My good friend Gaye Goodman created a course on How to Stain Concrete Floors using her methods to create beautiful Artistic Stained Concrete Floors. I have personally attended one of her seminars and felt it was one of the best investments I have made in my decorative concrete business career.
She will walk you through the entire process of creating some pretty fancy artistic methods but also the basics as to what it takes to create a great stained floor.
During the video she refers to what the sample color will look like when it is dry and that is what you should expect your color to be. This relates to an acrylic floor sealer that really doesn’t bring out the stain color the way a solvent based sealer or our Tough Seal WB sealer can do.
Below is a clip from the course, if you decide your would like to purchase the course go to Gaye Goodman Training to make a great investment in yourself and your floors.
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Do It Yourself Concrete Staining: Things to Know Before You Begin
Posted April 30th, 2010 by How To Stain Concrete | No CommentsOne of the most popular articles concerning Do It Yourself Concrete Staining was written by Mr. Kirk Muhlhauser and has been viewed over 50,000 times. We felt it was important to include it here in case you have not read this well written article.
It gives a realistic viewpoint as to what concrete stains can do for your concrete surfaces and what are the realistic expectations that you can expect.
While we believe water based polymer bonded stains are superior to acrylic stains it nonetheless explains the difference between acid stains and water based stains
Cudos Mr. Muhlhauser
Do it yourself concrete staining is the cheapest and easiest way to enhance the appearance of your concrete surfaces. The alternatives, tearing out existing concrete and replacing with new or decorative overlays, are not recommended for do-it-yourselfers and can be very expensive. But before you begin your staining project there are a few things you need to know.
There are two types of concrete stains to choose from, acid stains and acrylic stains. Acid stains work by chemically reacting with free lime in the surface to produce a natural looking, translucent color. They create a mottled, variegated, multi-hued coloring. Every concrete surface reacts differently to acids stains making each job unique. Acrylic stains are waterborne and have pigments that seep into the pores and adhere to the concrete, therefore creating a more consistent, semi translucent color like that of a dye. Acrylic stains will help mask imperfections and discolorations whereas acid stains actually accentuate them.
For many surfaces, acid and acrylic stains will work equally as well, but which one you choose depends on the look you want. However, there are situations where one type will work better than the other. For older, exterior concrete (more than 15-20 yrs old) acid stains may not work because much of the free lime has leeched away. Acrylic stains are great for old concrete because of its increased porosity over time. Acid stains work well with newer concrete because of the availability of free lime. If repairs need to be made such as patching pop outs or scaling, then acrylics may be the better choice to help disguise the repairs. Any patching materials will stand out with acid stains. For smooth trowelled interior surfaces with less porosity, acid stains are usually better because they don’t require as much penetration to color the concrete.
Before beginning it’s also important to have realistic expectations. Staining can turn dull, gray concrete into a beautiful and colorful finish, but it’s impossible to know exactly how the finished product will look, especially with acid stains. Every concrete surface is different and so will accept stains differently. The exact same stain will have two different appearances with two different slabs. Even seasoned pros can’t predict the exact outcome of a staining job. For this reason, it’s not a good idea to try to exactly match the color of concrete to anything else such as brick or siding. There’s a very good chance you won’t be successful. Instead, choose a complimentary color or shade for your concrete. For instance, if you have light brown siding, then choose a dark brown stain.
The most critical part of staining is preparation. Take time in deciding how you want your concrete to look and getting the surface ready to apply the stain. You get one shot at getting it right unless you want to do a major overhaul to the surface. Do it yourself concrete staining is not a difficult process but does require an honest effort to be satisfied your finished product.
Kirk Muhlhauser offers ideas and instructions for enhancing your home’s concrete surfaces. Find information on concrete stains, paints, and sealers at http://www.all-things-concrete.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirk_Muhlhauser
Posted in category: Do it yourself concrete staining | Tags: Acid Stains, Acids, Acrylic Stains, Appearance, Conc, Concrete Staining, Concrete Stains, Concrete Surface, Concrete Surfaces, Cudos, Free Lime, Imperfections, Job, Mask, Pigments, Polymer, Pores, Porosity, Realistic Expectations, Translucent Color, Viewpoint, Water Based Stains
How To Stain Concrete Floors – The Easy Way
Posted April 4th, 2010 by How To Stain Concrete | 1 CommentImagine if I shared with you that you could take that unappealing, cold, gray concrete floor and transform it into a thing of beauty which receives 
praise from friends, family, or customers, would this interest you? Epoxy flooring is an alternative, but staining is usually a practical solution. Imagine if I told you that you are able to do the staining yourself for under $.50 per sq/ft? By simply showing you how to stain concrete floors I am going to provide you with an easy and low-cost solution to turn your eyesore concrete into a wonderful masterpiece. With stained concrete floors you can have the durability and ease of cleaning concrete is famous for, with the design of stone or marble.
Posted in category: Concrete | Tags: Acid Stain, Acid Staining Concrete, Acid Stains, Blog, Cleaning Concrete, Concrete Acid Stain, Concrete Floor, Concrete Stains, Durability, Epoxy Flooring, Free Lime, Friends Family, how to stain concrete floors, Imagine, Low Cost Solution, Marble, Masterpiece, Practical Solution, Sq Ft, Stained Concrete Floors, Staining Concrete, Thing Of Beauty
Soil Stabilization, When Building a Walkway Is Important If You Don’t Care For Cracks, These Recommendations Can Help.
Posted February 23rd, 2010 by How To Stain Concrete | No CommentsWhen constructing a sidewalk it is important for you to stabilize the soils which will be underneath the wearing surface of that path. Often times these are tiles or bricks that may crack easily if not supported as it should be. Whatever the material of preference you will need to use soil stabilization before placing the tile. In this information we take a look at a small number of choices to the stabilization process.
The two universal systems of stabilization are mechanical as well as chemical. The effectiveness of stabilization depends upon a chance to achieve equality in blending assorted materials. Assimilation in a stationary or roving plant is preferred; but, other means of integration, for instance scarifies, plows, disks, graders, along with rotating mixers, have been satisfactory. The method of soil stabilization is set by the total amount of stabilizing necessary along with the situation encountered on the development. For most home-based applications we’ll be focusing on a small area which might effortlessly be mixed in place by means of a typical plot tiller.
Compound stabilization encompasses using chemical substances in addition to emulsions in the function of compaction aids to soils. Chemical stabilization products will also help in haul road dust control. Mechanical soil stabilization involves compaction, and rubbery as well as other non-biodegradable reinforcement of geomaterials to enhance strength.
With this article we’ll look at chemical soil stabilization. Chemical soil stabilization includes yet isn’t restricted to Cement, Lime, Bitumen along with liquid soil stabilizer solutions. Regarding Cement, lime and Bitumen, we’ll call those the powder types of chemical stabilizer whereas the other is considered a liquid soil stabilizer.
While planning a path one must stabilize the bottom ahead of setting the pavers if you are looking to eliminate cracking. If cracking is just not a problem to you, don’t be concerned with stabilization. The essential rule to a first-class walkway is to get a minimum 8 inches of stabilized soil below the pavers. As you dig away the pathway, test out the grade at many intervals to verify its level transversely. A slope of around 1/8th of an inch for each foot is perfect.
Once you have your foundation set out, you can start the soil stabilization procedure. With any of the powder types of stabilizers you’ll basically blend them into the top soil. To do this you will pour some of the powder along the center of what is to be the footpath. Level the powder soil stabilizer evenly along the walk section, after which thoroughly mix the material in using a standard garden tiller. Be certain to utilize a dust mask while doing this part. Once your stabilizer is totally mixed into the dirt, you can begin to reshape the dirt back to height and grade.
When using the liquid soil stabilizer, subject to your type of soil, you can actually either till the dirt initially or simply spray the additive directly on top of the ground. The liquid soil stabilizer will little by little work its way into the soil. You should begin with fairly dry dirt in order for the liquid stabilizer to mix with the soil. Occasionally it’s going to take only a couple of minutes for this liquid to work its way in and other times it may take a complete evening.
No matter when you employ powder based or liquid based soil stabilizers, you will want to follow with a plate compactor to finish your pathway. In a few situations folks that would like the untreated look may choose at this time to simply seal the walkway that was stabilized using the liquid stabilizer. This without a doubt provides a really nice walkway exclusive of the need for more work or expenses by means of pavers. Never the less, beginning with a properly stabilized base for your path provide you with a longer lasting and extra stable pathway for years to come.
Posted in category: Uncategorized | Tags: Assimilation, Assorted Materials, Bitumen, Bricks, Building A Walkway, Chemical Soil Stabilization, Chemical Stabilization, Chemical Substances, Dust Abatement, Dust Control, Dust management, Haul Road, Mixers, Pavers, Plows, Reinforcement, Road Dust, Road Dust Control, Soil Compaction, Soil Stabelization, Soil Stabilizer, Soils, Tiller, Typical Plot, Universal Systems
How long does it take to stain a concrete floor?
Posted February 22nd, 2010 by How To Stain Concrete | 1 CommentQ.
A. That’s kind of an open questions but here is the skinny to how I do it and I never have to go back because I hurried the installation
Day on-e clean the concrete and if you have taken up carpet and have tack strip holes to repair clean the floor first using shop vac to clean up and then repair the holes using anchoring cement or versabond thinset
Day two- use a drywall sandscreen to smooth repair spots and stain floor – wait two to three hours and flood floor with water and knock stain loose with push broom and shop vac water and residue
Day three- two coats of sealer using 3/8 nap shed resistant roller
Day five- three coats of floor finish (wax) this can actually be done at the 36-48 hour mark after applying sealer when using Tough Seal WB
Posted in category: Ask a Pro, Concrete Staining, Concrete floor care | Tags: Bud, Carpet, Cement, Concrete Floor, Concrete Staining, Cure Time, Drywall Repair, Flood, Furniture, Holes, Nap, Push Broom, Quick Response, Shop Vac, Tack Strip, Tough Seal, Two Coats, Versabond Thinset, Waxing, Wb
