Signature Concrete Design

Stained and Acid Stains

In addition to the beauty, ease of maintenance, and the benefit of a dust free surface, stained concrete is suitable for interior or exterior use whether it is a commercial or residential application.  The sole purpose of staining a concrete floor is to transform from boring gray to a beautiful, earthy color or even a vivid color of your choice.  Unlike coatings or paints which often delaminate when used on concrete, water base stain chemically bonds with cured concrete that is uncolored, color hardened, or integrally colored while acid stain chemically reacts to the concrete’s minerals changing its original color to an aesthetically rich and variegated color.

Concrete staining is suitable for:
Walkways, entrances, driveways, living rooms, bathrooms, basements, patios, high traffic areas, retail stores, shopping centers and commercial floors.

Acid Stain
The beauty of acid stain is its unique random coloration which gives an acid stained floor its charm with different coloration from slab to slab.  Acid stain gives concrete a variegated, marble like finish enhancing new or old concrete. Acid stain is a deep penetrating concrete stain that creates beautiful diverse coloring effect, penetrates deep into the pore of the surface and reacts chemically with the concrete’s minerals to create an aesthetically rich and variegated color.   It works on both new and existing concrete surfaces.

Acid stain can also be applied to decorative polymer overlays as well as self leveling products.  Acid stains create mostly earth tone browns, reddish browns and greens within the concrete.  Other unique colors are also created by mixing available colors and applying them at different rates.  The stain brings out the natural variations found in concrete.  Acid stain will not appear to be uniform in color or have an even tone.  You will get a different reaction from slab to slab.

Water Base Stain
Water base stain is environmentally friendly stain that is often used as an alternative to acid stain, while still producing the mottle variegated look associated with chemical reactive stains, water based stains are a great way to add a permanent color to a cured concrete surface.  The waterborne stain penetrates and bonds with porous concrete or cementitious toppings for permanent, nonfading, predictable colors.

One of the greatest advantages of a water based stain over other methods is that the color is built up with multiple coats and there is no need to wait for chemical reaction.   This leads to no surprises and consistent color matching to the original sample and an overall better installation with less variables.  Water based coloration system can be layered and combined with many different colors thereby creating totally customized looks not always possible with an acid stain.  Water base stains are also available in vibrant, bright colors.