A few words about Decorative Concrete finishes

Things that can affect Decorative Concrete finish.

Too much water was in the concrete when being placed. Problem caused: The floor will always be dusty unless it is sealed. If you have rooms that are stained and sealed and have not sealed the others you will always track dust onto the sealed floor and you will see all of the foot prints.

Calcium was added to the concrete to enhance the set up time. Problem caused: The concrete is now drying out from the bottom up. The ability to stamp the concrete is now none existent. This does not affect scoring, staining or sealing of the concrete.

When the plumber did the rough in plumbing they did not get it where it should have been. Problem caused: The concrete is removed so that the plumbing is located correctly and the plumber does a poor finish out. Basically it does not match the other surrounding concrete in color or texture. When staining the patch area never matches the remainder. We can and will try to disguise the area but sometimes we are not successful.

Oil or other lubricant based materials have been spilled on the slab. Problem caused: These always show up as darker areas regardless of the color of acid stain chosen. The other trades have to be informed that the slab is to be stained and to lubricate tools on the tailgate of their trucks.

Two separate pours of concrete from two different batch plants. Problem caused: Not all concrete batch plants use the same cement from the same lot run, now you have different shades and the stain will not be identical looking when finished.

The concrete was not mixed properly in the cement truck. Problem caused: When you have hard spots in the concrete they will not stain as dark as the areas around them. This is not a problem that can be easily addressed, more stain can be applied but this may not resolve the differences in color. 

Concrete was finished poorly. Problem caused: The concrete will be rough to the touch and sight. What can be done to resolve it, little. The problem was with the finishing crew not the ones who have stained the concrete. Your choices are to cover it up with wood, tile or carpet if it is not acceptable after sealing. We will do our best to do the job correctly, but the other crews that have worked there have to understand that you are having stained floors.

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Last modified: April 29, 2007