How to Color Concrete
Color brings up beauty not just in our lives but also in every decoration in our house. It would be nice to have concrete with color, right? That would bring your house on a whole new level. Concrete colors may be determined and chosen depending on your interests and sometimes, in your personality. Applying this is not that hard and has many methods to choose from.
There are four methods to color the concrete. Every method has different ways and difficulty. After telling all the four, I will let you decide what is the best option.
To begin with, let’s first talk about stain concrete.
Stain Concrete is a semi-transparent color thus making the color of your concrete to be highlighted instead of being fading the true color. Since it is not intended to change the colors of the concrete, stains are only limited to tans and earthly colors. Oh, do not be disappointed just yet if you would want to have more choices of hues. There are two kinds of stain concrete. The acid stains and the water-based.
Acid stains concrete works by the chemical reaction of acid on concrete. It is usually limited to tan colors. The good thing about acid stain is that it stays permanently once it is applied. It will not peel away or removed.
If you want to add more variety of colors but at the same time stay permanently, the water-based stain might be the best option to choose from. Water-based stain comes with a variety of colors which means more variety of hues to be considered.
The only disadvantage of stain concrete is it does not hide the cracks and patchworks since it is semi-transparent.
The second one is Integral Color Concrete
Using integral color is different than the rest of the methods. You do not need to spray on the surface because the color is added before the mixture of wet concrete. Since the color is added to the wet concrete, the integral color will give you even distribution of the color throughout the concrete. Integral colors also come with many varieties of colors. The only disadvantage is that the color is less intense to look at.
The third one is the Color hardener
The use of color hardener can make your concrete more vibrant and stronger to see. It also makes the concrete more durable because of its coat. Hardeners are less vulnerable to moisture and are resistant to water that is why it is recommended for concrete floors that are frequently used and stamped on. However, there is a disadvantage in using it. This powder easily becomes airborne and it causes damage to nearby plants and may cause breathing problems for the workers. That is why it is acknowledged that you are an expert when you apply this. If not, hire an expert to do it for you.
The fourth one is Concrete Dyes
Concrete dyes and stain concrete are quite similar. The only difference is that there is no chemical reaction that will happen between the concrete floor and the color. The reason behind that is because concrete dyes contain coloring agents that penetrate the surface. Solvent-based and water-based are available and it has various tones and colors.
To sum it all up, no matter what you choose, it is important to know what is best that applies to the area that you will color. Consider all the things that can be considered like sunrays, plants, and structures.