By Glenn Haege / Special to The Detroit News

Concrete can be boring. Adding color can add a little bit of interest to all those hunks and chunks of concrete we see around the house. Tinting concrete before it is poured is easy. Just add Quikrete Concrete Color Additives from Gibraltar, (800) 442-7258, to the mix.

Adding color to existing slabs is harder. Depending on the application, four different products can be used: concrete stain, epoxy paint, or latex or oil-based porch and floor paint. I often suggest staining because it is relatively inexpensive and lasts longer than old-fashioned floor paints.

Not everyone agrees. Staining concrete is not like staining wood. A great deal of preparation is required. If you don't do one thing right, the job can end in disaster. But if everything goes right, you will have a job that will add beauty to your property for years.

Large masses of horizontal concrete are found in the garage and basement floors, sidewalks and paths, and patios. Each area has different requirements.

I asked three different paint retailers for their recommendations. I quizzed retailers rather than painters because a good retailer knows not only what is possible, but also what you and I are capable of doing, and what is going to make us happy.

Tim Eisbrenner from Shelby Paint,(810) 739-0240, was very blunt. "I don't usually recommend a concrete stain to a do-it-yourselfer. The cleaning, acid bath, rinsing and neutralizing that are often required is too much work for someone trying to do a project on the weekend. Most people want to pop open the can and start staining. You can't do that with concrete. I have too much respect for my customer to set him up for failure."

Garage floors: Many homeowners want to do something to make the garage floor more attractive and protect it from stains and skid marks. Neither, Eisbrenner nor John Longstreet from Damman Hardware thinks staining garage floors is a good idea. Longstreet recommends using Epoxi Shield epoxy paint. Eisbrenner recommends using latex or alkyd (oil based) porch and floor paint.

"A latex paint will last about three years on the garage floor. A top-of-the-line Alkyd, like Benjamin Moore Alkyd Porch and Floor Enamel, can easily give 10 years of service. If either starts coming off, just repaint the affected area," Eisbrenner says.

Jamie Winfield from Pontiac Paint, (248) 332-4643, recommends Coronado Final Finish or Porter Color Seal. "Coronado is an excellent professional stain, but only comes in a limited number of colors and cannot be tinted. Porter Color Seal can be tinted in a wide rage of colors," she says.

Benjamin Moore is one of America's leading paint companies. Porter Color Seal is an excellent old-line concrete stain. Epoxi Shield is a top-notch concrete epoxy paint that I have recommended for years. Originally invented in Madison Heights, it has now been sold to Rust-Oleum, (847) 816-2300, www.rustoleum.com.

Sidewalks and paths: Eisbrenner recommends H & C Concrete Stain. ''Older sidewalks are so worn they don't need to be etched, just cleaned thoroughly before staining,'' he says.

H & C Concrete Stain is probably the best-known product of its type in the country. The company offers exhaustive, step by step directions for surface preparation, etching and staining on their web site, www.concretestain.com.

Longstreet recommends Super Deck Mason Select, (800) 825-5382, www.superdeck.com. This stain was developed a few years ago and uses the latest technology to create an extremely versatile product. A trip to their web site can give you some very exciting outdoor faux finish design ideas.

Winfield recommends Coronado Anti Skid Step Saver because the product's formulation adds traction. Coronado Paints and Stains are high quality professional products that give excellent results if you follow directions carefully.

Patios: All three experts recommend stains. Eisbrenner recommends H & C or Benjamin Moore Concrete Stain. Longstreet prefers Mason Select by Super Deck. Winfield's choice is Porter Color Seal.

Basements: Eisbrenner recommends using a Latex floor paint or Benjamin Moore Alkyd Porch & Floor Enamel. Longstreet suggests H & C Basement Stain or Epoxi Shield Basement Paint. Winfield prefers using any good latex floor paint.

"I don't believe in recommending concrete stain inside a house. Some concrete stains are Xylene-based and require an acid bath. Application can be dangerous. The smell is terrible and it permeates the entire house," she says.

Adding color to concrete can add a great deal of beauty, but you have to do it right. Learn all you can before you do. Follow directions to the letter and you will be able to brag about the result for a long, long time.