Staining floors is now a stylish option for homeowners. It’s vibrant, chic, and overall stay new for quite a while. Compassion to wooden floors, any tiles or marble floor this one takes less time to complete. Following just a few steps and with proper ingredients, anyone could work with concrete strainers.

How to Stain a Concrete Floor

You might know there are two staining option for concrete floors.

  • Acid-Based Stain
  • Water-Based Stain

Here is a short discussion about these two options along with how to stain a concrete floor.

Acid-based Stain

The positive side of acid based stain is it’s very long-lasting. It gives wood or stone type texture and creates earthy tones. Moreover, the acid-based stain is very shiny. It won’t peel, fade or chip. This staining process is more suitable for high-traffic areas. But it’s a downside is, the color palette of this process is very limited. Also, you have to clear floors several times afterward to wash out any acid residue.

Water-based Stain

Water-based stains are beautiful, and you can apply almost any color. It does not interact with the concrete as the acid-based satin, so the color remains more stable. This one is also environmentally friendly and safe for work for a long time. It’s easy to apply and cleaning up is more straightforward than the first one. But the challenge is, it’s less durable, and fixing up the color is a bit of hassle.

You can choose the water-based strainer if,

  • The concrete is entirely clean with acid.
  • The concrete floor is sealed during installation. (But remove the sealer before staining)

Read more: best concrete stain

Required Tool & Materials

You need some materials and equipment to stain your floor. Such as,

  • Airless Paint Sprayer
  • Mop
  • Paint Roller
  • Masonry Sealer
  • Concrete Stain
  • Degreaser

Ready the Surface

You need to prepare the surface to get the maximum possible coverage. Start by cleaning the floor with detergent. After that, use degreasers, paint or mastic remover for deep cleaning. Remember, apply concrete floors which are at least one month old. Follow these steps to complete the floor prep

  1. Remove all the furniture and accessories form the room. That includes carpet, upholstery, artwork, mirror, etc. anything that closes to the floor could stain. So you better clear the place as much as you can.
  2. Now it’s time for sending. If the floor is very new, skip that part. Old floors must be sand using sander machine. It will smooth the rough spots and give you an overall even surface to work.
  3. Clean the debris created from sanding using a vacuum cleaner. After that, remove stains using grease, oil or mastic. You can apply a concrete cleaner specially made for the floor stains.
  4. Then apply degreaser which suable for grease/oil. For mastic use the citrus-based cleaner like orange blossom. Work with them as per the manufacturer’s instructions after all the cleaner leaves the floor for 24 hours to dry.
  5. This part is only for the floor with cracks. Use a concrete sealant to treat an area. Use the putty-knife to smooth that area and let it dry as per manufacturer’s instructions.
  6. After complete, all these steps, take some plastics sheets and tape to cover the area from the bottom around 2 ft up the wall. It will help the wall form not getting any stains.

Applying the Acid-Based Stain on the Floor

Test a small area to see the number of coats you need to reach the desired tone of color on the floor. After testing, pour the stain in a handheld vacuum sprayer. Plastics airless sprayers are best for acid-based strainers.

You will need assistance for the coloring part. Spray the color evenly across the floor. Your assistant will follow behind you with a broom working the stain on the floor. That will give a more subtle finish. After finishing the first coat let the stain dry thoroughly. Then apply the second coat. The drying time of color could vary so reread the manufacturer’s instructions. The second coat will cover maximum brush strokes and underneath spots. If needed apply third coat after drying the second coat for more concentrate finish.

Special note: Thinks That Helps

Use a respirator, protective eyewear, clothing, and footwear when working with acid-based stain. This type of stain is very toxic. Work outside when you are mixing the color. Also, keep all the doors, windows, ventilators open when applying the color on the floor.

  1. Acid residue left behind must be removed before applying the sealer. Use a different pump sprayer then you did for the stain. Create a neutralizer by adding four parts water to one part ammonia and spray the floor. Allow it to dry. Before applying the sealer, remove the entire acid residue. Use another pump sprayer to apply a neutralizer. Make this by adding one part ammonia and four-part water and mix well. Pour it on the spray bottle and apply. Let it dry.
  2. After drying with mop the floor with regular water/ then uses the shop vacuum to clean the extra water. The floor needs to dry overnight before applying the sealing.
  3. Now the neutralizer has dried, apply the sealant using a paint roller. Use an extension pole to roll every inch of the floor. Synthetic roller offers the best performance on this job. Add two coat of sealer for max smooth finish.

Applying Water-Based Stain on The Floor

The process is asking water-based strainer almost the same. Read and follow these instructions to implement a water-based filter.

Test the color concentration by applying a few coats in a small area of the floor. Once you get the desired result work on that base. Pour the filter into a handheld sprayer and spray it all over the floor in circular motion. Then let it dry for the next 24 hrs.

  1. Make sure the stain does not puddle any place if that occurred wipe with a clean cloth before dry it out. Otherwise, there is being discoloration on the floor. The drying time method and sealer applying method is same as the acid-based stain.
  2. After the stain has completely dried, add the sealant. Use a paint roller with an extension pole to evenly roll it onto the floor. To achieve the smoothest application, use a synthetic roller.

Please Note: You’ve already cleaned and removed the previous sealer, so follow the Apply the Sealer instructions.

  • Pour liquid wax (select one for residential use) into a spray bottle. Use a mop with a microfiber pad to prevent lint from setting into your floors. Then evenly spray small sections of your floor and mop in a circular motion. Repeat this until the room is done. Let the wax dry at least 8 hours before reassembling the room.

You may also like: Concrete Staining Cost Per Square Foot in 2021

Wrapping Up

For both type of stained floor, make sure the surface is completely dry before making further arrangements. Your new color surface needs to solid dry before washing and replaces the furniture and other items. If you are thinking of applying water-based coat apply waxing every year to maintain the stain quality. You can either call a professional or do it yourself if you know how to stain a concert floor and has experience with staining. If not professional help is perfect to do this part.  

Kevin Anchukaitis is a writer & senior editor here at Toolassociate.com. He is a master woodworker and creates wood art in his studio at Lowe Mill in Huntsville, AL.

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