Staining concrete vs Epoxy

[TONE]

Has anyone acid stained their concrete garage instead of epoxy?

I used the search feature and wasnt able to find much. (sorry if its been discussed)

Anyway, I really like the look of stained concrete like you would see in restaurants, stores, bars, etc.

Would it be something worth doing or would it stain from oil and such?

I'd prefer it look wise over the epoxy but want something that would last.

I have racedeck ready to install but just thought of this idea.

The racedeck I have is from a business of mine and Its now sitting at home.

Ive got some of it listed for sale in the for sale section.

So, what im looking for is pros and cons to staining concrete.

Thanks in advance.

 

[avalon652]

Curious to hear opinions on this as well. I plan to acid stain (probably Kemiko) my floor and then am thinking of using AcryliSeal 3501 on top as a protective coat (AcryliSeal 3501 is discussed in the "Best Seal. Not Epoxy" thread for those who haven't read about it).

Anyone have any experience with acid stain in the garage? Please?!

 

[thegarageguy]

Acid staining is a reactive type stain. It gives off marbleized translucent colors in earth tones. It will not hide concrete imperfections or stains. These stains are usually sealed with acrylics, epoxies or polyaspartics.

We reserve to not install these in garages unless we do an overlay first. You see, in a garage, we have to diamond grind and that process will not allow the acid to react and marbleize. Also, grinding may leve unsightly swirl marks.

Again, as sealers go for a garage, it is well known amongst pros that the best acrylic sealer is about as good as the cheapest epoxy.

 

[agoogol]

Same boat here, mainly cuz my floor is a mess, overspray, oil stains, paint droppings, you name it it has it. I think stain would at least make it all blend together a bit better. But then I read about stain peeling up, which I dont understand. If it is truly stain, and stains the concrete, how can it peel up?

 

[Maxfli500]

I did acid stain in the basement. The PIC don't do it justice. I bought the lightest color stain from CONCRETEDEPOT.NET and mixed it 2 parts water to 1 part stain. This way I could really control the color, once it is to dark your done, but you can alway make it darker with additional coats. I used a laser to divide the floor and taped (1/4" width tape) off 6' squares on a angle to make it look like tile. Sprayed on the stain with a pump sprayer and brushed it in a little. Did a extra spray all around the outside boarder to make it look darker. After 6 hours I brush it out with Baking soda and water to neutralize the reaction. Sealed a few days later with and Acrylic sealer and after several coats is looks pretty good. I have hot water Radiant heat in the floors so in the winter is very comforable and pretty indestructible. SOmething like $350 TO 1300 Square feet. Every imperfection will show up in the final result. I had solder splater and all kinds of markes on the concrete and in my case that just means it gives the floor character. Garage oil stains would probably be a different story though. The Pic with puppies give you a better view of what it really looks like.

 

[WolverineCoatings]

Again, as sealers go for a garage, it is well known amongst pros that the best acrylic sealer is about as good as the cheapest epoxy.

This has been true in the past. In fact, I have posted here on these forums in the past about how weak acrylics are. Another drawback has been poor chemical resistance and the lack of resistance to hot tires.

However, Wolverine Coatings developed a new type of acrylic coating (nano-polymer acrylic technology) a couple of years ago. To our knowledge we are still the only company in the world who has commercialized this technology (although at least one other company has commercialized a resin). This product has surprised our customers over and over again about its extreme durability and chemical resistance. This technology is FAR beyond typical acrylics or even modified acrylics.

This coating has been used in every part of the US in every climate with good results. Although we didn't ever intend for this coating to be used for anything other than a simple concrete sealant, we are now using it in many other applications. In Wisconsin it will be used as a decorative protective coating on bridges. In Florida is has not only coated numerous pool decks but has actually been used to seal a leak on the interior of a slate pool. (Now, anyone who knows anything about coatings will tell you that you should never use an acrylic where water may pond.) Next week one of our customers will be using this to coat a 23,500 square foot warehouse. In Georgia it will be used as an anti-slip coating at a shopping mall. And, in California it was applied 1/2" thick on Fred's (AlphaGarage) front porch (thanks to FedEx).

Sometime soon we will be evaluating (beta testing) a new product based on this technology as a low cost alternative for garage floors. This would be an ideal product to outperform the 2 component epoxies sold at the big box stores. Don't expect it to be a replacement for high performance 100% solids epoxies. But, it will be much less expensive.

So... some cool things are around the corner...

 

[SUPERCOAT]

We have an epoxy modified acrylic that does quite well over acid stained concrete, but for your garage, I would recommend something with even better wearability (especially since the stain offers absolutely no protection to the floor).

SUPERCOAT has a waterborne Industrial Glaze Coat (two-part urethane) that looks fantastic over stained concrete. You might want to check it out... http://www.supercoat.us

 

[easyrider7467]

I have been thiking this as well. Stain vs Epoxy. I feel the stain gives a very "classy" finish whereas the epoxy is more "industrial" finish.

I more than likely will go with the stain b/c I want and I like the marblized appearance.
search pics of 'stain" floors, their incredible..

Good luck..

 

[thegarageguy]

Acid staining is very unpredictable. It may marblelize more in one area than another. Sometimes the stain wont take at all. I have found it more consistent on an overlay. Of course you can use different mediums to help create different effects. For instance, this job here we used miracle grow for a patina effect.

 

[Dragster Racer]

We are thinking about staining for the basement and maybe even the front porch. What is involved in prep? Does the surface have to be smooth, or can it have a little bite for traction in snow etc? How does it hold up in sunlight or outdoors? I really like the basement pictures. Very nice.

 

[JMURiz]

Sometime soon we will be evaluating (beta testing) a new product based on this technology as a low cost alternative for garage floors. This would be an ideal product to outperform the 2 component epoxies sold at the big box stores. Don't expect it to be a replacement for high performance 100% solids epoxies. But, it will be much less expensive.

So... some cool things are around the corner...

Interesting, will this be a colored version of AcryliSeal 3501?
Let me know if you need a beta tester in the mid-Atlantic area (Washington, DC).

Cool stuff, sometimes it's better to drag your feet as new products come out all the time!

 

[brownbagg]

stain does not peel, paint peels. stain is a chemical reaction of salts with the cement content. you still have to protect the stain with a clear epoxy or poly. so go ahead and do it, you not losing anything, the clear epoxy is the same at the colored epoxy as finish product. if you dont like it you can put a colored epoxy on top of it

 

[thegarageguy]

stain does not peel, paint peels. stain is a chemical reaction of salts with the cement content. you still have to protect the stain with a clear epoxy or poly. so go ahead and do it, you not losing anything, the clear epoxy is the same at the colored epoxy as finish product. if you dont like it you can put a colored epoxy on top of it

Stains sometimes do fade and change color though. If not properly done sometimes wipe right off.

 

[Maxfli500]

Our Basement staining project was really very easy and inexpensive to do. Based on the clear coat it would never hold up in a garage, but for a basement it is pretty much indestructable. Now our house is fairly new and the floor was just a few years old, I guess this means the concrete was pouris and readily accepted the stain. We had some spots where construction had causes variance in the concrete (Solder splater, a little rough during the troweling process, what ever) in my opinion this just adds to the look. Kind of like and antiqued foor.

I guess if you put a very strong clearcoat you could do staining in a garage, but when the budget allows I am looking to do the garage in Epoxy/Clearcoat.

 

[shmo]

Can you stain a floor that has already been sealed?

 

[havi]

My house is concrete floor with what was to be acid stained. The stainers came and layed it out, but it didn't take. So they came back and wiped it all up, and layed a tinted sealer down. That has worked, but with enough moving around on it, IE, the computer chair's wheels, it wears away. Why the stain didn't work, not exactly sure. The contractor said the pour was fine, and that flyash was added to the mix, and that he's heard of that causing problems. The stain pros said the concrete was frozen and an unacceptable pour.

If the floor was sealed, then no the stain won't work.