How to Stain Cement Garden Balls

Take the cement sphere outside to a table or other sturdy work surface and put it in a large plastic bowl or washtub to keep it from rolling off as you work.

Scrub newly cast cement spheres using only a stiff nylon scrub brush and ordinary tap water. Dirty or grease-stained spheres require more vigorous scrubbing and the use of a degreaser or detergent. Do not use acid to etch the surface.

Rinse off any degreasers or detergents very thoroughly with a garden hose, and then leave the sphere to dry completely.

Put on rubber gloves, vinyl apron, safety goggles and mask before working with concrete acid stains.

Pour a small amount of commercial concrete acid stain into a plastic spray bottle. Use a separate bottle for each stain if you want to use more than one color on your sphere.

Set the sphere atop a large, upside-down jar lid -- which acts as a ring stand -- to hold it motionless while staining. You may also use whatever base you plan to set the sphere on when it is finished.

Spray the stain over the sphere, using a light mist setting on the nozzle to avoid drips. Cover the entire surface evenly. If you prefer a more uneven or layered, multicolored look, you may dab the stain on more thickly here and there with a sponge to create a mottled effect.

Let the stain sit at least one hour for the chemical reaction between the acid and cement to take effect. If the color is not to your liking, you may layer on additional stain allowing it to dry an hour between applications -- until you achieve the look and depth of color you prefer.

Neutralize the acid stain after it sets one hour -- or as recommended by the manufacturer for a particular acid stain color and formulation -- by scrubbing the surface with a gallon of water in which you have dissolved two tbsp. of baking soda.

Allow the neutralizer to set for five additional minutes, and then rinse it off with clear water.

Let the sphere dry completely, then finish with a concrete sealer -- following the manufacturer's recommendations for application.