How to Stamp Concrete Floors

Stamping a concrete floor is a way to improve the look of a featureless concrete slab. Through stamping you can create a large variety of floor textures and designs, including the look of bricks or of natural stone. Any design that can be molded can be stamped onto your concrete floor. The method of stamping your floor is a simple one, but you'll need to apply the technique carefully, as concrete is an unforgiving material, and mistakes, once made, can last for decades.

Things You'll Need

• Freshly poured concrete floor
• Concrete color hardener
• Concrete color release agent
• Concrete float
• Concrete trowel
• Concrete stamps
• Pressure washer
• Water source
• Concrete sealer

Instructions

1. Plan the stamping pattern and set out the stamps you will need. Most full-floor stamping projects require multiple stamps applied in a repeating pattern to gain the full effect.

2. Pour the concrete floor, or have someone pour it for you. Wait for any excess water on the surface to be absorbed.

3. Apply color hardener powder to the poured concrete floor if you wish to add color. Use wide sweeping throws to apply the hardener, and wait about five minutes for the hardener to be absorbed into the surface.

4. Work the color evenly into the surface of the floor using a wood or magnesium float. The float is a tool used to level and smooth a concrete surface, with magnesium floats producing a smoother finish than the wooden ones. Go over the surface with a steel trowel, using the flat surface of the trowel to eliminate any drag lines created by the float.

5. Apply a color release agent to the concrete floor to ensure that the stamps will not stick to the fresh concrete surface. Layer the agent just thick enough to keep the concrete from bleeding through to the stamp.

6. Lay the mats onto the damp concrete surface. Align the first stamp carefully at the starting point on the still-damp concrete. Place the second stamp tightly adjacent to the first. Continue until one unit of the pattern has been set onto the floor's surface. Apply pressure to the first stamp to texture the surface, and then to the following stamps of your planned pattern.

7. Leapfrog the stamps as you go, removing the first stamp and repeating the pattern against the last stamp of the previous unit. Remove the stamps by lifting them steadily from the side to break the suction.

8. Once the concrete has set, wait 24 hours and then wash away the release agent using a pressure washer set for 3000 PSI. Vary the distance between the washer wand and floor to get an uneven removal of the agent for color variation. Also leave a small amount of agent remaining in the grout lines and deep detailed lines of the texture for shadowing.

9. Seal the concrete with two coats of concrete sealer applied first in one direction and then in a direction perpendicular to first, when the floor has dried.

Tips & Warnings

• Fluff the hardener and release agent with your hand to reduce clumping prior to application, as the substances tend to settle in the container. The color release agent should be chosen to complement the color applied, with a darker agent adding depth to the stamped details.

• Do not apply hardener while there is water remaining on the surface of the concrete.

References

• Stamped Concrete
• Stamped Concrete Floors
• Tips & Techniques for Proper Concrete Stamping

Resources

• Patterned Concrete