When you think about the floors in your home, what’s the first material that comes to mind? Maybe you prefer carpet. Perhaps you’re more of a vinyl lover. Maybe you love the look and feel of hardwood or tile. What you probably won’t think of is concrete. However, the fact remains that concrete can be an amazing choice for interior floors, particularly if you choose stained concrete for your needs. If you’re not familiar with the staining process and everything you can achieve with concrete, a closer look is in order.
A Closer Look to Stained Concrete
What’s Possible?
Your first question is likely to be what’s possible with stained concrete floors? Actually, you can do almost anything you want. Concrete staining allows you to put almost any color or color combination you might want on your home’s floors. From red to blue, green to brown, orange, yellow, and many other choices, concrete can be as beautiful as you like. In addition to single color stains, you can also combine different colors to create a stained glass-like effect, or a mosaic design.
How Does Staining Work?
So, how are stained concrete floors created? It’s an interesting process, actually. The stain is really a type of acid that leeches into the concrete. That means the color is embedded deep down within the material. The most obvious benefit here is that chips won’t make a difference. There’s no worry that a chip might leave a gray blot on your beautiful colored floor.
Interestingly, staining also creates a color unique to your floor. Because concrete is porous and has different absorbency levels across its surface, you will have a unique, one of a kind floor, even if your neighbor chooses to have his or her floors stained the same color there will be differences.
Where Can It Be Applied?
When it comes to stained concrete, pretty much any concrete interior floor is fair game. You can stain your kitchen floor, the basement you’re currently renovating, your dining room and anywhere else you might like. All that’s required is that your floor is made of cement.
Care Considerations
Of course, while cement floors are incredibly durable, there are a few care considerations that you need to know. First, make sure that you seal your floor well, and that you reapply sealer every few years. You should also make sure you sweep it regularly and mop occasionally. Mopping should be done with water only, or a very mild detergent to avoid stripping the sealer off your floors. You might also consider adding felt furniture pads to chair legs. These can scrape over your floor and eventually wear through the sealant coating.
Should You Do It Yourself?
Doing it yourself has become pretty popular today. While there are staining kits you can purchase, it’s really not advisable that you go it alone here. The staining process uses hydrochloric acid, which can be harmful in untrained hands. The best option is to work with a reputable company with several years of experience in staining concrete.
