What Colour Effects Do You Want to Achieve?
Of course, this will be your most important consideration; equal in priority to the decision a painter makes when choosing between water colors, acrylics, or oil-based paints, knowing that each will impart colour to the bare canvas but with strikingly different results.
When weighing your options, here are some things to keep in mind:
• With acid-based chemical stains, wide colour variations are normal. Surfaces will have a mottled, variegated appearance, and the variations will be emphasized when a clear sealer is applied.
• Some acid stain colours are deceiving in liquid form. For example, a stain may look dark green in its container but will take on its actual colour (such as a reddish brown) after it has reacted with the concrete surface. The stain may not reveal its true colour until it has been allowed to remain on the concrete for several hours or longer.
• Although acid stains are available in limited colour selections, you can mix two or more stain colours before application to achieve a different shade or apply one colour over another. You can also produce deeper colour effects with a stain by making two applications.
