Coloured concrete w stamped border
so i did a coloured broom finished driveway with stamped borders. I saw cut it the next day, and washed away some of the colour i think (or the dust from the saw cuts made a lighter coloured paste on top). The concrete looks fine when wet. Do i have to seal it to keep that darker colour. Could i have washed some colour away? Also some of my borders need a bit more release colour (charcoal) I heard you can mix xylene and my antiquing release together to apply to spots. Then when i seal it, it should seal in that colour. Can anyone confirm any of this? thanks in advance
Thanks van, yes i figured it was the saw cut dust. I waited 24 hrs and used a 3000 psi pressure washer but put it on the widest spray and held it far enough away that common sense said i wouldnt damage it. As for the border it didnt quite reach to my border line and one edge didnt get imprinted by one of my guys. So i will proceed with caution and use the least amount to do my touch ups with, so it doesnt become a bond breaker for my sealer
Thanks for the helpful advice
It's almost impossible to have washed color off unless you washed it within a few hours after finishing it. If you washed it the next day after sawcutting, the concrete would have been too hard to damage. The only way you could have done so is if you used a very powerful pressure washer and the wrong tip, holding it too close to the surface. If you did, the surface would be scarred and appear very sandy. It's much more likely that you washed off the colored saw dust.
You can re-antique with powdered release mixed in xylene, mineral spirits, etc. and then seal it in, but be aware that you're creating a bond breaker that may delaminate the sealer in the future. It may help you to read an article on www.indecorativeconcrete.com entitled "Too Much Antiquing Release" . It deals with this problem and how to avoid it. As to your other question about sealing: Yes it needs to be sealed or the colors will appear washed out or faded when the concrete cures. Good luck.