Tools Used for Concrete Stain Design

Worm-Drive Saws

• One of the ways that you will score your concrete prior to staining is by using a variety of different kinds of saws. One of the saws you can use to make longer and deeper cuts is a worm-drive saw. The worm-drive saw looks like a handheld circular saw, but it has a large motor and handle behind the saw blade, which gives it two places that you can hold and stabilize it. You can use a worm-drive saw in conjunction with guides made of plywood or trim board to make longer straight or curved cuts. A worm-drive saw motor provides much more power than a hand-held circular saw and makes it the ideal choice for cutting concrete designs.

Tile Saw

• For the more precise saw cuts, you should use a tile saw with a blade that is at least 5 inches long. The tile saw is smaller and can be held in your hands to make the smaller cuts a design may require. One way to create tile saw cuts is to draw chalk outlines on your concrete and follow those with the tile saw.

Saw Blades

• The best kind of blade to use when cutting concrete designs is a wet/dry blade that has a continuous rim diamond coating. These blades are extremely sharp, so be careful when handling the saws.

Vacuums

• Scoring and cutting concrete creates dust and small pieces of concrete that can get caught in saws and other equipment. As you are cutting, you should have someone out in front of your cuts with a wet vacuum to reduce the amount of dust you generate and catch any large, flying debris. Wet vacuums look like shop vacuums, but they hold water that gets distributed through the front nozzle. You should also have a shop vacuum to clean up debris that is left behind, and to vacuum the water out of the cuts to prevent the water from interfering with the staining acid.

Sand Blaster

• Creating more complicated patterns in concrete cannot be accomplished with a saw. To make elaborate designs, you will need a metal stencil and a sand blaster. You should only use a sand blaster in a well-ventilated area and while wearing protective goggles, gloves and clothing.

Garden Sprayer

• You should always wear protective gloves and be careful when handling acid concrete stain, but applying stain is relatively simple. You can use a regular plastic pump garden sprayer to apply your concrete stain. You will need to thoroughly clean your garden sprayer in between coats of stain and when changing over to a different color.