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3674 Rt.111 Pontoon Beach Il. 62040	concretebob1961@yahoo.com	(618) 670-6103 or (314) 338-6174
Acid Stain Flooring Acid staining concrete is the most common and least expensive of all interior decorative concrete applications. Mostly recognized for being applied to existing concrete they also can be applied to thin overlays. They consist of using one single color or a multi color wash over the entire floor and left as is, then protective sealers and finishes applied over the top of it, or after staining it can be scare cut into tile or other decorative designs before the protective sealers and finishes are applied. For more integral floors, designs can be pre-scar cut into the concrete first before the staining process, allowing separate coloring in different sections of the design, this will allow for more creativity with the floor design and the coloring process. But before choosing acid staining there are many factors to consider. The first thing you will need to know about acid stained concrete is how it works. When acid stain is applied to concrete it works off a natural chemical reaction with the concrete. What this means is the chemical reaction between the acid stain and the existing concrete is uncontrollable. How the acid stain will turn out in the end will be based upon the condition of the concrete it is applied to. Acid stains are translucent and will not hide imperfections such as existing stains, cracks, trowel marks, patched spots or existing texture in the concrete it is being applied to, this will result in drastic non uniformed color differences in these eras making them stand out even more. This is very desirable look when trying to achieve a worn rustic appearance. Surface grinding the concrete before acid staining will help smooth out rough texture in the concrete but will not help to eliminate existing stains or the effects of patch and crack fill materials as these eras will react differently than the concrete will react to the acid stain being applied. Even if you’re existing concrete may not appear to have any imperfections in it, it most likely dose and you may not be happy with the end results. That’s why when doing existing concrete with acid stain there are no guaranties on how it will turn out. Even when it’s new construction unless the contractors are instructed to keep the newly poured concrete protected at all times it will be exposed to drywall compounds, oils and a variety of other contaminates that will affect the final outcome of the staining process. It’s like a roll of the dice, you get what you get. Now if you are looking for a more uniform look there is a way around this problem, first you must remember that acid stains are translucent and will show every imperfection in the existing concrete that is to be stained. The way to eliminate this problem is to first apply a very thin polymer cement overlay down about 1/6 to 1/8 inch over the existing concrete to be stained, creating what we call a fresh pallet. This will cover up and hide all the imperfections in the concrete resulting in a much more uniform look when the acid stain is applied. At this point the floor can be sealed and finished or scare cut designs can be applied before the seal and finish process. For more integral flooring designs using multiple colors ,the floor design can be pre cut into the existing concrete or the thin overlay before the stains are applied allowing control of what colors will go where in the design then they can be sealed and finished. There are many types of protective finishes to choose from like, natural, satin, high gloss, or wet look finishes. A basic acid staining consisting of one or even multiple colors applied directly to the existing concrete is the cheapest of all versions of decorative concrete flooring. If decorative designs or desired pricing will be determined by the complexity of the design and how the colors are to be applied. If a thin overlay is needed to be applied first this will also affect cost. There are other factors that may affect the cost such as glue removal left from pre existing carpet or tile, crack repair etc. These costs are minimal and will need to be done first no matter what type flooring you my chose to go with. Pricing for acid stain flooring should range from $2.00 a sq. ft. on the low end to $4.00 a sq. ft. on the high end.

3674 Rt.111 Pontoon Beach Il. 62040

concretebob1961@yahoo.com

(618) 670-6103 or (314) 338-6174

Acid Stain Flooring

Acid staining concrete is the most common and least expensive of all interior decorative concrete applications. Mostly recognized for being applied to existing concrete they also can be applied to thin overlays. They consist of using one single color or a multi color wash over the entire floor and left as is, then protective sealers and finishes applied over the top of it, or after staining it can be scare cut into tile or other decorative designs before the protective sealers and finishes are applied.

For more integral floors, designs can be pre-scar cut into the concrete first before the staining process, allowing separate coloring in different sections of the design, this will allow for more creativity with the floor design and the coloring process. But before choosing acid staining there are many factors to consider.

The first thing you will need to know about acid stained concrete is how it works. When acid stain is applied to concrete it works off a natural chemical reaction with the concrete. What this means is the chemical reaction between the acid stain and the existing concrete is uncontrollable. How the acid stain will turn out in the end will be based upon the condition of the concrete it is applied to. Acid stains are translucent and will not hide imperfections such as existing stains, cracks, trowel marks, patched spots or existing texture in the concrete it is being applied to, this will result in drastic non uniformed color differences in these eras making them stand out even more.

This is very desirable look when trying to achieve a worn rustic appearance. Surface grinding the concrete before acid staining will help smooth out rough texture in the concrete but will not help to eliminate existing stains or the effects of patch and crack fill materials as these eras will react differently than the concrete will react to the acid stain being applied. Even if you’re existing concrete may not appear to have any imperfections in it, it most likely dose and you may not be happy with the end results. That’s why when doing existing concrete with acid stain there are no guaranties on how it will turn out. Even when it’s new construction unless the contractors are instructed to keep the newly poured concrete protected at all times it will be exposed to drywall compounds, oils and a variety of other contaminates that will affect the final outcome of the staining process. It’s like a roll of the dice, you get what you get.

Now if you are looking for a more uniform look there is a way around this problem, first you must remember that acid stains are translucent and will show every imperfection in the existing concrete that is to be stained. The way to eliminate this problem is to first apply a very thin polymer cement overlay down about 1/6 to 1/8 inch over the existing concrete to be stained, creating what we call a fresh pallet. This will cover up and hide all the imperfections in the concrete resulting in a much more uniform look when the acid stain is applied. At this point the floor can be sealed and finished or scare cut designs can be applied before the seal and finish process.

For more integral flooring designs using multiple colors ,the floor design can be pre cut into the existing concrete or the thin overlay before the stains are applied allowing control of what colors will go where in the design then they can be sealed and finished. There are many types of protective finishes to choose from like, natural, satin, high gloss, or wet look finishes. A basic acid staining consisting of one or even multiple colors applied directly to the existing concrete is the cheapest of all versions of decorative concrete flooring.

If decorative designs or desired pricing will be determined by the complexity of the design and how the colors are to be applied. If a thin overlay is needed to be applied first this will also affect cost. There are other factors that may affect the cost such as glue removal left from pre existing carpet or tile, crack repair etc. These costs are minimal and will need to be done first no matter what type flooring you my chose to go with. Pricing for acid stain flooring should range from $2.00 a sq. ft. on the low end to $4.00 a sq. ft. on the high end.