How to Dye or Stain Concrete Floors

Holly Lefevre
by Holly Lefevre
Yesterday, I posted about cleaning and preparing your concrete floors for dyeing or staining (http://www.hometalk.com/diy/floors-ceilings/how-to-prepare-concrete-floors-dyeing-staining-5101190), well here are the results! I used a kit by Behr, purchased at the Home Depot. I did have to purchase some extra stain and sealer becasue my room was a bit bigger than their recommendation, But I LOVE my floors and they are perfect for my new craftroom! I was very surprised at how easy it was to dye these floors (the "hard" part is the preparation!)
Once you have cleaned and prepared your floors, dyeing is EASY! I used a base color, Sand; and accent color, Walnut; and wet look sealer. I applied all of my color and sealers with a sprayer (that came with the kit)
The kit includes, one gallon or base, about one half gallon of accent, one gallon of sealer, and a pump sprayer. It also comes with instructions and a DVD. Additionally I wore hand, face, and eye protection.
Previously I had protected my walls and baseboards with blue tape and painters paper, but for the spraying, I decided to add some plastic protection higher up the walls.
Before adding the base color to the sprayer, "play" with the sprayer and its settings using plain water outside. This gives you an idea of how to handle the sprayer an which setting you like. Then, add the base color to the sprayer, and pressurize it by pumping the cap (follow the direction that come with the pump).
Begin in a far corner and work your way out toward the door. Do not spray in a "pattern" make your spraying random. I sort of swirled my nozzle all over. Let dry for at least one hour, preferably longer, before walking on it. Once dry, determine if you want to apply more of the base coat or the accent. I applied the accent in a random pattern and NOT all over - you want the base to show through. I also added another coat of base color after it was all dry.
I used the same sprayer to apply my wet look .sealer (there are other options beside wet look). CLEAN your sprayer between uses by emptying the contents back into the can; fill the sprayer with water; spray into a bucket until the spray is clean. Use the same process of beginning in a corner and applying the sealer all over as you walk yourself out of the room. I applied 2 coats of sealer.
Wait at least 72 hours before returning furniture to the room and then enjoy our new floor! It has texture, depth, and looks rich. A concrete floor is not for everyone...but it is for me!
Holly Lefevre
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  1 question
  • Pam hunter Pam hunter on Nov 04, 2018

    How did you prep? What was your floor base material?

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