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Decorative Concrete Staining
  
 


 
 

FYI on Decorative Concrete Staining at Professional Metal Roofing

Decorative concete staining is fast becoming the most popular way to attain a unique, one-of-a-kind floor for your home or business!  We are so excited about this creative way to have beautiful, marblelized, cost effective floors!  Decorative concrete staining is a transparent, acid (chemical) stain.  This is a water-based solution that reacts chemically with the concrete slab.  This solution produces a permanent, transparent color that will not peel or flake.  The beauty of this process is that each floor has a different, unique, rich, marblized look.  No two floors are ever exactly alike!

Kemiko.com

There are many acid staining companies out there.  We mainly use Kemiko stain which is avaiable in our area in eight different colors.  You can look at these earth tone colors at the Kemiko web-site at Kemiko.com.  The colors are close to being true to the brochure, however, the tones will vary depending on the chemical reaction your slab has to the acid.

Tips for contractors and homeowners

  • The process actually starts before you pour the slab.
  • Your concrete needs to cure uncovered for at least 28 days before the stain can be applied.
  • We will apply the acid stain when the sheet rock is up and painted and the air conditioning and heating system is installed.
  • The concrete contractor should never over power trowel the slab.  One or two passes are sufficient.  This is called a "garage floor finish."
  • Most people today are not scoring designs in their floors, however, if you prefer to have your floors scored it should be done when the concrete is "green", and that's about 4-5 days after the pour.
  • The contractor should also be aware to never spray a liquid curing compound over the slab. Also to prevent cracks some concrete contractors will score under non-load bearing walls to let the cracks run along these lines and not in the middle of the floors.  However, all concrete slabs crack.  This actually adds to the beauty of the floors!
  • Reinforcing fibers should never be used in the concrete.  Tar, paint spots, sheet rock mud, or any form of tape should never be allowed to get on the concrete after the pour.
  • To protect the floor prior to staining, use Rosin paper that you can get from hardware stores like True Value or Home Depot.
  • Blue chalk should be used to mark the floors and never the red chalk because it leaves a permanent mark on the floor. The contractor should never mark the floor with a permanent marker because it will not come out of the concrete.
  • When the framer comes in make sure you know where your walls will go. The glue they use to put down the 2 x 4s will not stain and leave an awful look on the floor.
  • If hardwood floors are being placed adjacent to the stained floors, we should stain first.
  • The kitchen and bathroom floor cabinets should be installed after we finish the floors.
  • Most experienced contractors know the do's and don'ts of slabs that are to be stained. This process is not a fast way to get a great looking floor.
  • The most important factor in getting a beautiful acid-stained floor is the cleaning process.  We never rush this process.  About 60% of the time a second application of stain must be placed on the floors. 
  • We use a special technique to get the beautiful, marblized look our customers are raving about.  
 

Finishes

After the staining process we normally apply two to three coats of an acrylic water- based sealer, and one to two coats of a shine hardner and finish. These sealers come in matte and high gloss finishes. All of our sealers allow the floor to continue to "breathe."

How to Keep your Floors Beautiful

This is not a maintence free floor. These floors are like hardwood floors in that if heavy objects are dragged over them they can be scratched. Written instructions on the care of your floor and products to use to reapply the sealer when needed are supplied to the home owner upon completion of the floors.

 

  
 
 
 
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