For
versatility, I make a lot of my own acid stains.
I research old formulas from the 1930s and 1940s. I
like acid stains because they don't fade or peel. They
have permanency and they are fun to work with.
 I'm
more of a subtle user of effects. I use a lot of water.
I wet the surface to have movement of color, like a
watercolor. Sometimes I spray the surface; other times
I puddle the water. Depending on how much water you
use you can have very subtle or rich-looking effects,
or something that looks wack - you can do whatever you
want to do.
I'm very conservative with techniques. I use crumpled
tissue paper to create a crinkly leaf effect. I use
sand to block out areas - and that can give real cool
effects when using multiple colors. Sawdust does the
same as sand to block an area better.
We will be seeing change in the marketplace as dyes
get better. With dyes you'll be able to get colors you
can't get now with acid stains.
Steve Johnson, Decked Out,
Sacramento, Calif.
For me stains are similar
to watercolors. I use sealers as resists and metallic
salts to create more intense or less intense areas.
The only difference between stains and watercolors is
that stains variegate through chemical reaction as well
as through the application technique.
 You
can always count on acid stains to do what you didn't
count on them to do. Their variegation and unpredictability
is what's both good and bad about them.
So, if you're going to be in the stain business, you
also need to be in the dye and tint business. Dyes'
consistency and penetrating and transparent characteristics
give you fine color control you can't get with stains.
Tints offer color consistency as well as opacity; an
ability to hide.
For tinting over acid stains, I purchase pigments as
a raw material - super-finely ground pigments, essentially
the same chemicals and colors as in paints and integrally
colored concretes but so finely ground that they penetrate
into the pores. I generally mix pigments with a solvent
carrier and a small amount of acrylic resin to apply.
Mike Miller, The Concretist,
Benicia, Calif.
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