Concrete Patio Paint: Painting Concrete VS Acid Staining Concrete
There are two advantages of painting your concrete. You can do it yourself and you can do it cheaply (at least in the short term) The disadvantages of concrete paint is that they are not long term solutions. You will need to repaint it because it will fade and it will chip. If you decide to stain your concrete at a later time you will increase your cost because it is labor intensive to remove the paint from your patio. Every bit of paint must be removed to stain the patio. Sometimes cleaning the patio of paint will remove the cream (or the top layer) of the concrete and that will change the look of the stain.
Staining your patio is a long term solution. Acid stain creates a chemical reaction in the concrete itself. It is not a topical treatment like paint is. (Dyes that are used for interior actually dye the concrete, but are not uv stable and cannot be used in outside applications) You just have to have the patio resealed periodically depending on the wear patterns.
There is a lodge in Yosemite that was built in 1927 and the concrete stained floors are still vibrant.
Floor from the Yosemite Valley Awhanee Hotel built in 1927. This is the original concrete floor!
