[Jamesa1]

I am a new member. We recently moved into a home that was built 11 years ago. The concrete driveway is stamped and stained black. It apparently has be painted over the stain as in many areas (driveway size approx. 1400 sq ft) you can see where the finish (stain / paint) has come off and showing the concrete color. I have had two companies look at and both said that apparently the original stain (black) did not look good and paint was applied. They wanted to cap the existing driveway with a thin layer of concrete and stain etc. I prefer to recoat or restain but need to know:

1 - I have a 2500 psi power washer and believe this is the first step.
2 - I have visited 2 SW paint locations and they suggested one of the H&C products - A solid color water based concrete stain or a solid color solvent-based concrete sealer.
3 - SW was very vague about preparation and simply gave me a preprinted 5x7 color card on each product. The aplication instructions for the sealer was for bare surfaces only and the stain application did not indicate.
4 - I have looked at similar product at the home centers but they also were not familiar with a driveway that had been stained & then at a later time painted.

I am attaching a couple of pics that show small sections of my drive. I will appreciate any help suggestions that can be given.

 

[stadry]

if it were stained, stain would have penetrated deeper than that,,, knowing WHERE this d/w's located would help but, from apparent spalling, probably no entrained air was used,,, it may be both companies are right as blk is VERY difficult however its a better solution than yours,,, for someone who doesn't know the work, it suggests budget/knowledge/experience is lacking,,, IF it didn't work then, what makes you think it will now ? :huh:

sher-wms owns h&c - naturally they'd recommend it but few sher-wms people know anything about material/method let alone where to find the card :no: apron/vest store people know less than sher-wms :laughing: this won't change until they can make some $$$,,, our method - 4.000 psi 4gpm turbo nozzle & sand-injection min then apply 2 or 3 layers of properly colored 'thinfinish' by eliteCrete.

ps - haven't seen cedar jnt filler for yrs - how old is this driveway ?

 

[mustangmike3789]

if it were stained, stain would have penetrated deeper than that,,, knowing WHERE this d/w's located would help but, from apparent spalling, probably no entrained air was used,,, it may be both companies are right as blk is VERY difficult however its a better solution than yours,,, for someone who doesn't know the work, it suggests budget/knowledge/experience is lacking,,, IF it didn't work then, what makes you think it will now ? :huh:

sher-wms owns h&c - naturally they'd recommend it but few sher-wms people know anything about material/method let alone where to find the card :no: apron/vest store people know less than sher-wms :laughing: this won't change until they can make some $$$,,, our method - 4.000 psi 4gpm turbo nozzle & sand-injection min then apply 2 or 3 layers of properly colored 'thinfinish' by eliteCrete.

ps - haven't seen cedar jnt filler for yrs - how old is this driveway ?

i agree somewhat. it looks like it could be solvent stain that was applied over damp or high moisture concrete preventing it from penetrating to deep. or a liquid release agent was used when the concrete was stamped and it wasnt cleaned before the sealer was applied. you can use xylene and rub a small area. if it is a water based sealer, it will get gummy and sticky. if it is a solvent stain it will shine or polish up a little. im not a big fan of the h&c stain and i have never used the elite product. if it is available in your area i would look into it. i have used products from surecrete,increte,ultracrete and ppg, much nicer than h&c by a long shot.

 

[Jamesa1]

Stained & Painted Concrete Driveway Refinish

I will try to answer all three answers - Driveway location is Houston, TX. in a small community with about 30 other homes with same type and color of driveway. Age is 10 - 12 years. Some of the driveways continue to look ok but several have experienced what I have. All homes were built by 2 builders that used same procedure on each driveway.

Others in the community have cleaned with pressure washer and recoated with either stain or colored sealer product from either H & C or Depot/Lowes and seem satisfied with the results.

One of the answers suggest cleaning with high pressure washer with sand and then 2 or 3 layers of thin finish by eliteCrete. What is the approx. consumer cost for this on a 1400 sq ft concrete driveway? How much additional height do the 3 layers add and will the stamped areas be the same?

As I mentioned in my initial post, I want to research available methods of recoating / restaining my concrete drive. I have been to SW and looked at the H & C products as well as Depot/Lowes but there is not much info or knowledge available for refinishing my drive. I have talked with 3 different companies that have recoated /sealed neighbors drives but in none of them was the original coating coming off.

Note the driveway was in the current condition when we moved into the house. The comment about it did not work then is not applicable as we were not living in the house nor do we know what was done when the house was built or why a coating of some type was applied over the stain.

I can find very little information on coatings / sealers etc. On answer gave several suggestions of different companies / products but did not say whether they were thinfinish type material or a coating material.

Thanks is advance for your suggestions.