stained concrete

Stained Concrete has been around longer than most people realize.  Decorative Concrete began with architectural concrete projects playing with colors and designs probably in the 1950's or earlier.  Associated with painting, concrete staining has some similarities, however acid staining, in particular, is a unique way to color concrete and produce permanent deeper hues of color that can mottle with the concrete as it reacts with the concrete surface.  Typical acid stains are more earth tones in nature.

It is imperative that acid stains penetrate into the concrete floor surface to have permanent effect and useful value, otherwise, the product sits and dries on top of the floor & no reaction occurs.  A concrete surface must be porous enough for the acid stain or other penetrating dyes to perform how they are designed.  This can be achieved in different ways depending, again, on the current floor conditions or environment of the install.  For example, and aggressive diamond grind may be needed on a really rough, painted or coated patio, or a tightly troweled concrete floor may need to be honed with some lower grit resinous diamonds to open the floor up, or maybe an acid etch or acid wash might be useful to open up the concrete to receive the color application (to name a few).

Not all concrete is the same and not all projects have the same approach!

Furthermore, stained concrete requires maintenance, just like anything that is used.  Your concrete floors take abuse every day and they will show signs of wear, use, & neglect sooner than you think.  Contrary to popular belief, concrete IS NOT as hard and long-lasting as we think.  Just look around and you will see the effect nature, rain, foot traffic, etc has on it.  It is constantly in need of repair & maintenance. 

So it is with stained concrete!  A decorative concrete floors life cycle is directly related to the environment and wear patterns of that space.  Therefore, a suitable sealer or concrete coating should be specified and maintained properly so that the colors or stain NEVER WALK OFF leaving you with a worse problem and an expensive remedy.

Water-based concrete stains introduce a wider palette & variety of colors and offer a non-acidic or reactive application for the user.  Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) qualities is sometimes imperative in homes and businesses where the air must be clear and the environment safe for the client or in confined spaces with neighbors.  With the science & technology of today, we have better water-based solutions with the addition of lithium and bonding properties for our color applications.

Most water-based stains are semi-transparent, slightly building color on the surface, unlike dyes and acid stains, which are designed to penetrate into the concrete surface.  Water-based stains are great for lower traffic sites and/or need to be sealed with tougher wear resistant coatings for protection & performance.