Pattern-imprinted concrete gets its look from a colour hardener worked into the surface and a sealer over the top. Both live in the top couple of millimetres. Take those off and you're looking at grey concrete with a pattern in it.
How it fails
- The sealer breaks down under UV and traffic, going patchy and dull.
- Once the sealer is gone, the surface becomes porous and holds algae and dirt.
- Aggressive cleaning strips both sealer and colour hardener unevenly, creating pale patches.
- Standing water and shaded areas green over faster because there's nothing shedding moisture.
The right cleaning approach
- Controlled pressure, kept moving, never held on one point.
- Biocide treatment to clear the biological layer rather than force.
- Careful attention to the pattern joints, which trap growth.
- Full drying before any re-seal is considered.
Re-sealing
A clean-and-reseal is what genuinely brings imprinted concrete back — the sealer restores depth of colour and the surface sheds water again. It's a separate step from cleaning and needs a properly dry surface.
Where colour loss has already happened from previous over-cleaning, a tinted re-seal can even out the appearance, but it won't put back hardener that's gone.
Our promise
100% satisfaction — or we re-clean free.