Warning: Cheap colored concrete sealant turned my driveway pink

I put down a dark gray sealant from a big box store last Saturday on a driveway in Phoenix. Looked fine for two days, then the sun hit it and now it's got this weird pink tint in patches. It was a $35 bucket, so I should have known better. I'm gonna have to strip it all off and start over with a brand I've used before from the supply house. Anyone else have colored sealant go bad on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

zara_sanchez10d agoTop Commenter

Haven't you always heard people say cheap sealant is just as good if you let it cure right? I used to believe that too honestly, I thought sun was sun and dye was dye, no big deal. But after seeing what happened to my buddy's patio with a similar bucket from Home Depot, I totally changed my mind. It's wild how the Arizona heat basically cooks the cheap stuff and makes it do stuff you never expected, like turning pink out of nowhere. Did you try any spot tests before going all over the driveway?

the_oliver10d ago

@brooket43 is probably right about the sun cooking those cheap dyes, man. That's rough though, waking up to a pink driveway in Phoenix of all places, might as well paint a target on your house for the HOA. I've had a similar thing happen with a budget friendly concrete stain from a chain store, it turned this weird orange color after a week of 110 degree heat. Lesson learned the hard way, you definitely get what you pay for with this stuff, especially in the desert sun. Hope the stripping goes smooth for you, that's the worst part of the whole deal.

brooket4310d agoMost Upvoted

Nah, I think the sun just brought out some dye that was already in that cheap mix.