Stained Concrete

[MLinOleMiss]

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a home and would like to pull up the old flooring and stain and seal the concrete. The main reason is my son suffers from severe allergies and carpet tends to hold dust and dirt. Ceramic or wood are way too expensive and vinyl looks cheap. I spoke with a contractor and he quoted me $6.50 a sq/ft (with us pulling up the old flooring). At 2500 sq/ft, he isn't an option, especially after I did some online research and legwork and found that I could get the needed materials for less than $1,000. I am self-employed and the wife is a school teacher, we both have retired dads that are very handy in home repair, so the labor to get up the old flooring will not be an issue. I was wondering if anyone has done this and what the results were. Thanks.

 

[MLinOleMiss]

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a home and would like to pull up the old flooring and stain and seal the concrete. The main reason is my son suffers from severe allergies and carpet tends to hold dust and dirt. Ceramic or wood are way too expensive and vinyl looks cheap. I spoke with a contractor and he quoted me $6.50 a sq/ft (with us pulling up the old flooring). At 2500 sq/ft, he isn't an option, especially after I did some online research and legwork and found that I could get the needed materials for less than $1,000. I am self-employed and the wife is a school teacher, we both have retired dads that are very handy in home repair, so the labor to get up the old flooring will not be an issue. I was wondering if anyone has done this and what the results were. Thanks.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

At a woodwork shop I used to work in we had concrete floors.
I spent a year in the paint/stain shop.
One day I spilled half a 5 gallon bucket of stain on the floor.
Cleaned it up as quick as I could, but it left a huge stain on the floor.
I would think that if you wanted it to happen then it would be that easy.
Pour it on, mop it around, wipe it off. Repeat to get more color depth.

The shop had smooth finish concrete floors.
If you have wood over concrete it mite not be that smooth.

Pooh Bear

 

[Pooh_Bear]

At a woodwork shop I used to work in we had concrete floors.
I spent a year in the paint/stain shop.
One day I spilled half a 5 gallon bucket of stain on the floor.
Cleaned it up as quick as I could, but it left a huge stain on the floor.
I would think that if you wanted it to happen then it would be that easy.
Pour it on, mop it around, wipe it off. Repeat to get more color depth.

The shop had smooth finish concrete floors.
If you have wood over concrete it mite not be that smooth.

Pooh Bear

 

[Syncro]

Thats a tough call if you want it done right. The stained and patterned concrete process starts with the original pour and involves more than people think. To retro finish a slab that never was meant to be exposed is gonna be tough, unless its a very smooth finish under the carpet. My suggestion to you would be to look into a laminate flooring, these can be had for ~$3/ft and can be installed yourself. They go down pretty easy and places like Home Depot will assist. Ceramic tile also is a good way to go, and sometimes tile outlet stores have great bargains, installation however will require a little knowledge to get a pro looking job. Another cheaper option is to use a 2 part epoxy paint, this will give you a very tough and slick surface, it might look a little industrial, but relatively easy to apply. Good luck.

 

[Syncro]

Thats a tough call if you want it done right. The stained and patterned concrete process starts with the original pour and involves more than people think. To retro finish a slab that never was meant to be exposed is gonna be tough, unless its a very smooth finish under the carpet. My suggestion to you would be to look into a laminate flooring, these can be had for ~$3/ft and can be installed yourself. They go down pretty easy and places like Home Depot will assist. Ceramic tile also is a good way to go, and sometimes tile outlet stores have great bargains, installation however will require a little knowledge to get a pro looking job. Another cheaper option is to use a 2 part epoxy paint, this will give you a very tough and slick surface, it might look a little industrial, but relatively easy to apply. Good luck.

 

[Maxfli]

I just stained and seal 1500 sq ft of basement rec room. We have hot water heat in the floor, and My wife wanted something indestructible for her dogs. I have to say it worked pretty well. First I ordered a sample Kit of 6 or so colors and tried some test areas. You have to watch it cause it can get to dark pretty easy. What I did was ordered the lightest color (Amber I think), diluted 1 part stain to 2 parts water (by the way this is acid stain, not the stuff at home depot). I masked a tile pattern on the floor using 1/4" tape, with and exterior border all around the room. It was very important to super clean the floor ahead of time. Used a cheap garden sprayer to put on 1 coat of stain, then did a second coat on the outer border area, it made that portion a dark shade. Then after is set for several hours, scrubbed and wash out the floor with water and baking soda (Neutralizes the acid). Then using the same sprayer put on about 5 coats of sealer. It left a little bit of a ruff finish, I wish the sealer had formed a perfectly flat seal like a varnish might have done. Either way it looks great. I would do it again in a minute. Patina of the concrete come through and there is all kinds of variation in how the stain looks.

 

[Maxfli]

I just stained and seal 1500 sq ft of basement rec room. We have hot water heat in the floor, and My wife wanted something indestructible for her dogs. I have to say it worked pretty well. First I ordered a sample Kit of 6 or so colors and tried some test areas. You have to watch it cause it can get to dark pretty easy. What I did was ordered the lightest color (Amber I think), diluted 1 part stain to 2 parts water (by the way this is acid stain, not the stuff at home depot). I masked a tile pattern on the floor using 1/4" tape, with and exterior border all around the room. It was very important to super clean the floor ahead of time. Used a cheap garden sprayer to put on 1 coat of stain, then did a second coat on the outer border area, it made that portion a dark shade. Then after is set for several hours, scrubbed and wash out the floor with water and baking soda (Neutralizes the acid). Then using the same sprayer put on about 5 coats of sealer. It left a little bit of a ruff finish, I wish the sealer had formed a perfectly flat seal like a varnish might have done. Either way it looks great. I would do it again in a minute. Patina of the concrete come through and there is all kinds of variation in how the stain looks.

 

[TheKid]

<font color="blue"> Here's </font>another option instead of stain. Their FAQ says the cost is about $1 sq/ft for the materials for a basic three color job.

 

[TheKid]

<font color="blue"> Here's </font>another option instead of stain. Their FAQ says the cost is about $1 sq/ft for the materials for a basic three color job.