Stain your Floors with Stain Concrete
With a stain concrete floor you don’t have to hang expensive art work on the wall. The floor says it all! Decorative concrete has now become a popular choice for residential, commercial, and industrial floorings. Besides the fact that it looks fantastic, it also helps you to save energy. Concrete is a porous material and hence quickly absorbs heat or cold. It stores this and releases it slowly thereby controlling the temperature for a longer period.
How do you stain concrete: You can stain your concrete through paint, use pigmented concrete, or acid stain the concrete. Acid staining is preferred as it is permanent and gives out a translucent and spotted finish that looks attractive. Concrete soaks up the acid and reacts with the minerals within to give out the desired color. Since this discoloring isn’t superficial, the color does not peel or flake, nor does it fade easily. But if you are going to use this to stain your patio, it is likely to be exposed to direct sunlight; hence make sure that you buy acid that is guaranteed by the manufacturer not to fade. You can even combine it with other techniques like engraving, sand blasting, etching, and stenciling to create a dramatic effect.
Costs: The cost of stain concreting your floor depends on several factors like the size of the floor, surface preparation requirements, and the complexity of the job. If you’re looking for a basic design with a single coat application and minimum surface preparation, the job wouldn’t cost more than $2-4 per square foot. But if is a complex job and involves faux finishing with multiple colors and designs, the price can be as high as $15. But these costs do not really matter when considering factors like longevity, and replacement (when compared to wood and ceramic tile). As earlier stated, the colors do not fade easily and even if they do, touch up is inexpensive. Besides, contractors reduce rates when the total square footage of the job increases.
DIY? There are several stores that sell DIY Acid Staining Kits. The internet too is full of videos and articles that teach you to acid stain concrete. But unless you are experienced or are creative enough, it’s best to leave this job to an experienced professional. They can create the most wondrous designs and create faux flooring effects effortlessly. Stains can be applied by using various tools like spray bottles, sponges, rags, eyedroppers, and even feathers. The job allows for artistic expression, and certainly needs one who is creative.
The author of this article is experienced in commercial concrete including stain concrete and has been writing reviews about polished concrete floors.
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