How to stain concrete floors

Concrete staining has been around since the early part of this century but is just now being discovered as the new durable and beautiful flooring alternative. Whether it is for your exterior patio or an interior floor concrete stained flooring is allergen free, durable and low maintenance. Concrete staining yourself may just be your best bet to own one of these durable floors.

If you choose to install a concrete stained floor yourself you can save up to 80% over what a contractor will charge to install these beautiful floors. It surely isn’t hard to do and you can pick up the few things you need at your local hardware store or home improvement center.

We will need do a few tests to make sure the concrete slab you have is able to take the concrete stain.

  1. Pour approximately 8 oz. of water in a 1′ x 1′ area and allow the water to stand for a few minutes
  2. If the water absorbs into the slab and changes the color of the slab by darkening it, it’s a pretty good bet that you will not need to do anything except proceed to cleaning and staining.
  3. If you find the water beads up on the surface then there may be a sealer on the concrete which mayl not allow the concrete stain to chemical react with the free lime in the concrete which transforms the color of the concrete in the process.
  4. There are two ways we can go at this point; the first being trying to find out what is on the concrete and second deciding whether to attempt to remove it.

If you decide to remove the sealer from the concrete it is best to use an industrial strength citrus based coatings remover or ecofriendly stripper. These type of products will remove acrylic sealers and sometimes solvent based acrylic sealers. They can really take some elbow grease but if you’re focused to stain your floor this is the most environmentally friendly way to do it. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Now we can assume your floor is ready to go. Clean the concrete with a pressure washer if it’s an exterior application or if it’s an interior floor you will want to use TSP(or a substitute) or a mild acid detergent such as Super Blue. You may want to spray or bucket your cleaning solution onto the floor and then scrub the floor with a stiff bristle broom or a buffer and a black pad.

Some people will tell you to mop up the water but for the best job and a much easier way to do it is a shop vac. This always get the crap out of the pores.

When the concrete is completely dry spray your desired color of acid stain (dilution 1 to 1 with water) using a pump sprayer in a circular motion to make sure of complete coverage over the entire floor. You should wait for a hour or two until you can walk in stocking feet unto the floor to see if all areas have been sprayed. If all looks good wait for another hour and then start the cleanup process.

If you would like to add another color now is the time. You can repaet the steps listed above and you can also spray randomly for a mottled look.

Now, introduce water to the floor and scrub with a medium stiffness broom and shop vac a second time. If your floor can pass a white glove test then you’re ready to go. If not rinse and repeat until the floor passes the white glove test. You may have to do a second cleaning when using the darker colors. It is a good idea to leave a fan on during the night.

Wait until the next day to seal or you can expect white spots to appear under the sealer because of trapped moisture.

Seal the floor using a 3/8″ or 1/2″ nap roller and when you roll out the sealer go in one direction and then again at an angle to the first. This will help eliminate roller marks and ensure a beautiful floor.

It is time to apply 2-3 coats of an acrylic floor finish with a microfiber. A rayon mop is usually a white and blue string mop head sometimes it is all blue and some folks use a microfiber mop. These can be found at your local hardware store.

This is an critical step as this is how you protect your floors. The acrylic floor finish will be your sacrificial lamb for the sealer and protect it. In a few months you may see some small scratches or slight “wear” to your floor, this means its time to apply another coat of acrylic floor finish.

It is best to clean your floor with a neutral cleaner and this will ensure that your floor will accept another coat of floor finish.

Lastly, place mats at all the entrances to your home and your floors will last a lifetime.

Related posts:

  1. Concrete Stained Floor Benefits
  2. Do It Yourself Concrete Staining Tips
  3. Stain Concrete Floors Yourself

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