Could Sodium Silicate Replace Potassium Silicate in DIY Brick Staining Kits?

[Stephen Tashi]

There are commercial kits for renewing the appearance of brick by staining them. They use "mineral paints", which (it sees to me) employ metal oxides for color. They use potassium silicate as a binder that fixes the color in the brick by "silification".

For a DIY brick staining kit, it's possible to buy metal oxide pigments from places that sell it for use in compounding DIY cosmetics and artists paints. Is there a commonly available product that could be used as a fixing agent?

Some speculations:

1) Concrete hardener? - some concrete hardeners are based on potassium silicate
2) Plant food? - some plant foods advertise being a source of potassium and silicon
3) Concrete sealers?

 

[Borek]

Water glass?

 

[Stephen Tashi]

Water glass?

Will sodium silicate have the same "silification" effect on brick as potassium silicate? I find "water glass" in the sense of sodium silicate for sale on Amazon as a additive for ceramics. The potassium silicate offered is for fertilizer.

 

[Borek]

Will sodium silicate have the same "silification" effect on brick as potassium silicate?

I would expect them to be similar, it is the silicate part that is most important. Sure, it is possible that potassium salt is in some ways better.