Last month I posted on here whether people thought it was better to paint or stain the untreated concrete pool deck around my inground pool. The consensus was that stain was cheap and easier, and requires less maintenance, so that's what I'm going to go with. The past couple days I spent cleaning up the area, including using my pressure washer with a surface cleaner to really get it clean. I plan on acid etching it with muriatic acid, and then using a solid color stain. I plan on going with Behr products, as they have worked well in other areas. I have two questions I was wondering if anyone had any insight...
1) After I acid etch it, do I need to put down a concrete bonding primer as well before I add the stain? I thought that the whole point of etching was to provide a surface for the stain to adhere to. Is priming really necessary? The Behr website recommends it, obviously.
2) After I add a couple coats of stain, do I need to seal it? I understand that sealing it necessary if I would've painted it, but does stain require it? I believe that it would add some protection, but wondering if it's worth it, if the chlorine will dull it greatly over the years.
Thanks for your help!
1) After I acid etch it, do I need to put down a concrete bonding primer as well before I add the stain? I thought that the whole point of etching was to provide a surface for the stain to adhere to. Is priming really necessary? The Behr website recommends it, obviously.
2) After I add a couple coats of stain, do I need to seal it? I understand that sealing it necessary if I would've painted it, but does stain require it? I believe that it would add some protection, but wondering if it's worth it, if the chlorine will dull it greatly over the years.
Thanks for your help!
