Concrete staining in Moore
Moore had 62,793 residents at the 2020 census and was hit by violent tornadoes on May 3, 1999 and May 20, 2013, the second an EF5 that killed 24 people. In March 2014 the City adopted a residential code requiring new homes to withstand winds of up to 135 mph, so a large share of its homes and slabs were rebuilt or newly built in the last dozen years.
Moore annexed 21.6 square miles in 1961 and became a city in 1962, so even its oldest subdivisions are post-1960s. Then came the tornadoes. The May 3, 1999 storm and the May 20, 2013 EF5, which killed 24 people, flattened large parts of town, and whole streets of houses were rebuilt. In March 2014 the City adopted a residential code requiring new homes to withstand winds of up to 135 mph, and a large share of Moore’s houses and slabs have been built or rebuilt in the years since.
That gives Moore an unusual mix for a 62,793-person city: many garage floors and patios that are only ten or so years old and have never been coloured. A clean, sound slab is the easiest kind to stain, though anything put on it since it was poured still matters.
Stain has to soak into the concrete to work. A clear sealer or curing compound applied when the house was finished, or an oil spot from the first car parked inside, blocks it. So garage floor staining on a rebuilt home usually starts with testing whether water soaks in, then stripping whatever stops it. In houses that added an in-garage storm shelter, the floor around the hatch gets the same preparation as the rest of the slab.
Back patios on these lots are often plain grey rectangles poured with the house. Staining the patio is a way to give it colour without adding new concrete.
Some jobs start with new concrete. The City of Moore’s Driveway/Curb Cut Permit Application covers new curb cuts and driveways and the reconstruction of an existing driveway. It asks for the material, width and thickness, and whether a tinhorn (a drain pipe under the approach) is needed. The Inspections Division is at 301 N Broadway, (405) 793-5051, or inspections@cityofmoore.com. The application on file is dated December 2019, so check that it is still the current form. No permit for staining or sealing an existing slab was found.
New concrete needs time to cure before it takes stain, so a fresh driveway is usually coloured weeks after the pour, not days.
Cleveland County averages 67% sunshine and five or more days a year with hail over an inch. Hail rarely hurts a concrete slab, but sun breaks down the sealer on top. Resealing stained concrete every so often keeps the colour from fading on a south- or west-facing drive.
Norman continues south down I-35, and Oklahoma City begins just north of Moore near I-240.
Concrete staining across the Oklahoma City metro:
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