Category — Decorative Concrete Training

This is decorative concrete staining how-to at it’s very basic.

This is part 4 of an on-going series on Decorative Concrete, and is an explanation of the hand-application of RAC stains.

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Hand application of RAC stains, using various methods and tools, can create a nearly endless variety of effects. Alternative application tools, include rags, sea sponges and various sized brushes. The use of alternative methods of applying RAC stains to borders, accents and other small areas, are very effective and add creative touches to your projects.

Brush marks can, in themselves, produce interesting effects; such as hair on a bear, or the look of texture and depth on a geometric design. Brush marks can be diminished or eliminated with multiple coats.

Dabbing in colors with natural sea sponges or rags, leaves a faux, or marbling look. The twist of your wrist, during application, can create yet another different effect.

Allow at least four hours for the RAC stain to fully react. You must then neutralize and scrub the floor. Use either a mix of a one pound box of baking soda and five gallons of water, or a mix of eight ounces of ammonia with five gallons of water to neutralize the surface.

Either of these mixtures should be broomed into the work surface. To remove stain residue on interior floors, you may use brushes with long handles and manually scrub the floor.

Or you may use a floor machine, sometimes called a buffer, with a nylon bristle brush. During and after the brushing, or floor machine scrubbing, you must wet vacuum the liquid residue off the surface.

Failure to vacuum the residue, and get a thoroughly clean surface, could result in a sealer failure at a later date.

Care must be taken to remove all water that collects near the walls. Any standing water along the walls could affect wooden studs and could ruin drywall, baseboards and paint.

A rotary deck washer works well outdoors. Care must be taken when using a deck washer so you do not remove too much color from the concrete. Reduce the pressure to only the amount needed to remove the stain residue from the surface.

Floor machines usually do not work well on groomed finished surfaces, however rotary deck washers work very well. If you do not have a rotary deck washer, use a pressure washer or long handled nylon scrub brushes.

If using a pressure washer, turn the pressure down to minimum. Then increase the pressure as you see that the color is holding and will not wash away. Be cautious with a pressure washer; too much high pressure water, too close to the surface, will leave ugly fan marks.

Rinse exterior walls often. Remember stain residue can discolor surrounding items; such as gutters, sidewalks, concrete foundations and painted surfaces. It may be helpful to pre wet surrounding objects before beginning the residue removal and rinse phases.

Residue can likely discolor gutters. Before the application of rack stains begins, apply a water based clearcoat to any concrete like gutters, walkways and foundations that may be inadvertently exposed to stain or stain residue.

Water based clear sealer is used here, so as not to darken the areas to be protected. To prevent stain freckles from happening, splatters must be removed from the clearcoat of protected areas.

Depending on the regulations in your area, you may need to collect the wash water and properly dispose of it.

Here are some more testimonials of satisfied students of the Engrave-A-Crete Discovery & Training Seminar held monthly at Engrave-A-Crete’s training facility in Mansfield, MO.

“I have been in the concrete stain and design business for 10 years. I enjoy the challenge of new possibilities. Engrave-A-Crete’s seminar has certainly opened new dimensions for me to explore. The seminar and trainers were very informative with loads of new possibilities for our business. Thanks for allowing me to attend and be a part of your world.”

Lynn Dousay, Louisiana

Adding engraving to an existing business

“Engrave-A-Crete staff was great. They were professional, yet welcoming. We covered a lot of material that is going to help us be confident in starting our new business. The ongoing commitment from Engrave-A-Crete is going to help us succeed as well. I would recommend this training to anyone interested in engraving. It is a great way to ensure that you do start your business with every possible tool and knowledge to be successful. Thank you to everyone. It was great.”

Rebecca Quint, Kansas

Starting a new part time business.

“It was good and helped me understand how to do the job.”

Kelby Quint, Kansas

Starting a new part time business. (came with his mother)

Call 1-800-884-2114 to sign up for the next Discovery & Training Seminar by Engrave-A-Crete.

This is decorative concrete staining how-to at it’s very basic part 2.

This is part 3 of an on-going series on Decorative Concrete, and is a continuation on how to use Water Reducible Stains, and Reactive Acid Stains.

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In some cases, darker colors can be applied directly over the top of lighter colors. Always test before trying this technique. Brushing, sponging, and ragging hand application of pigmented stains using various methods and tools can create nearly unlimited effects.

Dabbing in colors with natural sea sponges or rags leaves a faux or marbling look. The twist of your wrist during application creates yet another different effect. In reality, most faux finishing techniques will work well with water reducible concentrate stains.

An airbrush can be used to add shading, details, and features; and to create unique designs. Concrete Resurrection water reducible stains must be allowed to cure for a minimum of four hours before applying the first coat of clear sealer.

Spraying on Concrete Resurrection reactive acid chemical stain: Let’s start staining with a single color. With one color, we recommend using a pump sprayer. This is a simple way to apply stain to a large area quickly. Be sure to mask off any surrounding area or object. Do not forget vegetation.

The size of the sprayer needed depends on the size of the area. For projects under 400 square feet, the Engrave A Crete two quart pump sprayer is an ideal tool. When projects are larger, we suggest you use a three gallon pump sprayer.

RAC stains may be applied at full strength or diluted with distilled water to achieve a lighter color or hue. After thorough mixing, the stain solution should be strained when pouring it into your sprayer. To protect your equipment and work, you should strain everything that goes into your spraying equipment.

As you can see, the spraying process is simple. The stain needs to be applied in enough quantity to wet the surface of the slab. Heavier concentrations of stain or multiple coats can increase the color intensity. Variations and the appearance of texture can be achieved with broad and inconsistent spray patterns.

Multiple colors can be applied in many ways: simultaneous, wet on dry, or wet on wet. Each of these approaches will create different effects for color, shadowing, and color transitioning. If you use two sprayers with two colors simultaneously, the colors mix to create a distinctive effect. If you apply a second color on wet stain, the sharp demarcation line at the color transition will be reduced. With an application of a second stain color onto dried stain, it can be easier to control shadows and transitions, and effects are immediately visible.

The easiest method for producing a two toned or checkerboard floor is by using the same color, full strength, for the borders or individual squares, then applying a diluted version of the same color over the entire area. If the colors chosen for the floor are not similar, you must apply the different colors carefully as to not cross contaminate one another. For example, RAC stain in a small area could be applied using rags, sponges, or brushes.

If the area is large, the borders or tile squares would need to be stained, neutralized, and sealed. Then the main color can be sprayed on the remaining floor. If clear sealer is used as a barrier to the second stain color, any wet stain residue that gets on the barrier sealer must be wiped off to prevent discoloring freckles from appearing.

To purchase the entire DVD Mastering Concrete Engraving call 1-800-884-2114.

Each month, Engrave-A-Crete Inc. conducts a comprehensive 3 day seminar program. Participants from around the world enjoy the family like atmosphere of the Engrave-A-Crete training center in our training facility in Mansfield, MO

Attendees learned how to stain and engrave patterns into existing, plain concrete to create works of art.

The ladies & gentlemen pictured above participated in the very hands-on class and created: tile, wood plank, border, flagstone, circular brick patterns and more into existing concrete using the Engrave-A-Crete process at the July 2009 class.

Check out the seminar calendar to see the classes scheduled for next month.

Here’s what some of the students pictured above had to say, in their own words:

It was more than I expected from the moment I drove into the parking lot to the time we left the facility. It was well worth the 15 hour drive and the time spent here.

Derek Welton, Ontario

Starting a new full time business.

Engrave-A-Crete answered all of the questions I had about engraving concrete. Now, I feel very confident that this process will help me attract more customers to my existing service.

Anderson Guzman, Florida

Adding engraving to an existing business.

Very good seminar. Thanks.

Luis F. Gomez, Florida

Adding engraving to an existing business.

The staff at Engrave-A-Crete exceeded my expectations. I am very excited to go home and start my company now. Their back-office support is second to none. Thank you, you have changed my life!

Philip Cheyne, Ontario

Starting a new full time business.

The whole operation and presentation was quite overwhelming. Everyone was very friendly and approachable. Keep up the good work.

Gary Liburd, Maryland

Adding engraving to an existing business.

The seminar exceeded my expectations, as it provided hands-on training (and lunch!). I like the treatment I received from everyone from the top to the bottom.

Juan Huerta, California

Adding engraving to an existing business.

The seminar is very good and succeeds in giving the increased knowledge for more opportunities in the engraving business. Thank you.

Oscar Monsalve, Florida

Adding engraving to an existing business.

This is an extraordinary experience on an opportunity to start a new business. Really well explained by Engrave-A-Crete personnel; step by step throughout the process of engraving, staining and decorating. Thank you.

Ricardo Huerto, Califonia

Adding engraving to an existing business.

I believe this is the best seminar I have attended. I feel more confident to do more work, especially adding engraving to my business because of the different techniques taught here. Brandon and Chris are definitely the best teachers for this seminar; they answered all my questions. I am very happy to be here. You are the best.

Walter Vera, Ohio

Adding engraving to an existing business, but starting a new full time business.

This course met and exceeded my expectations. Best money I’ve spent on a seminar and I have attended many. The staff is very dedicated to your every need. I would recommend this seminar to anyone, whether they have an engraving business or wish to do an engraving project on their home.

Edward Demski, Pennsylvania

Starting a new part time business and for personal use.

Call 1-800-884-2114 to reserve your spot at the next class.

There’s more information on starting your own decorative concrete engraving business at our website.

This is decorative concrete staining how-to at it’s very basic.

This is part 1 of an on-going series on Decorative Concrete, and is an introduction on how to use Water Reducible Stains, and Reactive Acid Stains.

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We will focus on two types of stains in this segment. Concrete resurrection water reducible concentrate stain. We will refer to this as water reducible stain going forward. And, concrete resurrection reactive acid chemical stain. We will refer to this as RAC stain going forward.

Staining is half of the art of decorative concrete engraving. Stains give color, life and vibrance to traditionally bland concrete surfaces. There are nearly limitless potentials in color, and you are encouraged to experiment with dilution ratios and color blends to the limits of your creative interest. Be sure to have fun and play.

Always remember RAC stains react differently with each surface depending on the age, mix and source of the concrete. Be sure to explain this fact to your customers as it is possible the color the stain creates on any one piece of concrete may not be an exact match to the color chart you presented.

We strongly recommend that you take the time to read the technical data sheets and instructions that are given out by the manufacturer of the product you are using, preferably before you begin the project. Please be sure to wear all proper protective gear whenever you are working with stains and sealers. Protective gear includes and is not limited to:

• Goggles.
• A face shield.
• Skin protection.
• Respiratory protection.

We recommend that you have the following tools and supplies on hand for your staining project:

• Masking supplies.
• Airless sprayers.
• Pump sprayers.
• Natural bristle brushes.
• Foam brushes.
• Rags.
• Mixing supplies.
• Latex gloves.
• Safety respirator.
• Safety goggles and glasses.
• Distilled water.
• Stirring sticks.
• Mixing cups.
• Preferably natural sea sponges.

Let’s start staining with a single color. With one color we recommend using a pump sprayer. This is a simple way to apply stain to a large area quickly. Be sure to mask off any surrounding area or object. Do not forget vegetation. The size of the sprayer needed depends on the size of the area. For projects under 800 square feet, the Engrave-A-Crete two quart pump sprayer is an ideal tool. When projects are larger, we suggest you use a three gallon pump sprayer.

Other equipment that can be used are airless and HVLC sprayers. These will allow you to apply the water reducible concentrate in a very fine spray.

Concrete resurrection water reducible concentrate stain is very versatile. In order to achieve colors indicated on the color chart, dilute four parts distilled water to one part concentrate. For a very transparent or faint appearance, dilute eight parts distilled water to one part concentrate.

After appropriate mixing, the stain should be strained into the sprayer. To protect our equipment and work, we strain everything we put into our sprayers. As you can see, the application process is simple. It is always best to apply a thin coat and add additional coats to increase color intensity. Variations in mottling can be achieved with broad and inconsistent spray patterns.

Multiple colors can be applied in multiple ways: simultaneously, wet on dry, or wet on wet. Each of these approaches will create different effects for color, shadowing and color transitioning. If you use two sprayers with two colors simultaneously, the colors mix to create a distinctive effect. If you apply a second color on wet stain, the color mix will be reduced. If you apply a second color coat on dry stain, shadows and transition can be easily controlled, and effects are immediately visible.