Watching The Trades

To see the above picture in its original go here.

Concrete staining can produce some beautiful floors as the above photograph can attest. Maineloft produced that floor by using Scofield’s products. But there are many other products out there that you can use. Going by what I have read, all of them seem to produce stunning effects.

All Things Concrete is a good place to start if you are new to staining concrete. The web site has a Spartan feel and information is sparse and to the point. Still, it manages to cover all the basics.

Among other things, All Things Concrete will tell you the difference between an acid based stain and an acrylic stain. This site will also give you basic pointers on how to create basic stain patterns. And last but not least, it has a photo gallery that gives you a realistic idea of what an amateur can accomplish.

If you want a high brow look at stained concrete you can look at Advanced Concrete Enhancement’s stained concrete portfolio. It is a little too geared towards modern art sensibilities for my tastes. Still their work is pretty impressive from a technical standpoint.

In fact, it is well worth checking out all of ACE’s portfolios. They will give you an education on what you can do with concrete.

And just in case the professionalism of ACE shakes your confidence, here is an account with pictures of ordinary people staining their own concrete.

I came across a description of Previous Concrete here. Apparently it is a kind of concrete that is designed to let water pass through. There is picture on the site of someone pouring a glass of water right through a chunk of this concrete. This extreme permeably is necessary as the primary proposes of this type concrete is to reduce runoff.

It is an interesting concept but I have to say that I am suspicious. My first thought was to wonder how it would hold up to the freeze thaw cycle. Here is their explanation…

Freeze-Thaw Resistance. Freeze-thaw resistance depends on the saturation level of the voids in the concrete at the time of freezing. In the field, it appears that the rapid draining characteristics of pervious concrete prevent saturation from occurring. Where substantial moisture and freeze-thaw conditions are anticipated, pervious concrete should be placed on a 6 to 18-in.-thick layer of drainable rock base such as 1-in. crushed stone.

I wonder how extensive the referenced “in the field” experience is?