Stain or paint outdoor slab?

[bogman]

I am pouring a slab for a basketball court outside for my boys with the idea that in 5 years or so I will build a garage or workshop after they move on to college.

Will epoxy type paints hold up under the elements for 5 or more years or is it strictly an interior finish? I don't know anything about stains either. Got any suggestions/hints?

[rattlereel]

Epoxy will break down in the sun. I believe there are some urethanes that are uv resistant. Give your local contractor supply store a call and see what they can come up with.

Staining a slab you will need to clean the slab, spray on the stain, rinse, neutralize the acid, rinse, rinse, rinse, let it dry and seal with a surface sealer.

[Wanderer]

I believe its recommended that you let that slab cure for a year before you cover it with anything. I say this knowing full well that in new construction they apply finishes as ordered, right away.

I had a slab poured late one year, built the garage over the winter, and prepped the floor for epoxy the next summer. During the prep of etching and pressure washing, alot of "milk" was still coming off. I did it three times before I rolled on the epoxy.

After three years now, its solid but the epoxy that is on the outside of the garage doors is sun faded.

Personally, unless you want court markings for basketball, I would leave it bare. Just keeps oils off it. The rest will etch out during your prep after your garage is built and will stay looking fresh for a long time.

I can't speak to urethane finishes though.

Good luck!

[Surface Tension]

I wouldn't do an epoxy if it were left to the elements.

I'd would think that you'd be better off going with stain, or a colored powder added to the surface at the time of finish.

I go stain myself. Since it'll be a basketball court to begin with I'd be more concerned about getting a smooth finish.

[bogman]

Thanks, guys. Guess I'll worry about it later, just concerned with getting a bunch of stains on it this fall when inevitably there will be wet leaves sitting on it.

[Neighbor_guy]

The best and most effective way to color your crete is to have it stained as it is poored. It is a powder you add to the mix pre-poor. Your contractor can do it. Then paint on your stripes. Latex marking paint works best for crete.

[Surface Tension]

Neighbor_guy, mentions another option. I didn't mention that option because of cost. Although the color would be throughout so any scratches or chips won't stand out.

[bogman]

How spendy is it to add the color at pour time?

[GSB Ice Man]

Colored concrete varies on price depending how much dye they need to color it. Colored concrete has usually been about 1.5 times as much as regular. But then remember the expensive sealer you need to buy to achieve that color.

I have a concrete driveway that is stained. Per recommendations of the stain supplier concrete needs to be cured for atleast 28 days. I stained my driveway a darker red/brown. It melts as fast as the asphalt driveways and only needs to be sealed every 2-4 years depending on wear. By the time you buy the stain, apply it, wash it off, and seal it, the cost is almost a wash.

Another product I have used is a stain sealer. It is basically a colored sealer that penetrates the top surface of the concrete. The stuff I used was from In-crete products. They have many colors to chose from, and can be reappplied whenever you want with a roller or brush.