Sunday, 26 April 2009

Coloring Concrete Transforms Boring Concrete To Beautiful Stone

By Joel Jamison

Concrete is known for its durability and easy maintenance, but not for its looks. Most homeowner think there is nothing to do with the dull eyesore that are concrete floors. However, there are actually a ton of options when it comes to making your floors more visually appealing.

If you are sick and tired of looking at gray concrete everyday, then consider some of these concrete coloring techniques.

Acid Staining Integral Color Water Based and Solvent Based Dyes Water Based Penetrating Stain Dry Shake Color Hardeners

Any of these steps will remove that ghostly gray appearance and make your concrete surfaces sparkle with new life and radiant color. There are colors that are available in many different tones and hues such as warm terra cottas, smoky blues, buttercup yellows, and antique green. Coloring concrete can give you a one-tone effect or you can have a marbled pattern that adds a fresh new dimension to the finished product.

Integral coloring is achieved when special pigments are used in the concrete to be poured, and many different shades can be selected. Dry shake color hardeners are applied to the poured concrete and blended in with trowels, so the depth of coloring achieved with this method is more limited.

Dyes and Water Based Stains can penetrate into the concrete to give your concrete color but there is no chemical reaction involved to enhance the absorption and depth of color. The best and most intense coloring results from using acid stains for concrete.

When you use an acid concrete stain you actually change the physical composition of the concrete. This allows a full transformation of texture and color that makes you never know that it was originally regular concrete. In fact, many people will probably mistake your floors for being expensive marble. Also, if a sealer and wax is used the color will most certainly outlast you.

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