DIY Concrete Engraving

Stain existing concrete before engraving new designs or patterns.

Various techniques enable you to add decorative touches to concrete surfaces, whether they're horizontal or vertical. Yet for plain concrete, from patios to sidewalks to driveways to walls, you have another choice for decorating concrete: engraving. Engraving cuts patterns or texture into existing surfaces. Designs often simulate stone, tile, intricate brick paving or geometric designs. It’s all about working thoughtfully with what’s already there. If you’re new to the process of engraving concrete, start with simple designs. Once concrete is stained and carved, there’s no going back for a do-over. Tackle more complex projects as your confidence and skill grow.

Things You'll Need

• Trisodium phosphate (TSP) cleaner
• Rotary floor scrubber
• Wet shop vacuum
• 1/4-inch masking tape
• Concrete stain or stains
• Chemical vapor respirator
• Shatterproof safety goggles or glasses
• Dust respirator
• Circular saw
• 4-1/2-inch angle grinder with abrasive blades
• Epoxy grout, if needed
• Concrete sealer

Instructions

1. Sweep and thoroughly clean the concrete surface you will stain and engrave. Scrub it with a rotary floor scrubber, using trisodium phosphate (TSP) solution. Rinse well with water. After the concrete dries, vacuum it thoroughly with a wet vacuum.

2. Mark out and score your overall pattern in the concrete, using your engraving tools, if you’ll be staining the concrete in multiple separate colors. Or use quarter-inch masking tape. Scoring helps keep stain colors separate. Later, you can remove any stain colors than run into engraved areas, using a router; and you can fill in the engraved areas with epoxy grout.

3. Apply concrete stain according to its manufacturer’s instructions and using techniques appropriate to your aims. For instance, apply a single stain color very thick, allowing it to puddle, for a mottled, multi-tone look. Or use two coats for a much darker color effect. Wear a respirator while working with stains and sealers.

4. Lay out the engraving pattern you will follow, using quarter-inch masking tape, if you didn’t do so earlier. Wearing the dust mask, score thick lines using the quarter-inch abrasive blade. Use one-eighth-inch blades for thinner yet visible lines. File deep engraved lined with epoxy grout if desired, to hide color leakage or as part of your intended design.

5. Sweep and vacuum the surface to remove all concrete dust. Apply a concrete sealer according to the manufacturer’s instructions, wearing the protective respirator.

Tips & Warnings

• Test acid stains on a small area first, because stains may not reveal their actual shade for several hours after application. Colors are generally more intense on new concrete, for example, than on older or weathered surfaces.

• Water-based concrete stains come in a full palette of colors and may be worth investigating if you’re looking for something beyond the usual range of earth tones.

References

• Concrete Network: Concrete Engraving Transforms Existing Concrete
• Engrave-A-Crete: Decorative Concrete Engraving
• All Things Concrete: Concrete Engraving/Scoring
• All Things Concrete: Angle Grinder Used for Concrete Scoring
• Concrete Network: Cleaning Floors Before Concrete Staining -- Tips From the Pros
• Concrete Network: What Colors Are Available, and How Do I Pick the Right One?

Resources

• KaleidoCrete: Concrete Engravers
• The Family Handyman: How to Use an Angle Grinder