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Half-sealed Acid Stained Patio!?

by Margaret
(Cheyenne, WY)

Q. As part of our summer yard renovation, we had a patio added to the back of our home. It has contoured (curved) edges and is a beautiful addition to our new yard, both spacially and visually. The concrete man recommended a grind-in pattern and acid stain effect versus stamping on dyed concrete. So far, so good. The cut rock pattern looked awesome with a three color layered stain. The first coat of sealant went on and did bring out the natural rock colors we hoped for. Rainy weather halted any further progress on that day. Poor timing, rain, heat, excessive wind and numerous delays all resulted in the contractor being unable to apply the second/final coat. We now have a very cool looking patio, awesome shape and color but with a milky coating. It looks okay but I think we have just grown accustomed to its appearance. We have been promised by the contractor that they will come out and wipe it down with Xylene to remove the milkiness or even use a buffer to take off the first coat of urethane... will that work at all? We are now frustrated with the delays, promises and lack of solutions. Is there anything WE ourselves can do to resolve this? And will it be a greater expense than waiting for the contractor to come back and fix it?

A. You can get some xylene, which is relatively cheap, and roll a very thin coat on and see if this gets rid of the milkyness. You may need to do it a couple times. Then roll on a new coat of sealer over the whole thing. Make sure it is a solvent based acrylic sealer, not a urethane. I doubt the contractor used urethane because that is usually reserved for interior surfaces. And make sure the patio is completely dry and there's no rain in the immediate forecast.