In fact, stained concrete floors cost less than most traditional flooring types and come with numerous bonus benefits. For example, concrete stained floors are eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, and extremely durable.
Are Concrete Floors Less Expensive Than Wood? Because material costs for polished concrete floors are six to eight times lower than that of high-quality hardwood floors, polished concrete is significantly less expensive than wood in new residential construction.
More for Your Money
When you compare stained concrete with carpeting of similar quality, you're almost always going to squeeze more out of each dollar. Polished concrete flooring with a basic stain finish will generally run you between $2.50 and $5.50 per square foot.
The cheapest concrete finishes are broom and trowel finishes. These finishes are budget-friendly and still can give impressive decorative impressions.
Is Stained Concrete Expensive? Starting at just $2 per square foot, a stained concrete floor is less expensive than tile, wood, or natural stone flooring. However, as you add customization, the price rises and becomes comparable to more expensive flooring like slate or marble.
Cons of Outdoor Concrete Staining
Transparent: The semi-transparency of most stains will fail to hide the existing imperfections in the concrete surface. DIY is not easy: Staining concrete is the not the easiest job for the amateur weekend warrior. Using a professional contractor ensure best results.
All-weather carpet, luxury vinyl flooring and porcelain or ceramic tiles are some of the best flooring options to go over concrete in basements.
Coloring Concrete With Water Based Paints
Acrylic paint can be a cheap way to color concrete crafts. The same goes for using latex paint for coloring concrete. I made these DIY Concrete Pillar Candleholders using white cement mix and the green was acrylic paint.
Epoxy: Pros & Cons
Epoxy floor coating systems are a type of synthetic resin that is laid on top of concrete as a form of protection and to improve the overall appearance. Epoxy coatings have been the best available option for concrete floors for a long time.
The durability of stained concrete
This applies to both interior floors as well as outdoor surfaces, so any concrete floor will benefit from a stained concrete finish that beautifies, seals, and protects against cracking, peeling, chipping, and fading.
An attractive and expertly finished garage floor can greatly improve the aesthetics of your home's interior and add to the overall appeal. It not only increases the functionality of your property but also maximizes the resale value when you decide to sell your home someday down the road.
Stained concrete can be an excellent choice for your residential house. Due to light foot traffic experienced in residential stained floors, a simple cleaning may renew their fresh look for many years.
Stained concrete costs between $2 and $14.50 per square foot to install. In comparison, tile costs between $13 and $20 per square foot. You could save more than 50% on flooring costs by choosing stained concrete over tile flooring.
Depending on the concrete sealer used, it's usually recommended to seal the concrete every couple of years to keep the color from fading. If you choose a high-quality concrete stain and sealer, you may be able to shorten the period between resealing to every 3-5 years.
The most popular finish is clear, but concrete stain colors include white, brown and gray. You can also purchase a tintable base to match dozens of popular hues. Concrete stain can be used on patios, walkways and pool decks. It can even be used inside for mudrooms, laundry rooms or basements.
Colored concrete will get good and hard just like normal concrete. However, all concrete benefits from being sealed against stains and water damage. So even though it's not necessary, sealing your colored concrete will make it look good longer and will help prevent dusting of the surface.
There are many benefits to laying coloured concrete as it provides great versatility across a project. You can also implement concrete stamping, polished concrete finishes, and concrete stencilling to elevate your coloured concrete project. Other benefits include: Huge range and available in different colours.
As you don't have to install underlay for Vinyl Flooring or LVT, this can go directly onto the concrete subfloor. However, allow 24 hours for your flooring to acclimatise by leaving it out of its packaging. When it's ready, unroll your vinyl flooring and cut to size after measuring your room.
The best way to achieve hardwood flooring over concrete is by installing ¾ inch thick wood over the concrete. This underlayment will allow you to install your chosen hardwood easier. It is important to note that adding in an underlayer to your flooring will raise the floor about 1-1/2 inches.
Compared to dyes, stains tend to last longer and hold up better. They have a less saturated color than a dye but are more durable and show less wear. For this reason, stained concrete is favored for outdoor surfaces that are exposed to foot traffic, weather, and sunlight.
Your existing old concrete should be fine to stain, so long as it is not contaminated with glue, paint, oil, grease, sealers, waxes, or anything else that would prevent the stain from soaking into the pores of the concrete.
When concrete is stained properly, the color won't fade, chip, or peel away. Although it looks beautiful, you can treat stained concrete the same way you treat any other flooring.