Concrete is a blank canvas and the stain is the hue that can transform it from a simple gray color to stunning shades that can make your home truly beautiful and inviting. Staining is the perfect means to impart an opulent richness that is not achievable from any other method. As opposed to producing a single opaque effect like what you would normally see in paint, staining the concrete allows it to infuse deep into the mix so as to create vibrant translucent colors that vary depending on the surface they are applied to as well as the method used. What you get is a concrete wall, floor or slab that can look like anything from natural stone, brick and even wood if you want it to be.
Acid and Water Based Concrete Staining
There are two general categories for concrete stains: acid based and water based stains. Both of them may be used to great effect on either existing or new concrete. They are quite effective for rejuvenating surfaces that lack interest. Concrete stains are able to penetrate the surface of the concrete unlike paint, which only rests on the surface and as such they offer excellent ultraviolet stability and resistance to wear and tear making them an ideal decorative concrete method for both interior and exterior concrete options. They may be applied to any vertical surfaces such as fireplaces or walls, patios and walkways, living room floors and even kitchen countertops.
Acid based stains work by piercing the surface of the concrete and then causing a chemical reaction with the lime present in the concrete. The acid in the stain then etches the surface lightly in order to allow the metallic salts to penetrate fully. During the chemical reaction, the stain then permanently becomes part of the surface of the concrete. It is impervious to chipping, peeling or fading. Acid based stains are limited to earth tones like browns and tans and soft blue-green hues.
Water-based staining comes in the full-spectrum of colors and are perfect for achieving eye-popping hues that goes beyond the subtleness of earth tone palettes. You can choose from standard hues and even metallic tints. They too penetrate the concrete surface like the acid based stain in order to create a permanent color that ranges from translucent to opaque depending on what you want them to be.
Let Lowell Russell Concrete help you choose the right concrete stain that can bring out and complement the beauty of your home.
