Gray concrete flooring is a thing of the past. Although typical concrete floors have their place, decorative concrete is making a name for itself. From polished concrete overlays to an abundance of colors you can stain your concrete floors with, the opportunities are endless! Colored concrete is a great and simple way to improve your space.
Below are five of the most popular decorative concrete finishing options!
Stamping
Stamping concrete is done by pushing stamps into the freshly poured concrete to make a pattern in the concrete. You can typically start stamping the concrete about an hour after the concrete has been poured. This process can produce concrete that mimics the look of stone, tile, bricks and even wood, called woodcrete. A concrete professional should complete this job, as you want to avoid any ridging and efflorescence, and they can also give you a variety of different colors and patterns to choose from.
Overlays
Concrete overlays can cover up imperfections on your already existing concrete floor, and they have decorative use purposes as well. If your current floor isn’t a great candidate for polished concrete, a polished overlay gives you a solution. You can give your floors an improvement without having to break the bank by replacing them. Overlays can be as thin as a feather or up to 3/4 of an inch thick.
Staining
Staining concrete gives you limitless color opportunities and you can choose any design you want, even your company logo. Your options include antique, variegated, mottles or a monochromatic color stretch. Stained concrete keeps its color and doesn’t chip or peel. Staining the concrete keeps it strong and makes it aesthetically pleasing. What’s also nice is that it requires minimal maintenance.
Engraving
Engraving, also known as etching, is carving a pattern into the concrete rather than applying a pattern on top of it. This is a more permanent method of pattering than others. Engraving concrete adds depth and dimension to your flooring. Precision tools with appropriate cutters are used to complete this process; specific types include abrasive diamond blades, sandblasting, shot blasting, micro-rod impaction and reciprocating stylus.
Stenciling
Stenciling concrete uses a stencil to create the desired pattern. A stencil is placed over the concrete and a base coat, and then a topping in a different color is sprayed or troweled over the stencil. You will be left with a clean pattern over your beautiful concrete floors.
Come to us for your colored concrete needs
If you have a colored concrete project in mind, reach out to your custom concrete experts in the Midwest! We’re more than happy to discuss your ideas, give you the best options and help you get the job done.