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How to Select the Best Concrete Staining for Your Home
Most concrete structures are made out of concrete simply because it is cheap, widely available, and easy to work with. However, concrete can be pretty dull looking on its own. Fortunately, concrete staining has been around for a long time now. It allows homeowners to customize their concrete surfaces and turn them into something extraordinary. We will now show you how to select the best service for your needs.
Finding out who offers decorative concrete service in San Antonio can be challenging, but that does not mean that it should stop you from finding a team at all. There are knowledgeable service providers available, and most of the service the area. Just know what you want for your concrete flooring and go from there.
What is concrete staining?
Concrete staining is a decorative finishing option for concrete surfaces. It involves applying dye or pigment to concrete to bring out the color from underneath. This can be done on concrete floors, concrete driveways, and concrete patios, among other things.
Concrete staining is primarily used as a decorative design enhancement, although it also serves some practical purposes. One common application of concrete staining includes using different colors to create a patterned surface that enhances the look of your home in a specific area, such as under a covered patio in your backyard. With stained concrete, you have many options for color choices, and you can use them together or separately, depending upon your needs and preferences.
Is it better to paint or stain concrete?
Contrary to what most people believe, concrete staining isn’t about paint. Sure, paint can color concrete surfaces, but that’s not very durable unless the concrete surface is also sealed. Paint will usually last no more than one year before peeling off, leaving you with nothing but the bare concrete again. Stains, however, actually absorb into the concrete, so they last much longer than paint.
Also, concrete stains come in concrete sealers, concrete polishes, and concrete wax. These concrete maintenance products can clean, shine, and polish concrete floors, adding a layer of protection over the concrete itself.
What are the advantages of concrete staining?
Concrete is a common and widely used material; concrete makes up more than 10 percent of all manufactured materials worldwide. It has been around for thousands of years, and concrete staining has been around to improve concrete for just as long.
The advantages of concrete staining include:
- Durability. When concrete stains are correctly applied, they will last for years with little or no upkeep. Concrete staining is an exterior protective coating that resists the sun’s UV rays, pollution, water damage, and alkali attack. Many types of concrete stains protect against oil, acid, and chemical spills, which can cause rusting and pitting in concrete surfaces over time. Most major concrete sealers have a warranty covering concrete surfaces against stains that cause concrete degradation for several years.
- Appearance. The concrete stain industry has come a long way in the past few decades. There are hundreds of colors and patterns to choose from, so concrete staining is not just about protecting concrete anymore. It’s art too!
- Low Maintenance. Concrete stains provide a smooth, easy-to-clean surface that requires occasional cleaning with a wet mop. Because concrete floors do not collect dust, mold, or other allergy triggers, they may help improve indoor air quality in your home.
- Cost-effective. Concrete stain application is a relatively inexpensive flooring option, especially for huge residential spaces.
What are the disadvantages of concrete staining?
Here are the most common disadvantages of concrete staining.
- Concrete stains can be challenging to apply evenly and effectively over a large surface. This results in some stained areas looking better than others, which may not provide an attractive finished look of your concrete slab.
- For concrete staining to hold up against the elements, it must be sealed with a concrete sealer afterward. Having concrete stains on your concrete will make future stain applications more difficult because the previous layers of sealer may need to be removed before you can put on new concrete stains.
- Concrete staining may not be the best option for concrete that has already deteriorated significantly. If your concrete slab is in bad condition to begin with, then concrete stains will only make your floor surface look like a patchwork of stained and non-stained concrete. This means that concrete staining can mask problems instead of fixing them. So if you have serious issues with your concrete slab, you should consider other options like resurfacing or replacement instead.
- Applying concrete stains correctly requires some specialized tools and equipment (and training), which take additional money and time to acquire.
- Some types of concrete stains, especially darker colors like black, can be challenging to remove once they’ve dried. This is especially true if concrete staining has been done incorrectly and the floor was not sealed afterward. We all know how concrete stains (especially darker colors like black and brown), but these concrete stains can be difficult to remove even with harsh chemicals like muriatic acid.
- The application of concrete stains requires trade-specific skills, experience, and equipment that may only be available through concrete staining companies in San Antonio.
What does concrete staining cost?
The stained concrete cost will depend on the floor quality and area being stained and the types of stains and sealers used. The concrete may cost $35 to $45 per square yard, while decorative concrete staining costs $1 and $4 per square foot. An average concrete patio measuring 200 square feet would cost between $700 and $800 to stain or dye.
How long does concrete staining last?
Concrete stains last for years if done correctly.
Most concrete staining companies in San Antonio use concrete dye or concrete acid stains. This means that the concrete is stained only 1/8th inch deep. These concrete stains do not sit on top of the floors like paint does; therefore, they will never peel off as paint does.
If you keep your concrete clean after it is stained with these types of concrete dyes, then they will look great for several years without needing any touch-ups whatsoever. However, there are some disadvantages to using water-based concrete dyes:
- They don’t penetrate very far into the concrete so that they won’t last as oil-based stains
- They require reapplication every 2 to 5 years
- They can be easily removed with water or concrete cleaning products after they have started to fade and wear off (which is typically between 2 and 5 years)
- Concrete stains like concrete acid stains penetrate deeper into the concrete. These concrete stains are more difficult to apply, but they hold up much better over time. They last for 10 or more years; however, many will start to peel within 3 or 4 years because the concrete develops tiny fissures due to freeze-thaw damage. Freeze-thaw damage occurs when moisture gets deep enough into these cracks in your concrete and then freezes, which causes the concrete surrounding it to heave and crack even more.
How to choose the best concrete staining company for your home
It is always important to research before choosing a professional contractor. This will help you know if they are the best concrete flooring firm for your project.
Ask your friends if they know anyone who does good work. Looking at pictures of their work can help you decide whether they are a good business for you. If the San Antonio contractor is confident in their work, they will be happy to show you examples of their residential and commercial work and answer any questions that you might have. It is important to ensure that the stain flooring contractor does good and knows what’s going on before signing up with them.
It’s also beneficial to know how many floor services they perform each month and what proportion of their business is concrete decoration. Many people are working with concrete, and just because they have polished concrete does not imply that they are experts in the correct staining techniques.
You could inquire about whether they’re members of any concrete organizations or whether they’ve been accredited for their work. A competent crew will have obtained some accreditation, which indicates that they take pleasure in their work and strive to adhere to industry norms.
Before you hire them, inquire about the quality of their completed projects, how long they’ve been in business, whether they give warranties on their work, and if they are insured. Talking to other consumers who have had concrete resurfacing might also assist you in selecting the finest concrete staining service for your job.
Final thoughts on selecting the best stained concrete service for your home
When it comes to selecting the best stained concrete service for your home, there are some questions you should ask and things to consider. You will want to make sure that not only does the company offer quality services at competitive prices, but they also have experience with residential projects like yours.
Our amazing offer
We know you want the best concrete services in San Antonio, Texas. SAT Concrete Services is here to offer you various stains and finishes for your beautiful new project. Whether it be a driveway, patio, or pool deck, our knowledgeable team is ready to help design, construct and transform an amazing space that will stand up against all weather conditions while looking great at every hour of the day.
Our portfolio speaks for itself- check out what some of our happy customers have said about us! Or give us a call today so we can provide you with a free quote on how much it would cost to stain your concrete floors. You won’t regret it!
Our main mission is to provide top-quality concrete services that are designed to always meet and exceed our client’s expectations and demands.
