- Create the look of polished, earth-colored stone with acid stains. Acid stains produce a permanent, transparent color. When they're applied to concrete floors, they react to the minerals within the concrete to produce a mottled look that resembles the shading of natural stone. Some of the color choices include deep walnut, aqua, limestone, terra cotta and moss green. Once the stains are applied, they can be sealed as they are, or they can be scored with a diamond blade stone-cutter to achieve the look of tile.
- Make a colorful mosaic on your concrete floors with acrylic stains. Like acid stains, acrylic stains produce semi-transparent colors in concrete, but acrylic stains aren't dependent on reactions in the concrete minerals to produce color. The color choices in acrylic stains are limitless, and can be combined to create the shades you need for your decor. You can make a colorful mosaic in your concrete flooring by sketching the design and staining each portion of the design individually.
- One of the simplest and least expensive methods of finishing a concrete floor is to apply a tinted sealer after the concrete is dry. Tinted sealers are a surface colorant, and they also protect your floors from stains and mold. You can purchase a clear sealer and add the tint before you apply it to the concrete, or you can buy pre-mixed colored sealers. Epoxy sealers provide the hardest surface, and are the most resistant to trapped moisture. Tinted sealers are sometimes applied to stained concrete to make the colors more vivid.
- Freshen up the concrete floor in a playroom or family room with a fresh coat of paint, which is another simple, inexpensive process. Choose a bright color that suits the decor, and create a faux geometric rug in the center of the room to break up the monochromatic look. Draw the design on the base coat after it dries, and paint your faux rug over it, in a contrasting color. Or, try a floor stencil designed for this purpose.
- Create the look of slate, flagstone or brick with concrete stamps. The stamps can be applied when the concrete is poured and leveled, or if you have existing concrete you can apply a fresh overlay to it and apply the stamped impressions to that. Either method will give you the effects of real stone and brick.
