Why Do People Love Stain Concrete?

By Author: Ben Lager
Total Articles: 24
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What if you could have art work on your floor? That’s the effect that stain concrete creates! Stain concrete is all about adding character to dull and drab concrete to create an effect that is not only beautiful, but functional as well. Wood, ceramic tiles and natural stone have always been the common choice for flooring. But unlike these mediums, stain concrete imparts a luxurious appeal to your floor. They have always been a popular choice in factories, offices, hospitals and other commercial establishments. But, lately they have gained popularity among residential projects and have been used for patios, driveways, kitchen countertops and even indoor flooring. A little known fact about stain concrete is that they help you reduce your energy bills. Concrete is known to be porous and therefore can absorb heat or cold quickly, store it, and release it little by little. Acid stained concrete does not flake or peel, nor does it fade easily. Even if it does, a simple retouch and reapplication of coating is enough to get back its sheen.

A common complaint is that the process is expensive and time consuming. While it is true ...
... that laying concrete may be expensive when compared to wood and tile, when you consider maintenance costs and the cost of replacing floor, concrete offers a better ROI. You can easily and economically enhance the appeal of your house with stain concrete. All it needs is a little creativity! A simple acid staining project isn’t likely to cost more than $2-4 per square foot, and if you’re looking to enhance the appeal with different designs and colors, the cost is likely to rise up to $15 per square foot. The cost will surely vary depending on the amount of preparation work on the surface. Be sure that you do some research before engaging a contractor to do the job. They are generally willing to compromise on the cost when the total area to be covered increases.

A professional artist is known to use different tools like spray bottles, sponges, rags, eyedroppers, torn paper, and even feathers. Stain concrete also requires artistic skill where the contractor can use techniques like engraving, scoring, sandblasting, etching, and stenciling focusing on detail and creating a dimensional. You can also mix and match different colors to get the effect of natural stones.

You can either do it yourself or seek help from a professional contractor. But the success of a DIY job largely depends on your creativity and skill. This isn’t an easy job, and even professionals take years to perfect the art.

The author of this article is a specialist in commercial concrete and writes reviews about different concrete options such as polished and stain concrete.