Stained and Dyed Cement Floors

One of the most beautiful floors you can imagine is nothing more than colored concrete. Of course there is more to getting this type of flooring than just painting a concrete floor. This comes from a process called “acid etching.”

In almost all homes concrete makes up the foundation flooring. This is even more apparent in slab-on-grade homes. These homes usually have the floor framed and then a subfloor is installed. However, many of this type of home has radiant infloor heating and th cement pad is used as a great thermal mass for distributing the heat. Tile is usually installed over the concrete as the finished flooring product. However, in the past few years the concrete pad, itself, has become the new end-use product.

The “acid etching” process of coloring concrete is really bringing out the tones by using chemicals. Since concrete is hydrated lime, or calcium chloride, it is highly reactive to certain chemicals like metallic acids. Since the composition of every load of concrete off the truck is slightly different than the one before no two floors are exactly the same. Most chemicals will produce black, brown and bluish-green.

In almost all cases the coloring depends on the cement properties, acid type, concrete finishing, age and sunlight. Slabs poured in wet weather conditions may produce a deeper stain color if the surface is stained right after drying. On sunny, dry days, the concrete can dry faster and the stains can’t penetrate as deeply.

Dyes can produce colors that chemical stains cannot achieve. They can also be used as a touch-up for areas where the stain did not penetrate well or to lighten the color. Dyes are inert and so will not react with the concrete. They can also be either organic or inorganic in origin and their effectiveness can be changed by using either water or solvents as a base. Like acids, stain colors are deeper is used soon after the concrete has been troweled. Azo-chromium coloring dyes are te most effective because the grains are fine enough to penetrate deeply into the concrete. As well, you can buy UV resistant stains in bright colors like reds and yellows.

In addition, for concrete used as a main floor for the home a stamping method can produce designs that resemble tile and stone.

Cleaning A Garage Floor

You’ve probably seen someone’s nice, glossy garage floor and wonder how they got it that way. In a previous blog I describe how garage floors can be coated with a wide variety of paints and finishes. These not only looks attractive but make the space easier to keep clean.

1. Prep: The key to a great floor is the preparation – and this includes cleaning the area first.
2. De-Clutter: The first step is to clear the garage of anything can be lifted out. If you are going to paint the floor afterward you will want to remove steel shelving and anything that can be removed.
3. Vacuum: Next, clean the area by sweeping and then vacuuming beginning with the high regions, walls, shelving and cabinets and working down. This thoroughness will prevent a breeze from blowing dust from the horizontal platforms like shelf tops onto your clean floor.
4. TSP: In a bucket mix up a solution of 1/2 cup of trisodium phosphate per gallon of water. With a good sponge mop begin at one corner and backup as you scrub the cement. The TSP is a great degreaser and cleaner.
5. Acid Wash: Buy a muratic acid solution and follow the directions for cleaning concrete on the label or, if there aren’t any, mix half-and-half with water. Always pour the acid into the water and, as this is a dangerous procedure, you should have goggles and gloves. With an old, clean mop spread the muratic acid solution on the floor. The acid will be neutralized by the high Ph of the concrete.
6. Rinse: Now water down the floor from a hose and squeegee the water out of the garage.

When dried, the floor is ready to the coating and this will bond easily to the concrete because all of the impurities will be gone.

Basement Floor Cracks

Cracks in a new concrete floor may seem like the first scratch on the paint job of a new car but in most cases it is quite normal. So that snake-like fissure running across the floor may not be as bad as it looks.

By its very nature concrete shrinks as it dries, as much 1/16″ for every 10 feet. Sometimes these cracks won’t show up for a year and sometimes they won’t show up at all. because there are other factors at play:

• The material below the concrete
• How the material was compacted
• The slump (mixture ratio to water) of the concrete
• Reinforcing

The main culprit is shrinkage and we are dealing with tremendous forces. And if there are sharp, 90 degree outside corners the possibility for a crack goes up.

Often times excavators won’t get all the organic materials out of the hole before putting down the gravel.
This plant material decays and the ground settles unevenly creating cracks in the basement floor.

If the cracks are sizable it is best to get a foundation expert in to seal them.

Outside Floors – Inside

There are many times that a person goes for a walk in the courtyard of a hotel or a public garden and sees a tiled floor that absolutely stunning. Sometimes this flooring can be natural stone, like slate or marble, but other times it is clay tile placed in a unique pattern with other tiles to make a unique design.

This styling is not new for the interior of a home. The southwest motif sometimes has flooring of the outside courtyard coming right into the foyer, and even throughout the home. It begins with a design and then this pattern is repeated so that there is a continuity to the home and surrounding courtyard.

Slate is also a great material for this because no tile is exactly the same but yet the coloring ties the floor together. Beginning with 12″ tiles as the main floor some designs call for bands of tiny 1″ tile squares in strips of 2 – 3. This is made even more striking by the uneven patina of the flooring but it may not be good for women in spiked heels.

Another type of floor design is the cobblestone look. Traditionally, cobblestoned designs are hard to do because some of them are fan-shaped. However, there are larger slabs with cobblestoned imprints which, when grouted are hard to tell from the real floors. If the door is on the same level as the outside this can be run from the sidewalk right into the home, much like the tile or slate mentioned before.

Concrete is also a great medium for this. Stained and stamped concrete can be made into almost any design or color a homeowner wants, even tile and slate without the imperfections. In a ne home this can be poured and run from the end of the sidewalk to the kitchen.

Cleaning Concrete Floors

Concrete garages are usually finished with a smooth surface and this is left”raw,” without paint. The problem with untreated concrete flooring is that it absorbs stains and alkali compounds which can cause pitting on the surface or cracks.

How you paint a concrete floor is determined by its intended use. Latex paint works well on walls but reacts with the rubber on the car tires, bicycle tires and other rubber when used on garage floors. This causes peeling whereas alkyd floor enamels are resistant to this corrosion and moisture. However, peeling can happen if the floor below absorbs moisture from the ground.

Cleaning a concrete floor is usually done with a mixture of TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) and water, TSP cuts grease and neutralizes acids and alkalis. To prevent oil from get at raw concrete you can have a shallow pan under the engine to catch dripping oil or spread kitty litter or sawdust over the spot where the stains appear. Changing this periodically will prevent the oil from spreading to other areas.

For rust stains the procedure is different. Use 1 part sodium citrate crystals with 6 parts water and use fuller’s earth to make it pasty. Spread over the rusty surface and let dry. The paste will absorb the rust stain.

Other coatings such as a small pebble and acrylic mix put a decorative patina on your garage floor and is impervious to oil and other stains. However, leaking radiator fluid is very corrosive so make sure you check your cooling system and then clean any surface daily.

Stained Concrete Flooring

Concrete floors are a durable and long-lasting addition to the home. Found in a variety of residences from single-family homes to condominiums they are put in basements and feature areas where their designs provide a classic and beautiful touch.

During its pouring cement can be dyed with stains or colorings for a variety of textures and hues or the surface can be stamped with patterns from mosaics to faux-wood finishes. The coloring can be mixed in when the cement is in the truck but the patterns and stains are put in later.

Concrete slabs can outlast the home so there is no need to even have to do it again. In addition, the smooth cement is clean and will not attract mold and will not fade or, if properly sealed, stain.

In addition a wide range of designs is possible after the cement is poured. Skilled craftsmen use dyes and special trowels to manipulate the cement to any design imaginable. It can be a simple walkway “stone” effect or the look of marble or travertine. A brown-stained and scored surface can look like terra cotta tile complete with grout-looking lining.

Of course the floor has to be able to take a layer of cement so this works better with slab-on-grade floor construction.