Like constantly changing design trends, polished concrete floors offer exceptional versatility to suit different decor schemes with a sleek gloss or matte finish or be updated with a coloured stain to renew its lustre. If you’ve been asking “can you stain polished concrete?”, the answer is a resounding “Yes”. Polished concrete floors offer exceptional versatility that allows them to be easily refreshed to restore their gleam or updated with a new colour stain to suit your tastes or change your home’s design.

Why you would want to stain your polished concrete floors

Re-staining and sealing your concrete floors is a superb idea if you’ve noticed that high traffic areas are showing less of a sheen; you want to protect your floors from spills and stains; or you want to change the look of your room and apply a different colour or gloss or matte finish. If you want to find out how to polish stained concrete floors, read our helpful guide below.

Can you acid-stain polished concrete?

Absolutely! Acid-stained concrete floors deliver a striking, high impact look that exudes drama. Distinct from regular polished concrete floors, they impart warmer colour tones, with browns, reds and greens. Acid stains utilise a hydrochloric acid solution that reacts with the lime in the concrete to produce a vivid and marbled gradient of tonal colours.

How to stain and polish concrete

The equipment you’ll need includes:

  • Vacuum, mop and neutral cleaning supplies
  • Safety glasses, protective gloves and a mask fitted with a HEPA filter
  • Diamond pad and floor machine sander
  • Angle grinder
  • Masking tape
  • Stain and colourant
  • Brush and 2 x spray guns
  • Concrete sealer
  • A little elbow grease

With some handy tools and our step-by-step guide in hand, you can learn how to stain polished concrete floors.

Prepare your space and grind away

You’ll need an empty canvas to work on — to start the process, remove all furniture from your floors and furnishings from your walls that could drop dust. Before you can hit the trigger, it’s time to don your safety gear to protect your eyes and lungs from the plumes of dirt and dust that will be released. You’ll also want to keep windows and doors open to ventilate your room.

With a mop, add a light layer of water to the ground for wet-grinding to trap and suspend the dust created. Next, fit the diamond pad to your floor machine sander and buff your floors starting from the farthest wall, making your way to the space’s entryway. Constantly keep your sander moving to ensure an even surface. Use the angle grinder to finish off edges and corners missed by your sander.

Thoroughly clean your freshly ground floors

Pay careful attention, vacuum and mop your floors using a neutral pH cleaner to remove all dirt and debris — you don’t want them trapped under the sealant! After your floors have completely dried, mark off baseboards, the bottom of stairs and other surfaces you don’t want to be coloured. Close your windows to stop dust and dirt from being blown in and getting trapped in your stain.

Apply your stain

Using a sprayer and a brush for corners, edges and hard to reach areas, apply two to three equal coats of your stain and colour. Wait for each coat to set by following the time recommended by the brand you’ve selected.

Apply your sealant

Once your stain has completely dried, it’s time to apply two coats of your sealer with a spray gun four hours apart. When you’ve finished these steps, allow the sealant to cure for four days without opening the space to footfall and returning your furnishings.

Simple maintenance

Follow our guide on how to clean polished concrete floors to keep your freshly stained floors in their best condition. With some general routine cleaning, you can enjoy your new floors for years to come.

Get the look with Geostone

Polished concrete is the ultimate flooring solution you need for a contemporary home or business. With its sleek profile and uncompromising design, polished concrete floors offer effortless maintenance and versatility that can be updated to match your tastes and home design. If you want a polished concrete floor that lasts, look to Geostone for a high-quality finish and service. For any questions you have, big and small, don’t hesitate to contact us.