Stamped Concrete Color Problem - Help PLEASE...

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M

mschmidt33

0
Oct 30, 2010
96
Highland, MI
All,

Just got to the stamped concrete phase of our build and ran across an issue. The concrete crew started pouring around noon and got 75% of the concrete in and stamped with the first truckload. The 2nd batch was supposed to show up at 3:30pm. Well, it did not come to almost 6pm and the guys were obviously upset with the material guy. They poured and waited for it to cure to the same level as the first batch before stamping. It then started to rain lighly (unexpected) and they were out there until dark. 2 days later is see this:

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I called the concrete guy and he assured me it will not be an issue as soon as they powerwash and seal. They use a tinted sealer to bring out the true color. Should I be concerned? Short term, long term?
 
If your not happy you need to tell them. As long as you have not paid them you are in control. If you are willing to accept the color difference at least try to get them to discount it, hey thats money back to you.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I am not happy and did not pay them yet. I told them this and they said the tint will fix it and that this is typical? I made this post to see if anyone else came across this and how they handled it, do they regret their decision, etc. Perhaps the tint will temporarly fix "hide" the problem and 6 months later we can tell the difference again... after I have paid them of course. I don't know enough about colored concrete. I do know this color mismatch is not acceptable. Perhaps I am overreacting, let me know.
 
I don't think you're overreacting at all.

I had a similar problem with my remodel last year. The decking contractor I used waited too long to start stamping the concrete so by the time they did, it had already set. The result was hairline cracks all over the place, as well as rough patches of concrete where it stuck to the pad as they pulled it up. Plus handprints, fingerprints, and finger streaks in the tint of the release agent after having been ground into the wet concrete as they tried to smooth out the problem areas.

I was not happy at all! I had not paid them in full yet, just half when they started and the other half was to be paid when they were done. Guess what? I made them pull up the whole thing and redo it, all 1250 sq ft.

Let me mention that I had an issue with color too, though not so much with the loads not matching, more like the color that I ended up with after that first pour was not at all what I expected. Not surprising considering we're selecting from 4-inch samples! Anyway, after working separately with the concrete material supplier on the color, I know that if they are using batches from the same supplier, same day, same percentages of color added... then they can get pretty darn close. My decking took 2 loads and they match just fine... I'd say someone on that end messed up because yours is nowhere near the same!

Gotta do what you gotta do, you're the one who will be living with it, not them!
 
I now remember one of the crew mentioning that the 2nd batch had much more water... it took longer to cure before stamping for sure. This is likely why. I sent an email the PB explaining our concerns in writing. I do not want him to proceed nor will he get paid unless this is fixed. I may give him a chance to prove to us that the tint will fix this, but I'm still concerned long term. I need to think about it a bit more. Any other comments or situations are welcome. We also have some hairline cracks and rough patches... I just assumed this was typical. I'm kind of embarressed right now. I don't ever want to have to explain why our 50K pool looks like this.
 
I just had the same thing happen three weeks ago. 12yard pour, two trucks were suppsoed to be there back to back. The second truck finally arrived roughly an 1.5 hrs after the initial 6yd. pour. Everyone was completely p*****-off. The concrete was setting up, luckily it was very cool that day. I ended up with two distinct shadow lines from where they stopped and started. The sealer did help, but I can see it and it's something I can live with. We used a seamless stamp that blended in the shadow line a bit. And I used a clear sealer, not tinted. And from your pics, your shadowing looks much worse, it's over a larger area. I'd post a pic but can't right now. Was the work guaranteed? I complained and ended up getting some $ knocked off, but with you.. I'd be thinking about much more. Your going to see some contrast there no matter what sealer they use. sorry.
 

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Not that this helps much...

My guys mixed everything on site: Gunite, Coping, Decking and Plaster. They had all the concrete, rock, sand, color and water they needed. I assume it would cost a little bit less to order the concrete from a yard, but you risk:

Late truck
Broken down truck
Different color mix
Different water mix

I'm sure that mixing on site has it's disadvantages, but we didn't have a single problem. And I was able to change the color of the concrete decking and play with the color of the plaster.

That color difference would not be acceptable to me, but it will look totally different in 45 days. If you can wait, I'd want to see what it looked like once completely cured.
 
UPDATE: The color difference is not as bad now as is cures. Still not acceptable though. I have agreed with the PB to let him acid stain the lighter portion only to see if he can get it to match. If this is not to my liking, he will tear it out and replace.

Is he wasting time and money? Does anyone think this will work? Concrete experts please chime in.
 
Acid stain? Waste of time & $ IMO. I could see if he wanted to try a tinted sealer or concrete stain, but not an acid stain. Will totally change what's there. Just make sure he's pulling it out and replacing if you don't like it.
 
I'd say that an acid stain is the best bet. There are non-acid based stains, but their longevity is more dependent in the sealant applied afterwards. Acid stain uses an acid-based stain, which is then neutralized by applying a base (usually baking soda in water) to neutralize the acid soon after application. The acid interacts with the concrete to create more pores for the stain to absorb into, as opposed to water based stains, which rely on the porosity of the existing concrete surface to soak up the stain. As your concrete is stamped, the surface is less porous than normal because it is highly tooled, so acid's the best bet.
 
Thanks for the comments...

UPDATE: PB spent 6 hours personally yesterday working on the concrete while I was there to checking in on him. He used liquid release, some antiquing stuff, xylene, and then put the first coat of sealer on. It looks much better, but I can still see some difference but I doubt others will notice. He is going to come out and do a bit more blending before the 2nd coat. I'm happier but not fully satified yet. I will put up some final pics when complete.
 
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