If you’re hoping to learn how to strip and refinish stamped concrete, among other common resurfacing topics, you have come to the right place! Whether you are dealing with a concrete driveway or another concrete surface, these tips can help.
Firstly – what is stamped concrete?
Stamped concrete is a concrete surface that has texture or an imprint of some sort on the surface. It is commonly done to make a concrete area look more appealing to the eye, rather than having flat/smooth concrete. Many homeowners have stamped concrete on their concrete patios or driveways, for example.
Can you resurface stamped concrete? The answer is yes, you can! Here’s how to resurface stamped concrete:
You can strip and refinish concrete using a concrete breaker, scarifier, grinder, or a sandblaster to bust/break it all out. Most of these tools can be rented from the hardware store if you will only be needing it this one time. You can then go in with a stampable overlay material to refinish it afterwards.
When breaking out the concrete, be sure to be quite rough and aggressive. Why? This will help the new product to adhere better. The rougher the better, in this case! Once the concrete is all roughed up with a minimum of a CSP3-CSP5 (Concrete Surface Prep), you can clean it with E- etch by scrubbing the surface with the diluted solution and washing it off with water. You will also need to rinse the surface with Neutra Clean afterwards.
How to stamp concrete correctly and how to do stamped concrete overlay:
You’ll want to use the stampable overlay called OL-60 . This can be applied at a thickness of, between 1/4" to 1/2", and is only recommended for texturing with a texture skin, rather then a deep stamp. You will remove the dry mix from the plastic container. Put the amount of clean water into the plastic container, proportionate with the application desired.
Remember to mix only enough material that can be used within 30 minutes! Depending on weather conditions and temperature, the amount of time for application may vary. Doing a test area and having additional experience with Stampable Overlay will result in a more accurate time frame for application.
A bonding agent must be applied to the surface prior to applying the OL60 and it needs to be applied right before the overlay as it needs to be wet when the overlay goes down, or it acts as a bond breaker; It can be rolled or sprayed onto the surface. You will want to mix in enough water to achieve the desired consistency. Each 60-pound bucket requires (4.0 L) of water for trowel applications. The material may then be applied in a layer of up to 1/2” in thickness over the clean and primed surface. For a more slurry consistency, add approximately (.70 L) of extra water for each bag. Each bucket of OL60 covers approximately 27 sq. ft. at ¼” thickness.
Adding colour:
If you want to add some more colour, colour hardener can be used to colour the surface of the overlay and create a more abrasion-resistant hardscape or floor. It can be stained with a water- based stain afterwards, but be aware it will be a solid colour, rather than marbled.
Products we recommend, available at unicon.ca:
- E-etch https://unicon.ca/e-etch/
- BRICKFORM Liquid Release https://unicon.ca/liquid-release/
- Neutra Clean https://unicon.ca/neutra-clean/
- Precision Bond https://unicon.ca/bonding-agent/
- Water based Stain https://unicon.ca/spectrum-water-based-stain/