Types Of Concrete Stain

By Author: Sharon Burns
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Types of Concrete Stain

Typically when you go to any home improvement store, you will see concrete floor stain, however there will not be any differentiator betweens types of stains. There will be a handful of stains available, with little or no explanation of what type it is.

Acid Concrete stain is merely a stain that has an acid chemical composition makeup (to open the concrete) allowing the stain itself to penetrate within the pores of the concrete. My research has shown that there is less than 15% acid within the acid concrete stain product. Due to the chemical reaction with the concrete, the acid concrete stain color may not appear exactly as expected.

Concrete acrylic stains are similar to acid concrete stains. However the concrete acrylic stains do not use the acid chemical process, instead they use a dyeing process to color the cement.

Both of these types of concrete stain (concrete acid stain and concrete acrylic stain) are available in semi-transparent colors, meaning that the color appearance will vary depending on amount of stain that is applied in any one area. The ...
... more stain that is applied in one area, the darker the color will appear in that area. It is also possible to have more than one color layered (say a black and brown) in which case, it can have almost a marbling appearance.

With these semi transparent cement stains, the applicator can also change the appearance. I opted to use a stain brush to apply the stain, and before it dried, I then used a paint roller to smooth and blend the stain stroke edges.

Water based concrete stains are also making their way onto the scene. These seem to have even a wider selection of colors available and have a wider array of translucency options. They do not use a chemical reaction to dye the concrete, , as the acid concrete stains do, using an acrylic chemical blend instead. However the water based concrete stain still provides a permanent color. Some have stated that the water based concrete stain provides a more consistent color than that of the acid stain.

Concrete floor paint (also known as epoxy) is yet another method to cover your concrete floor. Because concrete floor paint lays on the concrete surface versus the penetration that occurs with any concrete stain product, the amount of traffic should be considered before using this product, as it can be prone to chip and peel. The most common uses for the concrete floor paint with large success is garage and basement floors. There are MANY kits available for creating a showroom garage floor that any do it yourself homeowner can easily do themselves.

For more step by step instructions, other resources, and additional information visit Concrete Stain Online