vacuum cleaner such as CRAFTSMAN 16 Gallon 6.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac is a good investment and will do the job. Check it out!

Washing

The next step is to wash your stamped concrete deck or patio with a garden hose. Do not use a pressure washer as it will damage the sealer on the stamped concrete.

1. Rinse the entire deck with water from the garden hose
2. Douse your stamped concrete deck with a solution of dishwasher or any pH neutral detergent
3. Spread the solution with a soft brush and let it sit for 10 – 15 minutes
4. Scrub areas that look dirtier than other areas
5. Rinse off with the garden hose. Create a slight pressure by placing your thumb on the outlet hole
6. Let it dry naturally or use a leaf blower to hasten the process

There is a good chance that if the stamped concrete patio was neglected for just a few months, the sealer is intact. A thorough cleaning will restore it back to its original color and shine.

How Do You Reseal Stamped Concrete? (State B)

You have cleaned the stamped concrete deck the best you could. Does the stamped concrete deck still look dull and lifeless? Then the sealer coat has been depleted due to UV radiation, weathering and foot traffic.

If the colors do not look faded, just dull, then it is time to reseal!

Clean

To prep the stamped concrete deck for resealing, thoroughly clean it as per the guideline in the above section. Next you want to look for any stains that are still there. Remove them using the appropriate stain remover.

There is no universal stain remover. You must use the stain remover and the technique specific to a stain. I have covered the product & the procedure to use, in some detail, in my earlier blog post The Best Way To Clean A Concrete Pool Deck. The same methods will apply to stamped concrete as well.

Degrease

Degrease the stamped concrete. Washing with soap water would have got rid of most of the grease on the surface. The oil spills and grease leaks on stamped concrete driveways may need a commercial degreaser such as

Simple Green Oxy Solve Concrete and Driveway Pressure Washer Cleaner

or

Rust-Oleum 301243 Cleaner and Degreaser

Pressure Wash

Now you are ready to bring out the pressure washer. The pressure washer will not only clean up the deck but will also remove any sealer film that may still be there. The new sealer will adhere better on a stamped concrete from which the old sealer has been completely stripped off.

You can use the pressure washer straight on to the stamped concrete, but you run the risk of damaging the concrete. It is better to use a pressure washer with a surface cleaner attachment. The cleaning is more controlled and less messy.

Karcher K1700 Electric Pressure Washer 1700 PSI with 11″ Surface Cleaner is budget friendly and good enough for occasional use.

Reseal

Before you start spraying the sealer make sure that the stamped concrete is completely dry. Give it a day or two after the pressure wash. You must use a good quality solvent based topical sealer for the most durable & best results.

I highly recommend using Foundation Armor AR350, a solvent based acrylic wet look sealer that is designed to seal, enhance, and protect a variety of interior and exterior concrete and concrete paver surfaces.

Foundation Armor AR350 Solvent Based Acrylic Wet Look Concrete Sealer.

The Armor AR350 penetrates deep into the surface where it chemically bonds to the pores of the stamped concrete.

This sealer will make the colors of the stamped concrete pop once again. It creates a long lasting, non-yellowing, breathable finish. The previously dull or faded stamped concrete will get a darkened wet look, and low gloss finish.

How to Recolor Stamped Concrete? (State C)

If after a thorough cleaning you discover that not only is the sealer coat been depleted, even the color, especially the highlight, is almost all gone. The entire surface looks like it has been bleached to a dull gray concrete color.

Your deck is in State C. You will need to recolor the stamped concrete to make it look new!

But do not worry about it too much. The procedure to recolor stamped concrete is quite simple and you could even do it yourself. You just need to get the right product and color. You can stick close to the original color or try out a new color.

To begin with you have to thoroughly clean the stamped concrete deck in the manner described earlier (State A). Next, prep the surface for resealing. Go through all the steps outlined in State B, except for the last step of actually “resealing” the stamped concrete.

Recolors or Stains for Concrete

Before resealing you need to recolor the stamped concrete. Recolors for stamped concrete are available either as powders or liquid concentrates. In either case they can be dissolved in water in a concentration of your choice. 

They can also be mixed to give you shades. For example you can mix charcoal black with white to get a shade of gray that you want. 

Check out Concrete Resurrection Concrete Stain Concentrate

Accent Color Application

To recolor the stamped concrete you have to start off with the accent color or the highlight color. This is the color that will go into the valleys in the stamped concrete pattern. If you have an Ashlar Slate pattern you might want to go with “Dark Slate” as the accent color.

Prepare a solution of the concentrate in 5 gallons of water, stir well and pour it over the stamped concrete. You can use an ordinary watering can for this. Move it around so the entire surface is covered. At this stage there will be more liquid in the valleys than other areas.

This is perfect. This is exactly what you want to get the accent color. You may like to repeat this process to ensure the surface is not blotchy. Leave this for a day so that the color has time to penetrate and dry.

Primary Color Application

Next you need to put on the primary color. This will mostly color the flatter areas. Typically the primary color will be lighter than the accent color. For the Ashlar Slate pattern the primary color could be a “Winter White”.

Prepare the solution as before. Instead of pouring this solution, use a mist sprayer. This way the primary color covers the entire surface uniformly and does not puddle in the valleys. Spray two coats to get a uniform finish.

Let the surface dry for a day or two. The stamped concrete should be looking pretty good already. But you are not done!

The magic happens when you apply the sealer. The colors will now pop out!

The process of applying the sealer is the same as that outlined in State B. This is the best way to recolor stamped concrete.

Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and helpful.