Decorative Concrete Topping Tips

Surface Techniques

• Chemical staining is one of the more inexpensive methods of finishing concrete floors. The stains react to the lime found in the concrete. Depending on how the chemicals are introduced, the concrete may be etched, scored or even embedded with small objects like leaves or pebbles. This method is good since it can help hide any cracks or uneven coloring in the concrete. Scoring or stamping is another surface technique for concrete. Most often scoring is used with the goal of making the concrete look like tiles. Grout is sometimes added to the grooves to enhance the look, as are stains, so concrete looks like Terra cotta or tile.

Coloring Techniques

• There are two options for coloring concrete, the color can be added to the concrete when it is still wet, before any other type of treatment or finish is added. This type of integrally colored concrete creates a uniform color for that batch, however, it is hard to perfectly match colors from one batch to another. The other coloring technique comes from colored hardeners. These colors are added to the surface of newly poured concrete. These color intensity of colored hardeners is more intense and can be laid down to match future scoring or stamping patterns.

Finishing Techniques

• As the popularity of residential and commercial concrete floors increased, special sealers and waxes flooded the market. Many of the finishes not only protect the color or patterns set into the concrete, they intensify them as they can be colored too. Clear coatings are used to help protect the marble, granite or slate look of poured concrete. Although the waxes and sealers can serve a decorative purpose, for the most part they are intended to increase the durability and lifetime of the concrete floor.