There are two families of concrete color. Pigment that goes in during the pour, either mixed through the batch (integral) or floated into the surface (color hardener), and color that goes on a cured slab, either by chemical reaction (acid stain) or by penetration (water-based stain and dye). New pours can use either family; existing slabs only the second.
Updated November 10, 2026 · DFW Stone & Concrete
Sun, water and sealer decide how each lasts.
Iron-oxide pigment in powder, liquid or granule form is dosed into the mix before placement, so the color is uniform through the full depth and a chip or scar shows the same color. It adds little or no labor over plain concrete and custom blends are easy to order. The catch is control: the color is set at the plant, and water content, cement source and impurities shift the shade, so consistency across a large or multi-truck job takes care. Integral is the choice for vertical and complex shapes where a hardener cannot be floated in.
Source: Solomon Colors, color hardener vs. integral color
A dry shake of pigment, cement and fine aggregate is broadcast on the fresh surface, reacts with the bleed water and is floated in. Only the top is colored, so a single truck of grey concrete can take several colors and effects such as marbling; the hardened surface is denser and more abrasion-resistant than plain concrete. It takes more time, skill and effort, is dusty, can delaminate if poorly worked, and does not work when there is little bleed water. It is generally limited to flatwork and is the standard partner for a stamp, with a release agent in a second tone to antique the low spots.
Source: Solomon Colors, color hardener vs. integral color
Acid stains react chemically with the calcium compounds in cured concrete and permanently change the color of the upper layer. Because it is a reaction, every slab is different: intensity and mottling vary with the concrete's age, finish and chemistry, and the result is hard to predict or control, which is both the appeal and the risk. The color is durable and resistant to wear and fading. The residue has to be neutralized and fully removed before sealing or the sealer fails.
Source: Solomon Colors, stained concrete pros and cons
Water-based stains carry pigments and polymers in water; the pigment lodges in the pores and the polymer bonds it there. Colors mix and dilute to custom shades and the result is more even and controllable than an acid stain, which also means a mottled look has to be built deliberately. The pigments are UV-stable but can wash out over time with water exposure, so the sealer on top has to be maintained.
Source: Solomon Colors, stained concrete pros and cons
Dyes are very fine pigment in acetone or water, sprayed on and absorbed fast, in colors that match acid stains for touch-ups. They are not UV-stable: in direct sunlight they fade or turn black, which rules them out for any North Texas patio, pool deck, drive or pad. Acetone carriers also need ventilation. Dyes belong on a garage or shop floor out of the sun, or indoors.
Source: Solomon Colors, stained concrete pros and cons
A new stamped patio takes a hardener with a release. A new broom or exposed-aggregate slab in one warm shade takes integral color. An existing plain patio takes an acid stain for a stone-like mottle or a water-based stain for an even tone. A regional concrete association's summary of finishing options puts it the same way: integral color is not a stain or a dye and survives chips, while stenciling and staining color selected areas of a placed slab.
Source: Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association, four finishing options for decorative concrete
Color is only as even as the cure. The Portland Cement Association notes most strength gain is in the first month and that longer moist curing makes stronger concrete; uneven moisture during that month leaves blotches in an integral or hardened color, so a curing compound compatible with the sealer, or a careful wet cure, is part of a color job. The sealer then protects the color and is reapplied on a schedule, and the sealer, not the color, is what fails first in Texas sun.
Source: Portland Cement Association, curing in construction
A sample on your concrete, not a color chip. The base color, the release color and the sealer's gloss level, named on the quote. For a stain, a test patch in a corner of the existing slab, because the reaction is different on every slab.
Acid stain is a reaction with the slab, so it is different on every slab and even across one. That is normal; approve a test patch, not a chip.
Yes, with a release for contrast, but a hardener gives a denser surface and more color options on stamped flatwork, so it is the usual pairing.
A hardener or integral color does not need one to hold color, but a sealer protects the surface and deepens the tone; stains and dyes rely on the sealer.
Pattern, color method, sealer, stone and joint, or field thickness, edge, steel, base and membrane: one independent, insured North Texas contractor looks at the lot and writes it all down with dates.
Residential and acreage, in eight DFW counties. No price on this site, because the lot and the drawing decide the price.
One independent, insured North Texas contractor will call or text within one business day to set a time to look at it. You get a written quote with the pattern, color, stone and slab spec on it.