How to Polish & Dye Concrete

Concrete's versatility makes it a useful material for a wide variety of building parts, including floors, walls, columns and statuary. Many homeowners, however, have an aversion to the cold, gray, industrial feel of concrete. Transform the look of concrete by adding color with concrete dye. After the dye application, coat the concrete with polish. Polish will protect the concrete while also adding a lustrous sheen.

Concrete etching cleaner
Scrub brush
Mop, squeegee or wet vacuum
Concrete stain
Paintbrush, roller or sprayer
Concrete sealer
Concrete polishing wax
Wax applicator mop

Instructions

- 1
  Scrub the concrete with a mild concrete cleaning and etching product. Allow the solution to sit on the concrete for at least 10 minutes then rinse the concrete with water. Remove any excess water with a mop, squeegee or wet vacuum.
- 2
  Apply a coat of concrete stain, using a paintbrush, roller or sprayer. Do not allow drips to dry before smoothing them out with the paintbrush. Leave the first coat to dry for several minutes, until dry to the touch.
- 3
  Add a second coat of stain to eliminate any lap marks or blotches in the first coat and to saturate the color. Apply additional coats as needed to darken the color. Once finished, leave the concrete stain to dry for one day.
- 4
  Paint or spray the concrete with three to four thin coats of concrete sealer. Let each coat dry before adding another. Leave the last coat to dry for one day.
- 5
  Drizzle concrete polishing wax all over the concrete. Spread the wax evenly across the concrete surface with a wax applicator mop. Leave the coat to dry for approximately an hour. Apply two to three additional coats, allowing one to dry before adding another.

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