Tips on Decorating with Concrete from Washington, DC area contractor
Concrete is one of the most durable and versatile building materials on the market today. You can use concrete for everything from sunroom floors to retaining walls and outdoor patios. As a building material, its combination of strength and malleability cannot be matched, although in its natural state the color and heat conduction are sometimes less than ideal. Regarding the color, while the cold masonry gray natural to concrete might be less than desirable, there are actually several ways to get colors into your concrete surface, opening the door to a wide array of decorating schemes.
The three ways to color concrete are to paint it, to stain it, or to mix pigment into it pre-application. Pigmented concrete – also known as ‘colored concrete’- can be mixed at home, or it can be purchased pre-colored. All three methods have advantages and disadvantages; between the three of them, you should be able to achieve a concrete surface with just the look you want.
Colored Concrete
With colored concrete, the pigments are mixed directly into the pre-cured batch. This is a technique also known as “integral color.” Originally iron oxide was the primary pigment used in integral concrete color, but in today’s market you can choose from a wide array of colors, from bold and bright to subtle and earthy.
The benefit to pre-colored concrete is that the color will not wear off, and cannot chip or peel, since it is blended into the concrete itself. It also allows you to maintain the bare texture of the poured concrete, rather than giving it the glossier or smoother painted look of a surface that has been coated. Finally, with stain, you do not lose the thermal effect that you get from bare concrete; your concrete will still absorb heat and slowly release it back into the air, moderating temperature extremes.
The downside is that it can be difficult to predict the exact color that the concrete will turn out on your surface, since the particular batch, as well as the circumstances of application and curing, can make a difference. Furthermore, pre-colored concrete does not benefit from any of the additional functional benefits of coating, such as waterproofing, added cleanability, etc. And if you want to change the color in the future, you have to paint over your colored concrete, surmounting the additional challenges of getting the paint to adhere to the uncoated surface and hiding the existing color.
Painting Concrete
Concrete can be painted in any color, and given any level of gloss, on the coatings market. It is important to remember to thoroughly clean the concrete prior to application, and to prime it with a special masonry or concrete-designated primer, but if you achieve those two goals, your concrete surface can be as readily painted as your drywall or your brick exterior.
The benefit to painting concrete is that is gives your substrate the added protection offered by a strong coating. Protective properties of paint vary depending on the brand and the purpose, but you can find paints that are waterproof, that fight bacteria and mildew buildup, that resist fading from UV exposure or mechanical weathering. You will be able to predict how the coating color will turn out based on the sample and/or paint chips that you acquire in your planning phase, because paint coatings predictably hold their color.
The downside to painting concrete is that you don’t end up with the subtle, almost ‘natural’ look that you can get with integrally colored concrete. You also have to perform upkeep on the paint job; recoating it when it starts to wear and/or peel. If your concrete is on the floor in an area that receives traffic, you will need to clean and likely recoat it regularly to combat the effects of the constant wear and tear. Also, depending on the type of paint you choose, some of the natural thermal effects of concrete will be affected by the coating.
Staining Concrete
It is a little-known fact, but concrete also can be stained. The stain actually penetrates the pores of the concrete, creating a beautiful and unique multitonal effect. Unlike paint (or even more so, carpetry), stain has no effect on the thermal properties of concrete. You can also choose from a multitude of colors and tonal effects, even choosing stains that mimic the look of marble or other high-end flooring materials.
The downsides to stain are that it does not protect the concrete, and it is extremely hard to predict exactly how the stain will look after it is applied. Another consideration is that since the stain is penetrating, it cannot easily be removed; if the look of the stained concrete at any point is considered undesirable, the only option will be to paint over it.
So there you have a full overview of your colored concrete options. Far from the tired, gray, boring substance that you’re used to, you can now tap into the true power of concrete as a powerful and versatile decorating tool.