Stained Concrete Patio

Stained concrete in New Orleans is a hot trend that allows you to express your personality and enhance the aesthetics and value of your home. Without question, stained concrete is in a league of its own.

Stained Concrete Do’s

Concrete staining is not the right solution for every person or situation. Therefore, you need to have a professional contractor look at your project to determine if this is, in fact, the best option.

For stunning results with stained concrete in New Orleans, you want to hire an expert with specialized knowledge and skill who relies on quality products, such as those offered by Sundek:

• SunAcid – Reactive acid stain that mirrors nature’s own beautiful colors.

• SunH20 – Water-based stain that can be combined and layered for a customized finish.

• SunDye – Liquid concrete dye that is easier to apply, dries faster, and comes in vibrant color options.

To transform an old or existing floor using stained concrete, your New Orleans contractor must grind down the slab deep enough to remove the curing compounds.

For enhanced durability, a quality sealer is imperative. Unfortunately, low solid sealers and cures/seals do not provide enough protection for acid-stained concrete, so multiple coats of urethane are recommended.

Stained Concrete Don’ts

Concrete staining is not a good do-it-yourself project. To correct a mistake, you cannot simply add more acid. Because free lime in the top surface is eliminated, the floor has to be ground down to expose fresh concrete. Curing and sealing are other “don’ts.” Typically, wet concrete is cured, but compounds for both curing and sealing do not work well with acid stains.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that for decorative  concrete that exceeds your expectations, you should hire a professional contractor from Sundek of New Orleans.

Classic pool deck color

New Orleans is a city of love, culture, history, and color. Thanks to Sundek’s incredible products coupled with the skill of professional contractors, you can choose amazing outdoor concrete colors to enhance your exterior living space.

Whether you are designing a backyard kitchen/entertainment area; updating an old pool deck; or changing the aesthetics of a walkway, pathway, or patio, you have multiple color options for your concrete.

Stunning Color Options

Among the many wonderful outdoor concrete colors in New Orleans, five in particular stand out.

• Gray – Although concrete is gray in its natural state, using different techniques takes things to an entirely new level. Gray is trendy, industrial, and ultra-modern, so if you prefer this look, your contractor can use color hardeners or integral pigments to develop the exact shade of gray you want.

• Tan – This color is warm and inviting. Remember, your color choices on the product used. For instance, with the SunDye exterior product, you can choose between Malay Tan and Desert Tan. To create this earthy hue, stain, color hardener, or integral pigments are used.
• Amber – The color amber is fun and welcoming with distinct Mediterranean flair. While amber concrete would be stunning for any home, it definitely enhances homes with clay roof tiles and those with a Spanish-style exterior. To create different hues, integral pigments, color hardeners, and stains can be used.

• Brown – Brown is another great choice for outdoor concrete in New Orleans. In addition to looking rich and sophisticated, brown concrete does not show dirt and muddy footprints. For this color, color hardeners and stains, like Sundek’s SunH20, work best.

• Red – For something vibrant and chic, you can never go wrong with red. Red outdoor concrete can be subdued or ramped up, depending on your personal preference.

A Multitude of Options

Sundek offers a wide range of colors that extend well beyond the five most popular choices. Using various products and techniques, your contractor can create virtually any aesthetic. For example, SunChip is a unique product in which vinyl acrylic paint chips are added. In addition to chips of different sizes, they come in 25 gorgeous colors.

Thanks to decorative concrete overlays, stains, and acrylic finishes, you have a wide variety of options to color the outdoor concrete at your New Orleans home. Contact Sundek of New Orleans today to discuss what products can create the aesthetic you are looking for.

Painted concrete floors in New Orleans sometimes peel, which is a problem that occurs for a variety of reasons:

Peeling Paint on Concrete Floor

• Inadequate product or coating quality for the type of substrate and amount of wear and exposure
• Poor adhesion, which is relatively common whenever hardeners are added to concrete
• Oil, grease, and/or dirt permeation
• Efflorescence caused by moisture migration and leaching alkali
• Aged concrete floors
• Seeping moisture due to no installed barrier
• Oil-based finished applied to bare, un-etched, and uncured floors

Viable Solutions

No matter the cause of the problem, several viable solutions exist.

• Moisture – Concrete flooring must be void of moisture. A professional contractor can conduct a moisture or dampness test. If a problem is discovered, it must be eliminated prior to staining the floors.

• Surface Contamination – The surface of concrete floors must be properly washed. In this case, Sundek offers several different products, each powerful and effective. Sunkleen is strong enough to penetrate greasy soil where the bond is broken at the surface. For decorative textures, Sunspot eliminates all types of oil-based stains, including grease, tar, tire marks, asphalt, and tree sap. Suntouch is an environmentally friendly product as powerful as concentrated Muriatic acid yet safe and ease to use.

• Adequate Adhesion – To ensure the surface of the concrete has a sufficient profile for strong adhesion, it must be profiled.

• Surface Preparation – Existing peeled or checked paint on concrete floors in New Orleans must be scraped and removed to create a sound and dull surface. In addition, release agents, salts, laitance, curing compounds, efflorescence, and other foreign matter need to be removed using chemicals or mechanical means. Once the floors are thoroughly swept or vacuumed, they can be coated or stained with a Sundek product, followed by being sealed with SunClear EcoProtect, which is eco-friendly and ideal for everyday protection, or SunClear UltraProtect, an industrial-strength clear coat formulated for high-traffic surfaces.

Depending on the problem, the best repair for cracked concrete might be nothing more than high-quality concrete material. However, to repair cracks for greater durability and bond strength, you want to consider specialty formulated repair materials and also other techniques used by the pros themselves.

Concrete Crack Repair

For example, Sundek dealers spent more than 40 years perfecting the Custom Scoreline Effects technique for controlling the natural expansion and contraction that occurs when concrete heats and cools.  Typically, materials used for camouflaging concrete cracks in New Orleans are polymer-modified concrete, which is basic Portland cement with an aggregate mixture and added polymer. When used with the right technique, this ensures an outstanding result.

For the best repair material for concrete crack repair in New Orleans, several key factors must be considered.

• The extent of damage is determined prior to choosing the repair material. That way, the contractor knows if the crack can be patched or if bonding is required.

• How fast does full strength need to be achieved?

• Will a one-part material suffice or is a more difficult-to-use yet far superior two-part repair material better?

• Extremely low shrinkage is a critical characteristic of material used for concrete crack repair in New Orleans. If the concrete matrix has already shrunk, any additional shrinkage of the repair material would cause an inadequate bond and the potential for repair failure.

• Typically, bond strength is very important. Failure is defined by the repair material not bonding to the concrete matrix. Therefore, the preparation of the concrete surface is vital to success.

• Even dimensional characteristics of the repair material are important since drying shrinkage will affect the repair’s bond. If the area being repaired will be under load, the elastic modulus should be similar to the repair material. In addition, the thermal coefficient, which is the rate at which material expands and contracts due to hot and cold temperatures, should be similar.

• With cold winter temperatures in New Orleans, the repair material should be resistant to freezes and thaws.

• Consider water vapor transmission, as well. When there is pressure from water vapor within the concrete matrix, the overall pressure can reach a point of causing a problem with bonding of the repair material.

• Are flexible strength, compressive strength, and abrasion resistance important considerations?

After considering each factor, your Sundek of New Orleans contractor can choose the right material to repair your cracked concrete.

Stained concrete in New Orleans is quickly becoming a popular option for transforming the look of existing concrete surfaces. Since there can be a significant degree of variation among different types of concrete as well as the condition of an existing concrete surface, it is important to keep a few tips in mind in order to achieve a successful outcome.

Sundek Stained Concrete New Orleans

The first step is to ensure the existing concrete surface is completely clean when planning to install stained concrete. Concrete stain can actually highlight any variations or imperfections that might be present in a concrete surface.

Keep in mind that color charts should only be used as a guide. Concrete stains tend to respond differently to different surfaces. For this reason, it is important to use charts as only a guideline. The best approach is to conduct a small sample on the actual concrete surface to be stained to be sure of the result you will receive.

Among the most challenging aspects of staining concrete is understanding the correct amount of stain to use. The reason this can be so difficult is that much depends on the surface. This makes it vital to study the specific application method to be used for the relevant stain prior to beginning a project.

After the stain is applied to the concrete surface, any residue should be removed. Additionally, the surface should be neutralized. This process assists in sealing the surface and ensures the finish coats adhere correctly.

Finally, a sealant coating should be applied to the concrete stain. This step should never be skipped, as it is vital to prevent the stain from collecting dust or lint while also limiting flaking of the surface.  Applying a sealant also brings out the color of the stain and makes the dimensions of the colors pop on the surface of the floor giving it a completed look.

Sundek offers a variety of concrete stain products, such as SunAcid reactive acid stains. For more information, contact Sundek of New Orleans today.