Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - staining & sealing new concrete driveway

I'm having my small driveway and a walkway replaced. New concrete will be poured soon. I would like to stain the concrete and then seal it myself.
I have a few questions:
1. It is a small driveway. How difficult would this be? Wagner Power Painter or roller?
2. How long should I let the concrete cure before staining it?
3. Home Depot carries both concrete stain and concrete sealer - anyone know if it's any good?

Thanks in advance

It shouldn't be a hard job at all. Rolling would be the preffered application method. Concrete needs to cure before applying most coatings. I would recomend going to a local paint store [not dept] for both the material and further advice on the application.

While there are concrete sealers intended for fresh concrete these should not be used as they will prevent concrete stain from bonding to the concrete.

Check into acid stain instead of pigmented stains from a big box. Pigmented stains are little more than very thin paints, and as with any coating, they will peel, creating an ongoing maintenance issue. Acid stain has no pigment, but gets all its color through chemical reaction with the cement in the concrete. It goes on like water, then over the course of a few hours, chemically reacts with the cement and actually turns the paste a color. It becomes an integral part of the concrete and cannot peel up unless the actual surface of the concrete comes off. Instead of a flat color, you get a very mottled, variegated color that looks a lot more natural.
If you want a flat color, have the concrete colored at the plant before they pour it. That way, there is no ongoing maintenance.
Do a google search for acid stain if you are interested. Big boxes don't carry it, and most don't even know what it is. Acid staining is not to be confused with acid etching the concrete prior to staining with a pigmented stain.
To see photos of acid stain applications I've done, look at my homepage on my profile link. Good luck.

Pecos

For a solid color I would recomend H&C concrete stains. I don't ever recall seeing them peel but they will wear away with time and traffic. They do recoat easily and the succeeding coats melt the original coat to create a good bond.

Thanks marksr and Pecos.

I was at our local Sherwin-Williams store yesterday and they carry H&C concrete stain, the brand also recommended by a few local people. However, I was dissapointed to see their sample.... it pretty much looks like paint to me. The advantage with H&C (according to the S-W salesman) was you don't need to apply a sealer on top of it... it is already sealed....just wipe the oil drips off. The disadvantage is, well, it looks like paint.

A contractor friend of mine also recommended an acid-based stain. He said you apply it with a stiff brush. He described the final appearance just as you did Pecos, and also mentioned the relatively low maintenance.

I like the idea of a mottled, variegated, natural look, and I'm leaning toward an acid-based stain. However, I don't think it will protect the concrete from oil spots. My wife's truck leaks like the Exxon Valdez. If I apply a clear sealer after the acid stain, I think it will make the driveway look shiney + have to be re-applied every few years, especially in this damned Colorado sun.

Ideas? Can I have the best of both worlds?

Also, the concrete driveway surface was lightly textured with a broom for traction. Will acid stain work on this?

Acid stain will work to color your concrete, but nothing more. It is not a coating, and will not protect against oil drips. Protection is what sealer is for, but oil will still seep into an acrylic sealer if left over time. Any coating you apply will require ongoing maintenance, whether it be a silicone/acrylic stain like the H&C, or the sealer over the acid stain.
Having the best of both worlds?...doubtful. At least I know of no system that will do it. The best I can think of would be the acid stain with a penetrating silane or siloxane sealer. These sealers work sort of like acid stain in that they chemically react with the concrete. They go on like water, seep into the pores of the concrete, then crystalize in the pores over time. They seal by filling the voids so water can't get in. They do not form a film over the surface like typical acrylic sealers.
As with the acid stain, you will not find them in a big box store or paint store. They are specialty products that can only be bought at contractor supply stores. Good luck.

Pecos

Why didn't you dye the concrete when it was poured? It would have been easier than stain.

Bluegrass -

A surface application of pigment is an alternative. This minimizes the use of costly pigment ($1.00/lb or so wholesale depending on the color & source).

If you are talking about pigmented ready-mix concrete, the price is very high. Most companies will probably try to talk you out of it because they never can charge what they should. Pigment cost plus special labor costs. Because the pigments used are so permanent, the mixer must be cleaned very well (costly downtime @ $100/hr.) AND they can only haul to selected jobs for a load or two.

Mixing pigmented concrete on site has some problems because of the difficulty in getting consistantly colored concrete from batch to batch.

Dick

Right, it's very expensive to dye concrete. The contractor said it more than doubles the concrete cost.

I'm going with acid stain and a silane or siloxane sealer as Pecos suggested.

Thanks for all the input!

Pecos,

What brand of acid stain do you use?

Thanks, Lori