What Can I Do to Make a Cement Shower Floor Look Good?

Acid Stained Floors

• Acids react with the lime in cement products to create various effects. Most colors can be created, along with a granite or marble look. If you want more artistic results, use natural substances like dried leaves or sawdust to leave marks in the acid before it dries or add colors and texture with brushes, mops or paint sprayers.

Stamped Cement

• Embed patterns in a newly poured shower floor with stamps that create the illusion of wood flooring, tile, brick, slate or natural stone. This procedure also creates a textured surface on the floor that prevents slipping. Finishing the pattern with grout in between the patterns adds realism to the special effects.

Scored Finishes

• To make an existing shower floor resemble stone or brick, score the surface with a circular saw blade. The finished floor can be painted to look like real brick or stone or you can brighten the shower stall by painting the imprinted concrete in a variety of bold colors.

Cement Overlays

• Overlays are good options for cement floors that are rough or slightly irregular. Sealing and patching cracks in the floor before the application provides the best finished surface. Overlays are available in many colors, some of which have additives to give the finish the illusion of texture and depth.

Other Options

• The quickest and easiest way to make gray cement shower floors look better is to seal them and apply a shiny concrete top coat mixed with coarse sand to create a slip-resistant surface. Tile is another option to make the floor more attractive but the floor has to be sanded or buffed to a smooth surface to ensure the tile properly adheres to the cement and stays in place when repeatedly exposed to shower water.