Wasn't sold on color hardener for years, but my last patio job changed my mind

I used to think color hardener was just a fancy way to charge extra for something that would fade or look fake. For like 15 years I stuck with plain gray or just acid stain after the pour. But last spring a customer in Naperville wanted a terracotta colored patio and didn't want to do stamped overlays. I finally caved and tried a brand called Butterfield Color, mixed it in right after the screed. I gotta admit, the color went all the way through and it didn't wash out or chip like I expected. After 8 months it still looks the same as the day we finished. The customer even sent me pics after a heavy rain and it looked solid. Has anyone else had good luck with powder hardeners holding up long term, or did I just get lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

keithbutler1d ago

I used three bags of that Butterfield Color on a 400 square foot patio and the first thing I did wrong was not mix the powder into the concrete evenly. I was so nervous about the tie-dye look that I ended up overworking it with the bull float and made it worse on a small section. Ended up having to go back and do a light grind on that part a week later. Honestly I should have just hired a 12 year old to do the job, he probably would have gotten it right. But yeah the curing was key, I kept it wet with a fine mist for three days straight and that seemed to lock the color in good.

the_simon6d ago

Hang on, I got a question about that Butterfield stuff. Did you have to do anything special with the curing to keep that color from looking splotchy? I tried a different brand a few years back on a small walkway and it came out looking like a tie-dye shirt after a month, all patchy and weird. I'm wondering if I just didn't cure it right or if that brand was just trash to begin with.

oscarc536d ago

Is it really that big of a deal if the color is a little off after a month? Seems like people overthink this stuff.