Acid Stained Concrete - Concrete Staining - An elegant cost effective alternative

Choosing to have a concrete floor over other types of flooring comes with the advantage of low-cost freedom of design. Of the many ways that the look of your concrete floors can be customized to suit your liking, you just may find that acid staining is the one that best satisfies your craving for unique, attractive design.

Enjoy deep, rich color and a marbleized effect. Acid stained concrete is a very popular choice with homeowners, thanks to the beautiful translucent look that results from this method of concrete staining. It's a look that that can only be achieved in concrete through the use of acid, as regular polymers and pigment stains simply won't do the trick.

Thanks to the stunningly beauty and uniqueness of acid stained concrete, it's far more popular for use on interior flooring than exterior. However, the high level of durability, cost-efficiency, and low amount of maintenance needed makes acid stained concrete an excellent choice for both inside and out. Acid staining is a great pick for both residential and commercial properties.

What Precisely Is Acid Stain for Concrete?

Concrete naturally contains minerals, such as lime, as well as salts. When the acid is applied to the concrete floor, the acid reacts to these minerals and salts, creating various hues of color. The greater the amount of lime in the cement, the darker the hue. Because lime can be found in varying concentrations throughout any given concrete slab, the total visual effect created by the acid staining is one of depth and interest.

No two acid stained concrete slabs are ever alike. Nothing quite comes close to the beautiful marbleized look of acid stained concrete, except maybe for actual marble itself, which can be very expensive.

Moreover, an acid-based stain is far from being the only type of stain for concrete, as there's also water and soy-based stain. However, the advantage of acid stained concrete over other types of concrete stain is that the color doesn't fade, meaning no need to bare the added expense of having the concrete recoated and resealed on a regular basis.

Instead, the color produced becomes a permanent feature of the substrate. In fact, the penetration depth of the color can be from 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch. The result is an eye-catchingly gorgeous floor that's truly low maintenance and long lasting.

How to Know If an Acid Stain is the Right Choice for Your Concrete Surface

Due to the permanence of acid staining, it's very important to make sure that the choice is one you're sure to be pleased with for a long time to come. A key part of ensuring your satisfaction with the results is to choose the right professional for the job, such as the caring team at ATD Concrete Coating.

Still, there are other factors that you may also want to consider. For example, older exterior concrete slabs may not accept the color very well, being that the environment tends to strip them of the minerals needed for the reaction that creates the beautiful color.

As well, the acid stained concrete look is one of Old World charm, meaning the look can fit in well with various decor styles, such as Southwestern and Tuscan, but is not so great for those who object to the natural imperfections such as blemishes and uneven color tones.

Such flaws are what many admire about the look of acid stained concrete, believing that these imperfections are what helps give the floor some much-desired character.

It's also important to note that the look of the stained concrete is not so easy to reproduce, preventing a seamless appearance if you decide later on to move a wall, for example, and try to acid stain the newly exposed concrete floor, in the hope that it will match up with the first.

Here's Why Concrete Should Only Be Acid Stained by an Experienced Professional

The acid used for acid staining is extremely powerful indeed, leaving in experienced users at risk of self-harm and property damage. Moreover, once the acid has been applied, the effect is permanent. An acid stain can be very unforgiving.

Hiring a trusted, experienced professional acid stain your concrete surfaces is the only way to ensure the best possible outcome. At ATD Concrete Coatings, safety always comes first and the results you get are beautiful.