Staining & Coloring Concrete

Mexico's decorative concrete construction industy lags behind the decorative industry in the United States, but staining and other techniques for coloring concrete are helping this contractor flourish south of the border.

Until now, contractors have thrown shake-on color hardener onto concrete mainly by hand. It’s tradition, and contractors love tradition. But by its nature, throwing the color can be inefficient, wasteful, and expose workers to possible health risks associated with inhaling airborne silicates.

From presale to reseal, educating customers in how to maintain their decorative concrete is a lengthy process.

Mike Miller, a Benicia, Calif., artist, calls his work "sensory concrete."

How is a puddle of water like a colored concrete slab?

What began as the customer’s modest plan for a concrete slab to go under a jumbo-sized hot tub morphed into a three-tier, 2,700-square-foot stamped concrete patio that integrates a spa with two other focal points: an eating area with wood pergola to house an outdoor kitchen, and a recessed fire-pit area with sitting wall.

It’s possible for concrete to have stone-like qualities without trying to be stone. It’s possible for concrete to be random and variegated like the knots and grain in wood without trying to be that wood. It’s possible for concrete to develop a visually active graphic patina like copper without it being, you guessed it, copper.

First hand experience from a concrete veteran about his experience with water-based acrylic sealers and how the compare to solvent-based acrylic sealers.

This golf course was going to be on national TV, and its owners wanted it to look good. Decorative concrete helped get it ready for its closeup.

For a man who was an Eastern Airline employee for years and owned his own pest control company after that, he found working with his hands, LEDs and chemicals familiar territory. So when the economy began to tank, it wasn’t that far of a stretch when Clem Carrion founded Visual Artisan in December 2007, a concrete business that specializes in concrete countertops, innovative lighting and metallic epoxies, as well as faux wood and stone.

The handsome floor of the Arts and Crafts Room was the finishing touch at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, a facility improved by a series of decorative concrete projects as part of the 2010 Concrete Decor Show & Decorative Concrete Spring Training.

This elegant color combination is the way to go for a simple design that calls for a two-toned color scheme.

Ohio State University experienced a growth spurt this past summer with campus-wide new construction and renovations that continued well into 2016.

Indiana-based C2 Products Inc. offers an environmentally friendly, durable way to seal and stain concrete with its flagship products, The Bean and The Jelly Bean.

Conference attendees got a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate one on one with concrete artist and build the concrete version of the Alamo they would never forget.

Tucked into the stadium that houses the Detroit Tigers, this sports bar features a lush decorative concrete floor.

Dye-N-Seal from Brickform is a translucent dye designed to penetrate and color any non-porous cement-based surface. It can be used with or without a stain.

Five projects that featured products from the Scofield line, a brand of Sika Corp., were honored in the 11th annual Decorative Concrete Awards competition. First-place winners and runners-up were announced during the 2019 World of Concrete in Las Vegas.

I was recently asked to troubleshoot issues on a polished concrete floor that failed to show vivid color, even after all the usual right steps were taken. It was “The Case of the Disappearing Color.”

Melanie Royals started out working on her own techniques and designs as an answer to problems she perceived in the stenciling industry. In 2003, Royals introduced Modello designs to the decorative painting industry, a fresh concept she called “the art of decorative masking.” This line of stencils, called Modellos, differed from Mylar stencils in that they are one-time use adhesive-backed vinyl patterns.

Bob Harris of the Decorative Concrete Institute was asked about his experience training and working at the Children's Museum of Phoenix as part of the Concrete Decor Show & Decorative Concrete Spring Training.

Using iron shavings to alter the reaction of the stains, this recipe is ideal if you're after dramatic patterns and bold swirls of color.

The Decorative Concrete Council, a specialty council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors, recognized the winners of its ninth annual Decorative Concrete Awards competition Jan. 17 at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas.