After we stained the floor:
It was about 6 days of prep work and 2 days of actually staining. We opted not to put a shiny topcoat on because we liked the satiny leather look that 2 coats of stain gave us. We are thrilled with the character and warmth it adds to the concrete. We plan to lay a cozy area rug in the room to juxtapose the hardness of the concrete. If you are curious how the whole project went down, we aren't gonna leave you hanging.
Here's a short video of the entire process (for those of you who haven't seen it on True Value's Facebook Page):
If you take anything away from that video, it should be: if you plan on staining your concrete floor, make sure it is SUPER clean beforehand. Prep is key. And it will be all worth it in the end.
Of course, we don't make videos without tons of outtakes. You're welcome:
To see how our guest room and office turned out, check out this post.
Leave a Reply
WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
Portfolio
Projects
I think my concrete guy applied the sealer before the concrete was dry enough. It looked fine at first, but now several days later there is a white film under the sealer.
Hello, I am trying to find the video of the actual prepping and staining of the floor. Is it still available? I watched your outdoor patio video, but I need the one where carpet was removed and how to remove the glue. Thanks!
You really did a great job there. Its worth your 6 days of work.
Loved your takes on Concrete Staining. Thanks for the enjoyable read.
How do I clean and prep my floors first?
Shop for Rangers jerseys cheap and get our ultra fast 7-day shipping standard and 365 day returns on any size order only at our Rangers jerseys cheap online shop.
Where To Get authentic Blues jersey
Hmm, I really like the idea of stained concrete flooring in Victoria, BC. It would look really classy in my home.
Chris and Julia--We tore up the carpet in our basement, bought all of the staining supplies, and now cannot get the carpet tack strips out of the concrete! Any advice on how to remove them without removing chunks of the concrete?
Thanks!
Hi Laura,
We actually just took them out and it did take some chunks out. We used some concrete patcher you can get at home depot. The color wasn't exact, but after staining it wasn't anything noticeable. We were only left with chunks missing about the size of a dime - nothing big at all. Hopefully that's the same for you!
This is a great article. I really enjoyed the videos. Your floor looks great after you stained it. I think it was a good choice not to give it the shiny top look, especially because the color is dark. There are other ways where you can get that old rustic look but still have a polished flooring. I know of a lot of people who have used polished concrete for their bedrooms or bathrooms. If you have an existing hard flooring like the picture above, all you have to do is lay down a layering coat to keep that old rusted look. It will just look clean and tradition after doing so. There are all different types of polished concrete that can go with all sorts of styles.
Hi! My husband and I are gathering supplies and evaluating a budget for this project. Staining the concrete floor of our living room. Do you happen to have a list of the supplies you used, their prices and where you bought them? My list is already more expensive than $75 mentioned above. Please Help! We both really love you look and are excited to start the process. Your video was super helpful, thanks for documenting! :)
-Kristen and Ashton
So glad I found y'all through YHL - I'm in the process of trying to do this to our entire basement. I have a few questions about your prep work and after - what did you do about the paint and other stuff that was on the floor? Also, I don't know about you, but when I took up the tack strips, it took some floor with it, so I have lovely little divots around the perimeter. What did you do with those? Finally, the bare concrete is VERY dusty - creates it's own dust. Does that still occur after you have stained it? I know that sealing can make that stop, but you didn't seal, right? Has the dust continued? Thanks! beth
After scraping off the adhesive and all the sweeping and vacuuming what product did you use to clean the concrete? In the video it looks like it was sudsy but I did not hear the name of the product. Thanks Glendasuzie
It is just "concrete cleaner." It was on the shelf next to the stain. Hope it helps!
I like the color that you chose. Can you tell me what color and product line that you used?
Wow it is amazing that it took you less than $75 to do all that! Not to mention the savings you get when you opt out of hiring carpet cleaners every now and then. Concrete floors are just so durable and staining them is definitely one of my favorites. I have seen a lot of stained concrete but never one that did it for less than $75. Amazing share!
Your post is very helpful, especially for those who want to work on their concrete floors. You have provided not just photos of the projects but videos as well which makes it easier for other to understand the process of staining concrete floors.
omg, Julia, I am so happy you did this! We had to rip up half our carpet in our downstairs den after an unfortunate incident involving our dog's digestive issues. We were hoping for hardwood floors under the carpet (the house was built in the 70's) but it was straight concrete. The hubs and I have been debating what to do with the flooring for the past few weeks and I am totally sold on this option. Hopefully he'll be on board too!
Thank you so much for sharing! I definitely want to try this in my basement and will be using your video as my guide :)
I'd just paint as close to the furnace as you can with a brush. We're excited to tackle our garage one day...and the patio...and the laundry room. :)
Love your post! Do you know the name of the color you used?
Oooo! Can't wait to see how it goes for you!
now this is something i need to do. badly. our furnace room is horrible looking. but i don't know how to stain or paint it the best way because the floor goes right under the furnace..i guess i'd have to just...randomly stop my stain right before the furnace starts. whatever. either way, yours looks GREAT and i would like to do my garage floor. it's so....blah looking out there.
Looks great!
I did the same thing last weekend. We also took up linoleum and stained the adjoining bathroom. I was SHOCKED by the strenuousness of the prep work but love the end result. Your floor looks great!
Hi! Just saw you posted this for the Pinterest Challenge on YoungHousseLove. My husband and I are staining our floors! I'll try and post pics this week on our site: exumaunderway.blogspot.com.
Love the color you chose! We're going charcoal gray. Nervous!!!!!! :)
MORE OUTTAKES!
Favorite lines?
"That looks really fun for some reason... are you having a blast?"
"I feel like I was BORN doing this."
"My favorite candy bar issssss...... Reese's Nutrageous. You don't find them a lot of places anymore."
I didn't know you could find them ANYWHERE anymore!
This looks great! We are looking to stain indoor concrete floors in our own house so thanks for sharing.
It looks beautiful!
Aw shucks. Smanks.
The later and the more tired....the sillier. And we had some LONNNGGG late nights working on this project.
BAAA hahahahahah I loveeee outtakes reel. Chris is funny. You're cute.
Oh my gooooooooooosh. You guys get SILLY at night!!! Love outtakes!
Excellent blog! I really love how it is easy on my eyes and the facts are well written. I have subscribed myself for latest blog posts.
Concrete Floors
Awesome to hear, Kathy! It was extremely affordable (like LESS than $75) and durable. We have so much peace of mind just knowing that we don't have to worry about water ruining a carpet down there. Let me know where you end up and we'll be sure to keep you up to date on how this room continues to progress.
we just stained our concrete floors, looks great but scratches very easy.....
Absolutely. Smooth concrete can be a little slippery when wet, but if your shower floor is already concrete--the stain will make it look so much better. And it is permanent, so it is not affected by water.
Chris, Could this be done for a shower floor?