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Unforeseen problem with acid stain

by Sally and Tony
(Illinois)

We were having a new home built and it was winter when it was time to pour the concrete outside. We wanted an acid stained decorative patio, but the contractor said that he couldn't stain it in the winter. We told him that we would stain it ourselves when the weather was warmer. He explained to us how we would have to remove the sealer before we could stain it and it would be a vigorous job. We asked him not to apply the sealer and he explained that without the sealer it would void the warranty because it was freeze resistant concrete that needed to be sealed ASAP. He let us use some of his insulation blankets for a few days and said the patio would be ok that way. We did that and a few months later when the weather was warmer we stained the patio. It wasn't noticeable before, but when the stain dried, there were lines across the patio where the insulation blankets overlapped. The contractor said it was due to curing differences caused by the blankets. We ended up lightly grinding the entire surface and staining it again. The second time it looked great.