Best Interior Concrete Stains For Inside Your Home
Recently, concrete has topped the flooring options industry. Concrete floors are preferred instead of traditional carpet, vinyl, or hardwood flooring. Many homeowners are turning to concrete floors for their stylish and durable solution.
If what you have in mind are dull industrial concrete floors, we are here to let you in on a secret. Modern-day concrete floors can be fully customizable with different, yet beautiful finishing options to choose from.
As a matter of fact, concrete floors do come in a range of stains, colors, and textures. Thanks to advances in technology, even a normal grey concrete floor will look amazing with the right surface preparation and finishing.
If you are thinking about putting on a concrete floor for your home, do keep reading for a list of the best concrete floor finishes available.
Benefits of concrete flooring
Before we dissect the many finishing options available, let’s look at some of the main benefits of concrete flooring.
There are three main reasons why many homeowners choose to use concrete in their home. First of all, is the wide variety of finishing options available.
The other two benefits of concrete flooring are,
- Low maintenance-though some finishing options do require occasional sealants or waxing, concrete floors are incredibly low maintenance. Not only do these floors wipe clean easily they are also resistant to water and chemicals.
- Durability-concrete floors are tough and resilient they can withstand pressure from almost anything. These include furniture legs, pets, high heels, and more. So, where do people install these concrete floors in their homes? Concrete floors can be used throughout the house. They are however most popular for basements, kitchens, garages, and living areas.
On the YouTube channel, Chris loves Julia, on the video autoplay (playback), you will see, Chris and Julia talk about the concrete staining process of their home and its advantages. They take time to record and camera share information on how they prepare the surface with a floor buffer, cleaning it with a cleaner (Goo gone Pro power), and applying the stain color. This is a YouTube channel that has many videos on staining, construction, and renovation ideas (on autoplay) that will guide you with information on staining your concrete floors. You can record the videos on your DVR storage space device to playback when you need to. You can also create a playlist of Chris loves Julia videos on your computer to play on autoplay, this will prevent any video interruptions. These video shows discussing different products will help you learn more about DIY products, and concrete staining. Playing TV recommendations on autoplay will give you better views on staining.
You can also go to the Chris loves Julia website(rights reserved), copy link tap to start the playback or autoplay on more videos on the playlist. It’s all about sharing information. Do not forget to Chris loves Julia subscribe and comment name. Also, leave your email address to receive notifications of their video shows, and get information and more details on products on how to stain your interior concrete floor.
You can access these video views on your computer device and phone and can copy link tap on the video with most views and share with your friends. You can also connect your TV to your DVR storage space and save the videos in a playlist and set them on autoplay.
How do you finish an interior concrete floor?
What concrete floor finishes are available? Which is the right fit for your home? Look at the list below of the most used concrete floor finishing options.
Acid-based stain
Acid-based stains do stain concrete floors and will give you a very bold look. Acid stains are recognizable by their mottled appearance and highly variegated finish when you use them to stain an interior surface. Once this acid stain reacts with your concrete floor, it produces a very durable color that will not fade or chip.
Acid-based stains will offer you a variety of vibrant earth tones such as blue-green colors, browns, and tans. You should note that the color that acid-based stains will produce, will vary depending on the color and condition of the substrate that it’s applied to. Acid stains tend to be translucent and provides a unique look every time. Remember to neutralize the acid in the stain to stop the reaction.
Steps when applying an acid stain to concrete,
- Make sure to put on protective gear and be cautious every time when dealing with acids.
- Do not acid wash the concrete before applying to it.
- Allow the acid stains to dry for 5-24hrs. This depends on the intensity of the color desired
- Use alkaline soap and water to neutralize the acid stain when cleaning.
Check out more videos on Chris loves Julia on YouTube, to learn more on staining concrete. Do so on your mobile or computer device on autoplay now!
Water-based stains
These are usually used to bond(stain the interior concrete) and are available in different colors. They are a surface coating, however, so you shouldn’t expect water-based stains to be absorbed into the concrete. You have more control over a water-based stain color and thus not prone to make an error . This staining interior concrete floor method will also provide your surfaces with more working time than dyes,
If you are looking for something to stain your interior concrete floors and spaces but looking beyond the subtle shades palette of acid stains to a full spectrum of colors, a water-based stain will be the best staining option to get for your stained concrete floors. Water-based stains, however, will tend to be slightly less vibrant on stained concrete. They offer different colors of concrete stain, to choose from including metallic tints. A water-based stain is low in volatile organic compounds and is much safer to apply to your interior concrete floor. When staining interior concrete floor, it produces a different chemical reaction during application that results in the final color details produced to be more consistent throughout your stained concrete.
While staining interior concrete floor, with water-based stains, you can work with a color palette that is not available with the acid stains. You are able to create artistic effects achieved in the concrete areas by blending colors. The stain will be easy and safe to apply and provide more room for error. Water-based stains give off more consistent colors on the stained concrete floors. The stain has a faster drying time and will save you time and labor Make sure to limit interruptions while applying so as to produce good results. Most nonreactive stains will call for acid washing to open and prepare the surface to give good adhesion.
Do not skip these steps. Use a floor buffer to prepare the interior concrete floors for staining. These are TV recommendations by Chris, of Chris loves Julia. ( concrete stain DIY expert). Make sure to Chris loves Julia subscribe to their YouTube videos, where the camera share information on the same. Water-based concrete stains will come in the following options, acrylic, semi-transparent, and solid colors.
Liquid acetone dyes
Liquid acetone dyes are relatively thin and UV stable stain concrete dyes. They have a greater extensive color palette compared to powdered acetone dyes that can be used when staining interior concrete floor. They also dry quickly so make sure to avoid interruptions during the process to not make an error.
Fast stain
This is a brand of fast-drying and Eco-friendly concrete stain. It offers a flecked appearance and a highly variegated coat, similar to the acid stain. Fast stains are a great way for polished concrete. They can be used on their own or as an addition with an acid or water-based stain. Use a sealer to lock in the stains and protect the floor
Acrylic concrete sealer
Acrylic sealers will provide a thin protective film on the surface of your concrete floor. Acrylic sealers come in a range of sheen and will provide good protection against water. These sealers are relatively hard with a little flexibility, gives a lovely matte coat, and is very uniform in color. You should note that this type of sealer coat tends to wear faster than other options. You may like to pair the sealer with waxing regularly to prevent marks on your polished concrete.
Standard epoxy
standard epoxy is recommended for staining concrete floors in highly trafficked areas of your home. It is typically limited for interior use and provides a beautiful glossy look. An epoxy finish is abrasion-resistant, chemical resistant, and durable. The coat also offers a nice uniform color to your concrete floor.
Metallic epoxy
Similar to the standard epoxy finish, the metallic epoxy is really hard and incredibly durable. The metallic epoxy will offer a brilliant metallic effect and a unique flow and beautiful color to your floor. This is a great way for a basement floor, as it is quite unique and will brighten up space. It is also a great water repellent.
Terrazzo or granite epoxy
A great way to add a unique look and some texture to your interior concrete floors. The concrete stain methods provide a similar concrete stain to your interior concrete floor. These stained concrete floors are both easy to clean, and extremely durable. The finishing methods use decorative color chips that are broadcasted into liquid epoxy. The chips will allow a huge variety of color combinations and patterns to choose from, despite having a wide range of patterns. This tends to make it look like polished concrete.
Quartz Sand Epoxy
If you’re looking for something to make your concrete floor an extra high-strength interior concrete floor surface, the quartz sand epoxy is a great option. This can be used for example, for your garage floor. This concrete floor colored finishing option will provide excellent wear resistance, chemical resistance, and sanitation. It is also quite smooth ( like polished concrete) and has a high slip-resistant surface.
So, after listing down all the different stain methods, we look at the different steps needed to achieve the right color with your stain.
How to stain an interior concrete floor
- Remove your baseboards and use plastic sheets to tape off the room. Remove the baseboard trim in your room if it’s in contact with the floor. If it’s off the floor, use painter’s tape to take off the baseboards. If you decide to remove it, use a pry bar to pull it away gently from the wall and this should leave it intact and allow you easy reattachment rather than replacement.
- Use an electric floor sander to sand the floor completely. Once you have sanded your floors, use the cleaner to really clean the floors. You can start by vacuuming the excess dust first. Once the floor is free of dust, mop the floors with a mixture of water and TSP. Let it sit on the floor for 20 minutes and begin to scrub with a long-handled scrub brush before mopping up.
- Wash and rinse the floor and then give it time to dry. Use a sprayer to spray on the acid stain. You can add multiple coats with a 2-3 hour waiting time in between. Use a figure 8 pattern motion while not staying in one place for too long, and overlapping your sprays to apply the stain. You can also use a long handle scrub brush to scrub the stain in a circular motion as you go behind yourself.
- Neutralize the acid with TSP and water two hours after the last coat and use a cleaner to rinse the floor thoroughly. Once you are satisfied that your stained concrete floors look great, and you’ve let the last coat of stain to dry for at least 2 hours, you need to neutralize the acid. You will do this easily by mixing more TSP and water and mopping on it and whilst rubbing it in with a brush.
- Use an acrylic based sealer when dry and wax the floors. Make sure that your floors are totally dry before sealing them. If you do not wait long enough the sealer might come out looking cloudy.
Tip –Why should I use a sealer?, Using a sealer, to seal stained concrete is important as it helps protect the floor and the stain. A sealer should be used after staining interior concrete floor and the stain is dry. It is important to seal your floors after every few years using an acrylic-based sealer, to keep its color looking new.
Conclusion
When you have gone through the above tips and steps and are still unsure of how to properly stain your floors to the right color, you can follow Chris loves Julia on YouTube and watch their videos (which have many views and an autoplay choice) on the same. They believe that sharing information is important. You can also watch their views on how they use different TV recommendations on different products, and shows to know what stains they need to make their concrete masterpieces. These products from the TV recommendations are easily available. (Note that, the different shows one watches on TV will influence their TV recommendations). These videos can be stored on record on a DVR storage space and played on autoplay or playback to better understand the staining processes and details. They believe that sharing information is caring, on which we agree. Do remember to Chris loves Julia subscribe, and copy link tap and camera share your own DIY staining steps!
