How to Color Set Concrete

The gray of natural concrete is drab and boring. You can set your walkways, driveway and patio apart from the rest of the neighborhood by adding some color to them. Of course you can add color to concrete when it is still wet, before or after it is poured. But it is also possible to color an existing concrete surface. It's as simple as painting a wall. The added benefit of coloring your concrete is that it seals and protects the surface.

Garden hose
Push broom
Concrete sealer in the color of your choice
Paint pan
Paint roller with a long handle

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the concrete surface you want to color by spraying it off with water from the garden hose. Wash the surface thoroughly, using the push broom to scrub away hardened dirt and other debris if necessary.
- 2
  Allow the cement to dry before coloring it. On a warm, sunny day, this may take only an hour or two, but if the skies are overcast and the temperature is chilled, it could take up to four hours.
- 3
  Pour the concrete sealer in the color of your choice into the paint pan.
- 4
  Apply the sealer to the concrete surface using the paint roller. Do this in the same way you would apply paint to a wall by rolling the roller in the paint pan to coat it with sealer, then rolling it onto the concrete. If there are any corners, start at those points and work outwards so that you don't have to walk across the concrete until the color has dried.

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