With all the wear and tear our floors endure, staining concrete is the perfect way to protect your flooring from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Scratches, scuffs, and stains will be no match for the sealed surface of stained concrete. This worthwhile investment will make your floors easy to clean and maintain, even when life gets super busy, which it inevitably always does.
You might wonder exactly why staining concrete is worth it, and that’s what we’re here to talk about. Keep reading to learn more about stained concrete, including our explanation of the different types of concrete staining.
Stained Concrete Is Versatile
The first thing you need to know about stained concrete is how versatile it is. When it comes to your flooring, you want something easy that has options. Staining concrete can take bland flooring to a new level with beautiful, stylish options.
Do you want your floors to look like stone or wood at a fraction of the cost? Stamp your concrete overlay with a stone or wood plank pattern to get this look. Do you want your flooring to look like polished marble? Natural stone? Antiqued? Variegated? Mottled? Multi-color? Monochromatic?
Check, check, and check. You can achieve any of these looks with stained concrete. And, as we’ll discuss later in this blog, you can choose between solvent and water-based acrylic staining to achieve the look you want.
Stained Concrete Is Economical
Staining concrete is one of the most affordable options for your concrete flooring, whether you’re applying it to a small square or a large section of your home. Once your floor is cleaned and prepped, you can stain concrete immediately.
Plus, problems like discoloration or chips and dings can be hidden by concrete staining, saving you money on would-be repairs that would go hand-in-hand with other flooring options that don’t hide surface problems.
Stained concrete saves you money in the long run, too, since you won’t need to replace your flooring every few years. The concrete itself is durable; the sealed surface only adds to that protection. And if you pick staining with UV protection, the color won’t fade, either.
Stained Concrete Is Even More Durable Than Concrete
And we already know concrete is durable. The difference? Staining concrete protects it from light abrasion, staining, moisture, and extreme temperature changes. It also helps with cracking, peeling, chipping, and fading. Left bare, concrete will become susceptible to all these issues and become damaged over time.
Stained concrete’s protection is perfect for outdoor concrete that will be exposed to all the elements. Don’t let the smooth surface fool you. Staining concrete provides a sealed surface that only adds to the natural durability of concrete.
It won’t get scratched, scuffed, or damaged by furniture, plants, decorations, toys, etc. Staining your concrete is an excellent choice if your family is always coming and going or if you want to gather everyone together in one place that won’t quickly get damaged. Think toddlers and teenagers in the same space.
Stained Concrete Is Easy to Care For
With the hustle and bustle of life comes a lack of time to deep clean your floors. This is why many homeowners hire a cleaning service to deep clean their homes. Stained concrete is handy here since it’s very easy to clean and maintain.
For stained concrete flooring in your home’s interior, you can easily keep your floors clean with a dry dust mop. If your floors get particularly dirty, wet mop them with a neutral-pH cleaner, and they’ll be good as new.
For outdoor stained concrete flooring, use a broom and your garden hose to remove caked-on dirt. You don’t need to worry about dust and dirt building up, moisture accumulating, or bacteria or mold growing on your floors, as the sealed surface of concrete staining prevents these issues.
Types of Concrete Staining
As we mentioned earlier in this blog, options abound when it comes to staining concrete. If you have a certain way you want your home to look, chances are there’s a stain for it.
There are two primary types of stains: acid stain and water-based acrylic stain. Let’s take a closer look so we can understand the differences between these stains. If you have any questions about acid or acrylic stains, a professional can answer your questions.
Acid Staining
Acid-based stains are composed of inorganic metallic salts that dissolve in a solution of acid and water. As they dissolve, they penetrate the surface and form a permanent bond with the concrete through their chemical reaction.
Acid-based stains are translucent instead of opaque. The result? Beautiful, rich tones with marbled effects. Acid staining is ideal if you want a textured or marbled effect, as the chemical reactions provide precisely that.
Water-Based Acrylic Stain
Acrylic stains couldn’t be more different. They don’t react chemically with the concrete to form a bond. Instead, the stain – a blend of acrylic polymers and pigments – fills the concrete surface’s pores, producing a colored film/coating. Water-based acrylic stains can be translucent or opaque. It depends on the type of stain you use.
The color of acrylic stains is more consistent than acid staining since there is no chemical reaction. Additionally, acrylic stains don’t contain many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making them safer to apply to your flooring.
Get Your Concrete Stained with Pro Basin Coatings
Between its durability, economic benefits, versatility, and easy maintenance, staining concrete is one of the best options out there for your concrete flooring needs. Whether it’s your patio, garage, or kitchen floor, there’s a stain for it.
A beautifully stained concrete floor begins with Pro Basin Coatings. If you’re ready to stain your concrete or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Call us at 801.808.2123, or contact us through our website for your quote.
Let Pro Basin Coatings stain your concrete for easy-to-clean, beautiful flooring that you’ll enjoy for years to come.
