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What order is the process of staining and engraving?

by Mark
(Virginia)

Q. In reading various articles, I am confused as to the order of the process. Do you stain the concrete first and then scorer/engrave lines? Does the stain not penetrate very deep and therefore the scoring removes the stain where you are scoring/engraving? If I understood one of the articles on this web site you did a light scoring, then stained and then scored a little deeper to get the lines that look like grout?

Thank you for your web site and the explainations and examples. I am amazed at the effects that can be accomplished with stain and engraving on concrete.

A. It can be done either way. The main reason I like to score first is because I can see the marked lines on the white concrete better. That way I can stand back and get a good look before I start scoring. Then if I want the lines to be white, I will lightly score them again after staining. It's a little extra work but the second time scoring goes pretty fast.

If you're doing a pattern with different colors, then score before staining so you have a barrier to keep colors from running together.