The Right Surface Concrete Treatment to Spruce up Your Space
All that’s grey and cold isn’t unfinished concrete. While most of us see it as a structural component, in effect, concrete is more than that. Of course, being part of the whole construction agenda is one thing, but concrete surface treatments turn boring grey composite into fun projects like creating themed menus featuring delicacies.
The natural mottled effect set in grey by chemical composition, environmental factors, and curing time makes concrete an adaptable material like moist clay to imaginative potters. Surface concrete treatment will inspire mind-bending ideas to reimagine overlooked spaces.
Have you visualized your interiors tastefully done without floor coverings? If you haven’t, ring the concrete treatment experts at BECOSAN® today.
Like surgeons reshaping body parts for aesthetic appeal, they turn set concrete into a piece of art by staining, polishing, and painting surfaces. While much of BECOSAN’s surface concrete treatment adds visual spark, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The surface treatment shields natural concrete from water penetration and makes cleaning painless. Get fascinating effects etched into set concrete by BECOSAN’s concrete treatment experts at the never-before quality and attractive rates.
Reimagining Concrete as Modular Art with Surface Concrete Treatment
Surface concrete treatment makes interiors come alive by trying to achieve perfect synergy between five design elements – lines, forms, texture, colour, and pattern.
1. Acid-staining Concrete Floors
The floor is rarely safe from grease stains and other nasties. It is where cleaning becomes a cumbersome chore. A floor covering only makes maintenance more expensive and mechanical.
On the contrary, a concrete floor kills two birds with one stone. It eliminates cleaning hassle, stops water permeation, and improves aesthetic appeal if done right. Concrete treatment experts from BECOSAN® use a cleverly done mottled finish to make kitchen stains less obvious to the eye.
Colouring concrete is another way to turn your living space into Van Gogh’s theme. To begin with, acids are deliberately applied to stain the floor surface. Powerful acids such as phosphoric and hydrochloric acids are mixed with salts before dabbing into set concrete.
The acidic formula enlarges concrete pores while salts catalyse the reaction. The by-product of this method is a unique discolouration, mainly spotted alterations caused by acidic reactions.
The interplay between concrete porosity and cement mix decides how the final appearance is achieved. With a spark of creativity, you could achieve a three-dimensional finish.
Despite its unique trait in creating artistic floor colours on concrete slabs, acid-staining is best left to experts like BECOSAN® because acids corrode and weaken concrete, making the process irreversible.
2. Concrete Treatment with Faux Grout Lines
Acid-stained concrete treatment creates other-worldly beauty with colour variations of metamorphic rocks. If you have an aversion to raw concrete flooring, acid staining and etching faux grout lines in a grid pattern can help achieve patterns mirroring tiled floors.
As far as creativity goes, treatment principles can be manipulated to concoct intricate patterns and stencilled logos to suit aesthetic preferences. If you’re looking at concrete treatment subsuming overarching themes to create spatial heterogeneity, book a consultation with BECOSAN®.
3. Staining and Polishing Concrete Floors
Stained and polished concrete designs are ingeniously manipulated to accentuate contemporary elements. It offers ample room to experiment fun twists by fusing two opposing themes.
We have seen several examples where melding classic and modern influences have injected playful flair to smart interiors. To polish concrete floors, obstinate bits of the grey material are sanded down with emery till uniform gloss appears.
Usually done in stages, sanding is done with extra coarse grit at the beginning before gradually moving to a finer grit as the process nears completion. Polishing can be stopped whenever you’re satisfied with the shine. In finishing stages, extra buffing will cause the sealant to form a protective barrier.
Remember, sanding concrete to a smooth finish is a mean feat. It demands excellent control and precision as you go from one slab to another. Choosing the right grit to achieve surface evenness is often above the skill level of a DIYer. This is why it’s best to ring experts like BECOSAN®.
4. Dying Concrete Floors
It’s possible to dye concrete floors with a signature colour reflecting your personality on interiors. If you love earthy elements, switch to warmer colours like brown to create a scenic ambiance to make your space an extension of a stunning landscape.
Dyes used in the surface concrete treatment are usually water-based. Why?
Because runny agents sparkle the floor, besides leaving a uniform finish. While chemical reaction is the drawback of acid-staining treatment, there is no cause for concern by letting dyes saturate your floor.
The coloured agents are only absorbed into concrete pores without weakening their structural bond. This is why dying is popular among DIYers, but if you want a professional touch to finishing, there’s no better way than letting BECOSAN® worry about it.
Occasionally, incorrectly dyeing highlights the coarseness of concrete flooring. While purists say it’s a visual treat, others call it a bug. To balance this divisive quality, trying colour variations will add softness to coarse texture.
Sometimes it helps while other times it adds to the madness. Another way to stimulate visual interest in the room is to place neutral area rugs. There are umpteen designs that suit dyed concrete floors. Besides looks, it also cushions feet from the rough and cold concrete.
5. Epoxy Painting for Concrete Floors
While grouting has remained a popular choice for repairing concrete, epoxy treatment is a mile further as a better substitute. Being less viscous, epoxy seeps through minute cracks and crevices bringing evenness to floor finishes.
Add to it the colour choices and you’re left with endless possibilities to create extraordinarily unreal effects using organic paint. Ordinary paints and epoxy are not the same despite similar coating methods. While the former dries, the latter hardens after application.
This is because epoxy has a liquid catalyst and hardener in parts that combine to shield concrete surfaces with high foot traffic. If you have a dollop of creativity and a pinch of pragmatism, get playful by pairing epoxy colours with other design elements.
The challenging bit is when you attempt creating intricate patterns with vibrant colours. This is where uneven application interferes with the aesthetic experience. If done right, epoxy paint overturns the cold and hard image of concrete to something more appetizing to the eye.
If you’re still procrastinating, the floor won’t get treated on its own. Nudge the professionals at BECOSAN® to get a test to your liking.
