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Coloring Concrete Transforms Boring Concrete To Beautiful Stone
Filed Under (gardening) by Joel Jamison on 26-04-2009
Concrete is known for its durability and easy maintenance, but not for its looks. Most homeowner think there is nothing to do with the dull eyesore that are concrete floors. However, there are actually a ton of options when it comes to making your floors more visually appealing.
If you have a plain surface that you want to change here are some of the ways to consider coloring concrete that are definitely impressive.
Acid Stained Concrete Water and Solvent Based Dyes Water Based Concrete Stains Shake Color Hardeners Integral Color
While some of these techniques work better than others, any of them will help make the surface look more appealing. The acid based stains will allow you to capture the earth tones of expensive stone or marble, while the others can create nearly any look you like. Depending on the type the color maybe one-tone or multi-tone, or have a marbled look.
Dry Shake color hardeners are added to the poured concrete and then mixed in after, achieving a limited amount of color. Integral coloring is made possible by adding special pigments to the unpoured concrete, which allows for many different shades to be possible.
The water based stains and dyes penetrate the surface to give a deeper,richer, and more durable color. However, unlike acid stains no chemical reaction actually takes place. The most intense and powerful change comes from using an acid based concrete stain.
Acid concrete stains is the only product that colors by causing a chemical reaction with the minerals in the concrete. This allows for a permanent change in the composition and color of the surface. This allows for long lasting, rich, beautiful colors that will last a lifetime if done properly.


