The Technique of Rubbing Paint for a Concrete Floor

Stain

• The coloring rubbed into a concrete floor technically stains the floor instead of merely painting the floor. While paint sits on top of a concrete surface and may be broken up by walking on or dropping items on the surface, stain absorbs down into the upper part of the material, which gives the floor near-permanent coloring. For stain to work with a concrete floor, you must use acid stain, which actually eats away at the surface for the purpose of coloring.

Apply

• The technique of rubbing paint, or stain, into a concrete floor may begin in a number of ways. The available space may determine the most effective means of distributing the stain. In a room with a wide-open floor space, paint may be poured directly onto the floor’s surface and then spread. In smaller spaces, or spaces with many fixtures, spreading stain with a paint roller generally proves a less messy option.

Etch

• Once you get the stain onto a concrete floor, you must spread the stain over the floor’s surface in a way that etches the floor to allow the stain down into the grooves. A push broom offers a simple means of accomplishing this task. Begin by spreading the stain over the floor’s surface to get a fairly even distribution and then scrub back and forth over the floor’s surface with the bristles of the broom.

Dry

• Once you etch a concrete floor with stain, you must remove the excess stain from the concrete. Allow the stain to sit on the surface for the amount of time that the stain manufacturer recommends and then wear gloves and go over the floor with dry rags to soak up what remains of the stain. Once you remove excess stain, apply the neutralizing agent that the stain manufacturer recommends to stop the acid from continuing to burn through the concrete.