stamped concrete, fixing uneven powdered color

[JAYDEE23]

So i tackled making a stamped patio colored with powdered red brick color. I satisfied with everything but i do have an issue. I think the driver made my cement to wet (or i started to early!!) and the closer side of my patio is lighter than the farther side. I have plenty of powder left. Any tips on getting a more consistent color across the patio before i seal? Any insight is appreciated to this complete novice.

 

[Ron]

Nice job on the stamping. Coloring concrete is often a problem. As much as it might seem to be homogeneous, concrete is not. It varies in its density, water-cement ratio and other properties throughout the mix. We are usually only concerned with the average conditions, but in coloring, we don't have that luxury.

You are probably seeing some lightening with the bleeding of calcium compounds to the surface of the concrete. Try a small area spot test using dilute muriatic acid to see if the white haze disappears. If not, it is color dilution in the mix. That's more difficult to fix.

You can use a concrete stain to cover the entire area, but you might still see some splotchiness. You can also make a dilute mix of your colored powder and water, with just a small amount of cement and pour that on top and let is soak in.

Outside of those, you can try some of the dyes that are available and mix dye or tint into your sealer.

 

[JAYDEE23]

Excellent suggestions..Thank You!

 

[JAYDEE23]

What i did:
i mixed the red color hardener with water until it was a thin paste. I then took a stiff bristle brush and worked the red into the bare concrete spots that had little to no color. I used the dark release agent and painted all the "grout" lines. I blew off all excess then sealed. Came out nice. I think a product to paint the grout lines would have looked really nice as most of the release blew off obviously.

 

[Ron]

Nice job! Thanks for the follow up.