Stain/paint house foundation

[finally]

Has anyone stained or painted the foundation of their house?  Does it last a long time or something you have to redo often?

Here's what I'm thinking as I'm making my big project list for summer...that I want to paint/stain the risers and bottom of the deck white to match the lattice that is around the bottom of the deck and also stain/paint the concrete foundation that is about 3' high.  This picture is from last summer and most of the year the daisies aren't blocking the concrete. 



And here's a pic from when we first moved in to give you a better idea.

[katie4253]

Ours was painted the same color as the house.

[pitterwoo]

stain won't chip. stain will also allow the concrete foundation to "breathe". You can always use sealer over stain, but paint just traps moisture and will then bubble up (eventually).
to me, paint is not even an option.