Stained Concrete: Go for Gray

Stained Concrete, you probably see it everywhere and it never fazes you, used in large showrooms, to small coffee shops and area restaurants. It is a great inexpensive solution to flooring. Indoors our out, there is no excuse for that gray concrete slab. New techniques, finishes and color options are being improved--to make concrete look less like concrete. One method is stamped concrete. By using stamped concrete in stairways and pathways you can introduce a stone like affect with pattern and texture but not color. Stained concrete embodies your concrete with a huge variety of colors. Stained concrete is a misnomer. Often when you think of "stained," I think of a glass of wine spilling on a white sofa. But concrete stain is actually a chemical reaction between the acid stain and the cement within the concrete mix. This bears emphasizing. Concrete is made of both aggregate (rocks) and the binding cement. Because concrete stain works through a chemical reaction between the stain and cement, the aggregate will not stain.

Concrete stain is not going to cover up existing imperfections in the slab, but it may embrace time depending on the style you are after. Rather than selecting one color, you may want to consider a “splattered effect” and select a couple of complimentary colors to lightly splash in areas to make it appear natural or rustic.

Concrete staining is done on cured concrete, and believe it or not, the ambitious do-it-yourselfer can complete this! Here are some simple steps that you may want to test in your basement, or garage before you dabble in your backyard pathway or front stoop.

1. First, you will need to clean the surface. You'll want to use an organic degreaser at medium strength. Note that because concrete stain is a chemical reaction, surfaces previously treated with acid or otherwise acid-etched cannot be stained.

2. Concrete stain can be applied in many ways (mops, brushes, rollers), Depending on the size of the slab you may want to consider spraying on with an ordinary sprayer such as you might use for herbicides. This provides for a wider, smoother continuation of the concrete stain.

3. Allow it to dry for eight hours before you walk on it. That is the general curing time, which is much less than a traditional stain that you would use for a wood floor.

It is a money saver and if completed properly, it is a wonderful look for an otherwise dull grey concrete slab!