Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - stained concrete question

We're having our concrete stained in the livingroom/kitchen/dining room in our new construction. We picked out the color and wanted a marbled effect like most commonly seen on indoor stained concrete. The builder stained it and it looks almost like a solid color. Not at all what we wanted it to look like.

The builder claims that it will take anywhere from weeks to months for the stain to really take effect and show the true results. Is that right?

He used Quickcrete semi-transparent stain.

Does anyone have any input on this?

Thanks.

Nick

He used the wrong type of stain if you want marbling. What he used is a pigmented stain, which is basically watered down paint. Thus the flat monochromatic color. Time will do nothing to change the look of what you've got. What he should have used, and what you have probably seen on TV and in magazines, is acid stain (sometimes called chemical stain). Acid stain has no pigment, but gets all its color from a chemical reaction between the stain and the minerals in cured concrete. It produces unique mottled color effects sometimes similar to marble.
Many people confuse pigmented stain and acid stain because most of the directions for pigmented stains tell you to acid etch the floor first. You don't do this with acid stains.
As a sidenote, you will not find acid stain at a hardware store, home center, paint store, etc. It is a very specialized product available through some contractor supply outlets.

Pecos