Acid-stained floors are simply amazing flooring alternatives if you’re tired of carpet, tile, and hardwood floors. Acid-stained floors offer warm earth tones or vibrant tones, there are simply unlimited color options, and your contractor can even do custom colors.
All concrete surfaces can be stained in or out of new or existing concrete. The process usually takes about five days from start to finish but the results are incredible. If you’re considering staining your floors, you should take a few simple precautions to save money and make sure your floor looks good.
New concrete should be covered with plastic to protect it from staining by other trades such as painters, plumbers, etc. All stains on any concrete surface must be removed before it can be stained and this can be an additional expense to repair the floor. . Acid stains are translucent and may not stain on areas that have previous stains, such as paint. The general rule of thumb is that if you know you’re going to have an acid-stained floor, you should cover it up if possible.
If you have old concrete that has a lot of stains, there are other options, such as microtoppings. A microtopping is a new concrete surface that is applied from paper thin to 1″ thick. Microtoppings can be used to fill imperfections in the surface. Microtoppings can also be used for different effects such as rock texture, slate texture , sprayed, textures, etc… and microtoppings can stain.
A few years ago I started playing around with microtoppings on other surfaces like plywood, tile, and marble. We came up with a way to microsurface over plywood in the interior section of our house that doesn’t have a concrete surface. The result of our new technique is an allergen-free and easy-to-clean surface with vibrant colors and earthy tones. This technique can also be applied on tiles, as long as the tile does not come loose. This saves the consumer the cost of tearing up and disposing of other flooring products.
Another option that is hitting the flooring market quite a bit right now is metallic epoxy, if you are looking for a really clean effect on a unique floor look into metallic epoxy. Metallic epoxy is a coating that starts with a 100% solids epoxy primer coat and then metallic epoxy is applied a day later. There are different effects that can be achieved with metallic epoxy, such as spraying denatured alcohol or acetone onto the metallic epoxy when wet to achieve a mottled look. Use a leaf blower to blow out the epoxy for a wavy look. These techniques should only be done by trained professionals, as it can also ruin a floor if not done correctly. When done correctly, metallic epoxy has a strong acid-stained floor look.
Maintenance of an acid-stained floor is done simply with microfiber mops or a mild detergent like simple green. Do not use cleaners that are abrasive. If your floor begins to look dull, a single coat of a wax mop such as colormaker uro floor finish can be applied to renew the shine and make the floor look new again.