concrete dying

[muddog899]

Ok tryng to deciede if i should dye my concrete when its been poured they have color in bags that you add to the concrete truck when it gets to your place they mix it in then. the dye is 280.00 a sack which will do one truck load, i want to do a purple color to my floor. or should I use a liquid dye that is sprayed then seal it then all seal the floor either way.

 

[Popeyedad]

Add the dye to the mix, works best for me.

 

[Blue One]

Ok tryng to deciede if i should dye my concrete when its been poured they have color in bags that you add to the concrete truck when it gets to your place they mix it in then. the dye is 280.00 a sack which will do one truck load, i want to do a purple color to my floor. or should I use a liquid dye that is sprayed then seal it then all seal the floor either way.

The dye mixed into the concrete will be best as the color is all through the mix. The color mix is also a hardener so it will improve the strength of your concrete.

Purple is difficult to do, if you don't get the exact right mix then you will get a really nice lilac pale purple color. (your wife would love it)

The nicest colors I have seen done are bright blue or brick red, both turn out nice again with the right mix.

 

[The Maxx]

Just the one load or more?

If multiple loads make sure the company supplying the loads knows they must supply the exact same quantity in each load otherwise the color will differ between loads.

Even when ordered in same quantities, once in a great while the load is batched at the plant a bit wetter than the customer spec'd. The plant operator then will add 1/2 yard or so material to "dry up" the load. This is at the companies expense and no one would think twice about it, unless you are adding color and need the loads to be exactly the same quantity.

They need to know that this is not acceptable.

 

[muddog899]

all need a total of three loads of crete to do my pad and drive way so all really need to keep a eye on what the do then

 

[Reg1952]

I did mine in bolder grey and it looks great.I wanted to do the brick red but thats what we have at work so I thought it might feel like work when I am in my shop.Cost about $550 for my 28x30 floor.

 

[brihvac]

Where do you buy concrete dye? I will have to find out if the driveway is gonna be poured at the same time as the garage floor.

 

[805gregg]

You can dye after it's poured, but still soft, probably cheaper unless you want the bottom of the concrete colored.

 

[brihvac]

You can dye after it's poured, but still soft, probably cheaper unless you want the bottom of the concrete colored.

How would I do this?

 

[Steevo]

I used LatiSeal (slate green) from these guys for my shop floor.
http://www.radonseal.com/color-sealer/color-sealer.htm

 

[Blue One]

You can dye after it's poured, but still soft, probably cheaper unless you want the bottom of the concrete colored.

They can put colored powder broadcast onto the wet concrete surface when they power trowel it, and in most cases it is also a hardener too.

The problem with that is if you damage the floor in the future the color is only a skim coat on the surface and you will see the grey concrete under it.

Mixing the color into the mix colors the concrete all the way through.

 

[Doctor_Ink]

The dye mixed into the concrete will be best as the color is all through the mix. The color mix is also a hardener so it will improve the strength of your concrete.

Purple is difficult to do, if you don't get the exact right mix then you will get a really nice lilac pale purple color. (your wife would love it)

The nicest colors I have seen done are bright blue or brick red, both turn out nice again with the right mix.

This is also helpful if you chip the floor. It will remain the same color and not gray underneath because it has been painted.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I have never thought about dyeing concrete purple. Will be curious how That turns out.

 

[santagary]

Ok tryng to deciede if i should dye my concrete when its been poured they have color in bags that you add to the concrete truck when it gets to your place they mix it in then. the dye is 280.00 a sack which will do one truck load, i want to do a purple color to my floor. or should I use a liquid dye that is sprayed then seal it then all seal the floor either way.

You scared me there for a second...I thought you said your concrete was dying, but instead the topic turned out to be concrete dyeing.

 

[Big Blue Car]

Having worked around color concrete for several years I would definitely suggest using a know brand of color. For me I would only use L.M. Scofield http://www.scofield.com/decorativeconcrete.html .

There are several different products. I would say to go their web site and read about what they have. Here is the basics:
Integral color: This is a color powder that is added to the concrete mix (truck). Most ready mix plants carry Scofield and can quote your concrete with color. They will do everything (order and add it to the mix) this way you can have consistency over several trucks. There is one hitch with a small load 1-2cy with a short load the color will stick to the drum and you will not have the same color, so order in 5 yard increments.

Color hardener: This is a shake on color, added when the concrete is wet then toweled in when you finish the concrete. This is usually brighter color but will only be in the top ¼” of concrete. If you chip or scrape the floor the color will be gone.

Stains: These are a transparent stain and create a modeled finish. This is typically what you see in stores like Starbucks. You can add a couple of colors together and get some really good looking floors. This only penetrates the very top surface and will ware (and eventually can ware off).

 

[volvo]

..
When I did my light brown colored sidewalks a few years back, we took the package of dye to the batch plant so they could throw it in the truck to be completely mixed by the time they arrived for the our pour. Cost then was only $80 for 5 yd truck. Came out great and would do it again in a minute.