Two common techniques in decorative concrete is coloring and texturing. There are two common methods of coloring concrete: integral color and color hardener. Integral color is the most widely used in this area but Weidenbach Concrete Works prefers to use color hardener. The main advantage of using color hardener over integrated color is the quality of the color.
Typically, we use two color hardeners to give the surface a variegated look. A third color is used in the color release. The colored release is a product distributed over the concrete to act as a membrane between the fresh concrete and any texture skin that will be applied. Normally a darker complimenting color is used. Most of the color release will be washed off with just the areas imprinted remaining.
Finally, after the color release is washed off and all the joints are touched up, we apply a seal coat. We prefer using a polyurethane sealant. These sealants are more expensive but will last much longer then the typical acrylic sealant. First a primer coat is applied followed by the finish coat. This will bring out the vibrancy of the colors and protect the surface as well.
