Hi Linda. Most concrete bars are troweled very smooth or polished smooth after the concrete cures. Stains such as these can be used, but it will require roughing the surface up with 80-grit sandpaper before applying it. The sides need the stain rubbed on with a sponge to get the concrete to absorb it instead of running off down the side first. A clear sealer or polishing of the concrete can be done after it has dried.

Hi Jody. Did you use one of these fake stains? Also, what product/s where applied before (previously stained) and how did you prep the surface for the new product you applied?

Hi Pete. Unfortunately, you are correct. A metallic epoxy would not work for the reasons mentioned. Coatings with that much moisture will be compromised and delaminate at some point. Garage floor paint will not fair any better. However, it’s cheap and much more easy to reapply when it begins to peel up. Scrape it up or pressure wash/blast it off when it does. Let the concrete dry out and then reapply. We do not recommend it for a driveway though. Hot tires will peel it up and it will get slippery when it rains.

There are two great penetrating sealer options for densifying and protecting your concrete from the elements, including salt. The first is the GhostShield system. It consists of first treating the concrete with their Lithi-Tek 4500 densifier. You then wait a week and apply their Siloxa-Tek 8510. We have a full article on the GhostShield products and process here. The second is Concrete Sealer USA’s two step system. It involves their PS103 densifier and PS100 salt and oil repellent sealer. It’s a slightly better value and works extremely well. You can read our review of it here. Both articles have links where you can check pricing for vendors we recommend.

Hi Shea – Thank you! Setting aside color for the moment… what are some of the better options for sealing/densifing these floors?

Regarding color – Is good old fashioned garage floor paint a lower risk option?

And it sounds like a metallic epoxy is out of the question too, yes?

Pete