One of the most significant decisions when it comes to stained concrete floors is color. This post will look at some of the options and things to consider when choosing the color of your stained concrete floors.
What color possibilities do I have with stained concrete floors?
Depending on whether you choose an acid or water-based stain, your color possibilities may vary. Your color options will be limited when using acid stains. Most manufacturers only provide eight colors: delicate earth tones like tans, browns, terra cottas, and light blue-green. Although the entire color pallet is limited, you may generate a new shade by mixing two or more stain colors before applying or layering one color over another. By applying two layers of stain, you may get more substantial color effects.
If you want to move beyond the subtle drama and restrained color pallet of acid staining, water-based acrylic stains provide a more extensive range of colors. Most manufacturers offer a plethora of conventional colors, including black and white, as well as metallic tints. The multiple hues may be blended in many situations, like water-based paints, to expand your selections.
How do I pick the best stain color?
Personal taste or a desire to match or complement an existing color scheme, such as stained concrete floor to match the tones in a wood-paneled wall, sometimes drive color choice. Because stain color is permanent, many homeowners like light tans, browns, grays, and greens. Whatever stain colors you pick, keep the following points in mind:
Wide color fluctuations are common with acid-based stains. Surfaces will look speckled and varied, with these variances enhanced when the final layer of sealer is applied.
What you see in the liquid form of some acid stain hues may not be what you receive once the stain has interacted with the concrete surface. It is possible that the stain will not exhibit its accurate color until it has been left on the concrete for many hours or more. Always test the stain on a tiny area before applying it to the entire surface.
Color effects on new concrete will be more dramatic than on older or aged concrete.
Most stain producers will supply color charts or even actual samples of painted concrete to assist you in envisioning your selections. Contractors may also be able to provide examples of the many stain colors with which they work.
What kinds of impacts may stained concrete produce?
Staining concrete may be made to seem like anything from polished marble to tanned leather to natural stone or even stained wood, depending on the color and application techniques utilized.
Among your alternatives are:
- Applying stain in different colors, either by layering or combining stain colors.
- The use of stains in conjunction with dyes
- Using stencils and heavier gelled stains to produce artistic patterns and other ornamental effects.