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Exterior Concrete Staining

Exterior Concrete Staining

Acid stains, dyes and decorative finishes for driveways, patios, entries and walkways.

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Tan flagstone-pattern microtopping laid over an existing patio slab
Exterior staining

Color that soaks in rather than sitting on top

Exterior concrete lives under sun, sprinklers and tires. Anything that forms a film over it is eventually going to lift somewhere, which is why we stain rather than paint outdoor slabs — the color goes into the concrete and weathers with it instead of peeling off it.

Driveways, patios, walkways, pool surrounds and steps all take stain well. Where a design calls for it we score pattern lines into the slab first and stain to those lines, so the finish reads as flagstone or tile rather than as a colored driveway.

What's included

  • Color that penetrates the slab instead of forming a film over it
  • Driveways, patios, walkways, steps and entries
  • Scored pattern lines cut in where the design calls for it
  • Sealed after staining to hold the color against sun and traffic
  • Mottled, variegated finishes rather than a flat painted look
  • Free on-site estimate before anything is quoted
Recent installs

Exterior Concrete Staining we've installed

  • Stained courtyard in a large tile pattern around a stone fountain
  • Diamond-scored stained courtyard leading to a tiled fountain
  • Rich brown stained driveway running up to a residential garage door
  • Rust stained driveway with a brick border in front of a two-story home
  • Mauve stained driveway edged with a contrasting paver border
  • Stained driveway broken up with white banding leading to a garage
  • Stained entry patio scored in a tile pattern beside a stucco column
  • Gray and brown stained entry steps beside a stone-faced planter
  • Curved entry steps stained to a wood-plank look
  • Stained front entry walkway in warm brown meeting a cream patio
  • Curved stained patio with a textured contrasting border
  • Mottled orange and green acid-stained patio surface
  • Pool and spa deck stained and scored into large tiles
  • Stained pool deck under a covered patio with stone-faced columns
  • Gold and orange stained pool deck with a raised rock feature
Preparation

Stain shows you everything underneath

Stain is unforgiving of bad prep in a way a thick coating is not — it is translucent, so whatever is left in the slab shows through it. Old sealer, oil, and the polished skin left by a power trowel all have to come off first, evenly, or the color goes on blotchy.

That is the same preparation work we have been doing since 1976, and it is the reason our stain jobs come out looking deliberate rather than accidental.

Terracotta stained patio cut in a flagstone pattern beside tropical planting

Colors for exterior concrete staining

Pick a color the honest way: we lay the samples on your slab before anything is ordered.

See all 65 colors →
  • Six textured deck coating sample squares in grays, tans and cream laid out on a concrete slab
  • Six textured deck finish samples arranged in a grid showing tan, cream, gray and brown
  • Five textured deck coating samples in cream, tan, gray and blue-gray set out on a walkway
  • Arizona Tan
  • Lawn Green
  • Slate Blue
  • Concrete Gray
  • Tile Red
  • Rocky Nook
  • Monterey Grey
  • Slate Grey
  • +57 more →
Exterior Concrete Staining

Exterior Concrete Staining questions

Is staining the same as painting the concrete?

No. Paint and most coatings form a film on the surface, and a film on exterior concrete is what eventually peels. Stain colors the concrete itself, which is why it weathers rather than flaking.

Will it hide the stains and discoloration already there?

Usually, yes — a variegated stain is very good at absorbing existing blotches into the pattern. On badly damaged concrete an overlay may be the better answer, and we will say so when we look at it.

Does stained concrete need sealing?

Yes. The seal is what protects the color from sun and traffic, and it is part of the job rather than an extra.

Can I get a pattern rather than plain color?

We can score pattern lines into the slab and stain to them — flagstone layouts, tile grids and diamond patterns are all common. If you want a full raised texture, that is an overlay instead.

Where we work

Exterior Concrete Staining by city

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