Shop question...Have ya'll ever stained your concrete?

And I ain't talking about when you were 16, out behind the school busses or if your heap leaked tranny fluid.....

I mean with stain. I am trying to figure out the best route for the money on the new Roothawg Ranch shop floor. I put some of the epoxy down for my dad over the weekend but wasn't all that impressed. It was ok for a small garage but I noticed there was a color difference between the batches.

Just wondering if the stain is the way to go?

 

BTW, here is something to read as you ponder this.


It's a little known fact in the northern part of the United States, but you can stain masonry, much like you stain wood. The practice is widely used down south, but not so much up north, probably owing to the beating that concrete takes from snow, ice and rock salt.

Like wood stains, masonry stains are less viscous than paints. They soak into the masonry and don't form a film the way paint does. Unlike film-forming coatings, stains won't make your garage floor feel like the deck of an aircraft carrier. Because of this, stains are somewhat more forgiving and are easier to apply and to reapply as they wear off and become dirty. One of the oldest (perhaps the oldest) masonry stains available is H&C, now owned by Sherwin-Williams and sold at that company's paint stores. This venerable brand has been used in the southern United States for many years, and it's available in a wide range of colors and it can be tinted to any color you prefer. It's available in two formulations: a solvent-base (that is unavailable in California) and a waterborne acrylic available nationwide. The solvent-based formulation, shown on the left, is the tougher one, so if you have both available where you live, choose that unless you're very sensitive to solvent fumes, in which case you should go with the waterborne acrylic.Anyway, homeowners who are used to house paints should have no trouble applying either and cleaning up afterward. First, apply some H&C cleaner degreaser–a mixture of heavy-duty detergent and phosphoric acid. You simply sprinkle the stuff on the garage floor with a watering can, work it in with a broom and let it foam the floor clean. Then rinse the floor and let it dry. The stain is applied with a roller. It's ready for foot traffic in 1 hour and car traffic in 72 to 96 hours depending on temperature and humidity. A gallon of either H&C stain costs about $20 to 25 at Sherwin-Williams paint stores.

 

The floor in my shop was stained (dark red) 20 years ago-
It is still looking good. Chips, nicks, scratches will not show (the stain is mixed INTO the concrete slurry). A thorough cleanup with muriatic acid after 20 years of grime and dirt, was all it took to make it look like new. You CAN use a clear acrylic sealer on top for extra 'bling'...

 

Thats what I was hoping to hear.....thanks.

 

I stained the floor of my garage once when I was arc welding under a van and stuck the welding rod to the bottom of the gas tank.

 

So I'm clear, the stain doesn't "seal" the concrete, it just soaks in and colors it, right? (if applied after the concrete is poured, not when added to the wet 'crete)
When painting the floor, it's seals so oil doesn't soak in. Will oil still soak in with stain?
-Brad

 

Brad54, a powdered pigment is actually MIXED IN with the cement/gravel mixture BEFORE pouring the slab. Very much like a colored grout for tiles or colored mortar for masonry. It becomes an integral part of the slab, not a superficial or surface coating.

 

Whizzerick, did you stain yours or add pigment. They are extremely different. The cost for the pigment was outrageous. I checked on that first.

 

Never mind I reread your post......Brad stain is added afetr the concrete cures out for approx 45 days. It doesn't really add any oil resistance but it hides a lot.

 

Once..., when the car fell off the jackstands and I sliced my hand pushing myself away from it...!

Blood stains everywhere...!

Amazing that those stains remained on the floor for so long without a clear coat ...!

 

I used to own a concrete and pressure washing company in socal, I've done all kinds of coating for garages, firestations, and so on. The best product I have used was Ameron epoxy coating this sh.. is great. DO NOT USE HOME DEPO EPOXY. is't a waste of time and money, and it will pull up after awhile.The best way to apply it is to acid wash(etching) the concrete first(muratic) 40% acid rest water.Hudson sprayer and a broom, broom in a circular pattern across floor. Then get a pressure washer at least 2400psi and rinse off(don't get to close with the tip of the gun it will make some nasty marks. Apply at least two coats of AMERLOCK and then AMERSHIELD if you want a sheen. If you do it right the first time you will Never have to worry about it again. Oh, and make sure the water heater pilot light is off or any other flame source, or the only thing that will be left is the concrete. http://www.ameroncoatings.com/global/products/index.html