How to Handle Stained Concrete Floors
Your concrete floor is built to last, but its long-term performance largely depends on how well you maintain it. Moisture, dust, and other contaminants will find passage into your concrete floors via its many pores. On top of that, shifts in the earth and changes in the environment can cause your concrete to fracture. Sealing your concrete flooring with quality materials will mitigate these problems and enhance the floor’s appearance. Epoxy concrete paint is the most popular option for coating these floors, but staining presents a viable alternative.
Concrete floor stain is a thin, water-based coating that soaks into the concrete’s pores and becomes a permanent part of it – a sealer is usually applied after staining to lock in the color, offer further protection, and provide additional sheen. Staining is a good option for those who wish to enhance their floor’s appearance and extend its lifespan. Concrete stain products come in a variety of types and colors, but they’re generally applied and maintained in the same ways. Here we’ll go over how to install and care for stained concrete floors.
The Concrete Staining Process
Proper concrete staining starts with the right preparation. These preparations involve the same steps you’d take before just about any floor coating project:
- Sand down minor cracks and protrusions
- Strip floors of previous coatings
- Grind floors with a weighted machine and diamond pads
- Pick up dust and debris with a wet/dry vacuum
- Perform floor repairs (fill cracks and patch holes before grinding them flat)
- Thoroughly clean floors (use a floor squeegee to speed up the drying process)
- Mask off areas you don’t want to stain
Once your floors are well-prepped, squeaky clean, dry, and masked accordingly, it’s time to apply the staining product of your choice. Concrete stain is often applied via spraying, though it can also be painted on with a roller or brush. After you’ve completely stained the concrete floor, wait until the product has set (see manufacturer instructions) before applying a topcoat of sealer. Some stain systems will warrant a third or even fourth coat. Whatever the case, it’s best to finish the job buffing the floors with a high-grit diamond pad for a smooth, polished look (mop floors between grit-level changes). Ultimately, you should be left with a fully sealed, bright, colorful concrete floor.
Maintaining Your Stained Concrete Floors
If you follow the steps outlined above, your stained concrete floors should retain their appearance and strength for a long time to come. Still, regular maintenance is necessary if you wish to get the most out of your concrete coatings. The good news is that stained floors are relatively easy to maintain. For starters, dry and wet mop your floors throughout the week to keep dust, dirt, and grime at bay. For a deeper periodic clean, incorporate a pH-neutral cleaner into your wet mopping process. Lastly, it’s best to apply a fresh topcoat of sealer every 2-3 years to protect the underlying stain and the concrete beneath.
How Anderson Painting Can Help
Concrete staining is only one of many options for preserving your flooring. At Anderson Painting, we recommend a more comprehensive concrete floor solution to our Raleigh, NC, customer base: Penntek polyurea coatings. We deem this the best concrete floor coating system for both residential and commercial purposes for its superior durability, customizability, convenience, and ease of maintenance. Whatever your plans for sealing your floors, however, our experts have you (and your floors) covered.
To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
