Concrete Paint vs. Stain

	My house was built in the early 70's. The front porch is concrete, had existing color on it. Cleaned the porch w/tsp and bleach, waited 48 hours to stain w/waterbased stain, waited 24 hours to put 2nd coat. One week later went to hose off and stain started coming off. I'm now using a stripper to remove both the old and new. What is my next step. Thank you so much for your help. Richmond
	That is not much information, but... Possible reasons: - Some type of sealer was applied to the concrete before, and now prevented the stain from penetrating. - Concrete needs to be completely dry before application (see manufacturer's instructions) to allow penetration. A stain is not supposed to sit on the surface - it should penetrate the concrete. Your best bet is to read the instructions VERY carefully and make sure they are followed to the letter. Contact the manufacturer for additional ideas and/or assistance with the specific product. In any case, applying paint or stain to old concrete is very tricky and may not be possible if the concrete was sealed/stained/oiled/etc before. Professionals will usually prepare the concrete by pressure washing, sand blasting, or even "bead blasting" Good Luck
	Thank you so much for your reply, I do appreciate it. The stripper seems to be removing both color down to the concrete. From what you are telling me, it seems that even with this being done, it's a possibility that I still may not be able to apply any color to the porch. Is this correct.
	Not necessarily. It can be done if you are willing to go with a professional who will "blast" the surface of the concrete in order to reach clean material, and use the more expensive "epoxy-based" paints. Again, I suggest you check with the manufacturer regarding their recommendations and alternative products they may have.