How to Acid Stain Concrete

How to Acid Stain Concrete

The practice of having concretes with acid stains is quite old but is being revived these days and gaining popularity. As we all realize, a concrete floor presents a very durable and a low maintenance option but gives a rather unpleasant and boring look. The same concrete floor can be given an altogether different look and make it appear more inviting and alive by using this technique of acid staining, while it continues to retain its ruggedness and other characteristics.

Most of the acid stains are in earth tones. It covers shades of reds, greens and browns. Such earthly tones impart a look of expensive stone or marble floor to your concrete floor at a significantly low cost.

If you do not feel enthusiastic to make this as another do-it-yourself project, you may hire the services of a contractor to carry out the acid stain concrete job. The going rate for the most basic job is around $4.0 per square foot. However, should you have plans to have a more detailed and intricate patterns it will vary from $4 - $10 a square foot.

You may have it in multi colors and designs. For a basic job you could avoid having a contractor and do the project yourself. It’s not too difficult. Even if you are a novice, you are not likely to face any serious handicap or difficulty provided you plan it before hand. It should normally be over within two days, if you work for a couple of hours a day. That way it will cost you less than a dollar per square foot.



Get Your Materials

For an efficient completion of the project, you should ensure to have all the needed materials before hand. As you are going to handle a diluted acid, you should necessarily take all the precautionary measure to protect yourself. It is desirable to keep your arms and legs thoroughly covered. Make use of that old pair of long trousers and a shirt with long sleeves. Apart from that you should use a face mask, a protective eye gear and a pair of gloves. The materials and tools you are going to need shall comprise of: Acid concrete stain, concrete cleaner, broom, sprayer, paint tray, roller and a wet vacuum.

Prepare the Surface

The most important feature of the whole of this exercise is to have as clean a floor as is possible. The cleaner the floor, the better will be the finish and thus the overall effect. Remember that acid stain is translucent, or semi transparent as a result of which even a small crack or an odd spot on the concrete will be seen after you have finished the project. A hairline crack, though might impart a character to your floor, but everything else should be cleared or repaired.

Apply the Stain

You may do it in a few ways but I suggest using an all plastic sprayer. You will need help of another person though. One of you should spray the acid stain on the concrete while the other one, following closely behind, should continue brushing it with a broom. As it will leave brush strokes, the sprayer needs to go over the area a second time. Continue the same way till the whole floor is covered.

Wash the Floor

Allow enough time for the floor to chemically react with the stain. Next, wash the floor with a solution of baking powder with water. This process of washing neutralizes the acid concrete stain and removes excess of residue, if any.



Apply the Sealer

After the floor gets completely dried-up, you should apply two or three coats of sealer with the help of a paint roller. After the final coat of sealer has thoroughly dried, you may start using a beautifully prepared new floor.
In a nut shell that’s a complete guide for acquiring acid stained concrete floor. You may get a detailed step-by step method of making stained concrete floor by clicking on this link. 

Unique Concrete Staining Techniques

You can give a new look and brighten up any concrete wall, floor or counter by using any of the concrete staining practices. Be it a professional or a do-in-yourself kind of a hobbyist, can easily experiment with one of the techniques. A very extraordinary and a pleasing difference of adopting one of the processes of staining is that no two designs would ever look similar. Each gives a different result, be it the design or the color. That is the reason for its gaining popularity. Very soon, before you finish reading this article, you will realize the how and why of it.

By using any of the methods for staining the concrete you fashion a semi-transparent shading that is unlike the effect of painting that gives a rather opaque look. It imparts the surface a natural look. You will find amazing natural designs and colors to demonstrate your creativity. It's just like playing around with stains. Just use a bit of your imagination and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the after-affects.

For a better look on the whole, you should sand blast the concrete prior to application of stain. The process of blasting takes away the murky carbonation and contributes to highlighting the normal patterns of concrete.



You may very simply vary the appearance of a concrete stain by diluting it. Naturally a lighter look will call for more dilution than a darker appearance. You could achieve similar variations of shades by mixing liquid soap with the decided stain.
You can really create some exclusive inimitable designs by following any of the simple procedures noted here. 
A very simple trick to get vibrant color differences is to just apply a little powdered plant fertilizer randomly to some parts of the floor after the stain is on. Or you may just toss around a small quantity of corn flakes after the application of stain over the floor is on. You will find the results appealing
Perhaps you would like to have a tie and dye kind of an effect! It can simply be achieved by placing pieces of cloth dipped in different vibrant or uniform colors on the surface. Likewise you may try using strings to get the desired colorful patterns on concrete.
A very natural and attractive effect may be achieved by plummeting fern fond leaves into the concrete stain by just inserting them into the concrete. 
Spraying a second color of stain to certain areas of the floor can create a cool effect. This will help to give the impression of a natural stone. 

Do It Yourself Concrete Staining - Before You Begin

There are a very few options available when you want to give your concrete floor a new look. The obvious choice that first comes to mind is tearing off the old concrete and to subsequently lay a new layer or may be a decorative overlay. These are rather expensive and tedious techniques; do not fall in the routinely carried "do-it-yourself" jobs. On the other hand concrete staining is a very economical and easy way of doing the needful on your own. However, before you venture into doing it yourself, you would be better prepared for the execution of this project if you educate yourself on the following points connected with this subject.

You have a choice to choose from two types of concrete stains: acid stains and acrylic stains. Acid stains are derived by a chemical reaction with free lime in the surface to get a natural looking transparent color. They craft a dappled, multicolored, mottled coloring. It is a natural characteristic of any concrete surface to react in a different way to acids stains and that's what makes each job look unique.

Acrylic stains on the other hand are water based with pigments that trickle down to the pores and stick to the concrete. Thus they offer better consistency with semi translucent color like that of a dye. An in built advantage of acrylic stains is that they help to mask flaws and discolorations while acid stains actually highlight them.

How to decide whether acid or acrylic stains will work and look better?




In a ma majority of the cases both will work equally work and it would depend on your personal choice to choose one. However, it also matters to gauge how old the concrete is.
A fifteen to twenty years old concrete would not give as satisfactory results with acid stains because a lot of the free lime has already leeched away. Thus for such exterior concretes an acrylic stain will prove a lot better due to its better porosity over time. Acid stains are definitely more effective with not so old concretes that have a lot of free lime on offer. Acrylics could be a preferred choice to help disguise the repairs like patching pop outs or scaling. Acid stains would rather make any repairs more conspicuous. As acid stains do not really need a lot of penetration for imparting color to concrete they are found better for toweled interior surfaces that have less porosity.

Before you really get started with it, you shouldn't have too high expectations, no matter are you doing it outdoors, on your driveway or in a garage. Staining would surely make a dull, gray concrete look better and colorful but it's just not possible for anybody to really predict the final finished look, all the more so if you are using acid stains. The logical explanation for that is that every concrete surface is singular and would react to stains differently.

Don't be surprised to find at the end that two slabs, though treated with the same stain, present a different look. Even seasoned pros are unable to foretell the exact result of a staining job. That's why it's not a good idea to try to exactly match the color of concrete to anything else such as brick or siding. There are very dim chances of your being successful. You would be more practical in choosing a complimentary color or shade for your concrete. For example it would be better to choose a dark brown stain for a light brown siding.

Preparation is the most significant part of staining. Have a prolonged thought at how would you like the concrete to look finally and don't be in a rush to get the surface ready for application of stain. Else, you might have to undertake a major overhaul of the surface.

The process of concrete staining on your own is not too difficult but you have to make an honest effort and get that feeling of a project well done!