concrete dye

Discussion in 'Architecture & Engineering' started by sculptor, May 18, 2020.

  1. sculptor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,466
    My kitchen floor is concrete.
    I wuz gonna lay ceramic tile on it, but then thought:
    Maybe I could just dye the concrete, then seal and wax it.
    ok
    Ithink that an acid based stain is unnecessary
    so a dye
    An H2O dye seems adequate---not acetone.
    I'm thinking a deep blue.......................

    Your thoughts?
    Knowledge?
    wild guesses?
     
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  3. exchemist Valued Senior Member

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    12,451
    I think it will look crap and be hard to clean properly, due to the uneven surface finish. I would put tiles down.
     
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  5. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    8,466
    yeh, well
    I had thought that the prep for tile and for dye are mostly alike(clean and etch)
    and then
    before I add a sealant and wax
    if it looks like crap
    I could fall back on tile
    which I had bought previously
    from what I;ve read, it seems that the sealant should be redone periodically.
    ...........
    and, now then, if it looks good with just the deep blue dye
    I can quit there
    I have dyed concrete in my shop
    (also deep blue) and it has weathered well
    but that was done by sprinkling the dyed material on top of fresh--uncured--concrete
    not an option with the 30 year old concrete in the kitchen
    (sigh)
     
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  7. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    8,849
    Could you do the same thing as in your shop if you added a thin layer of mortar over the cement and then add the dyed flakes?

    I've seen something like that done to refinish a basement floor.
     
  8. parmalee peripatetic artisan Valued Senior Member

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    3,266
    It also typically takes about 5x longer to dry than you would expect it to--at least, from my experience.

    Personally, I think dye could turn out well. Keeping in mind that any present inconsistencies/discoloration will remain, of course. Also, given that there aren't going to be any sort of chemical reactions that drastically alter what you see initially, you've at least got that...
     
  9. (Q) Encephaloid Martini Valued Senior Member

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    20,855
    If staining and not using a primary color, veining and bleed through can result from colors used in the mix
    Cold, noisy and echo's
    Easily stains if not properly sealed. Sealing required every couple years to maintain
    Develops cracks
    Can destroy something dropped on it
    Can chip or crack if something dropped on it
    Stains, cracks and chips not easily repaired
     
  10. exchemist Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    12,451
    True, though I don't think mortar would be very hard-wearing - might flake off where people walk etc. Ceramic would be a lot harder, I think.
     
  11. Seattle Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,849
    I don't really know what the company used on the treatment of the basement floor. I only saw it on a video. The basement floor was concrete and they came in and spread something over the floor, maybe epoxy? and then added the flakes and then polished it all. When it was done it was quite and improvement and looked almost like marble.
     
  12. sculptor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,466
    It's a nice sunny day at 58 degrees F
    <----is still working on the acid etching part of the process.
    vicisitudes of the web:
    eg: "Add 1 part of 33% hydrochloric acid to 2 parts water to make a 10% solution"
    OK it just me of is there something wrong with the math?
    (17% solution?)
    and
    much advice for mixing acid to water ranges from a 1:10 to a 1:2 ratio, neglects to specify the acid concentration of the acid........................
    in percentage nor baumé degree
    .....................................
    the adventure continues
    some of the water soluble dye arrived yesterday
    (did a small test in a corner that will be covered by the stove this morn)
    So far, etching with the weaker solutions has been inadequate---though heading in the right direction...
    another acid etch this morn using a 1:3 ratio of 31.5% acid to distilled water
    = 11%--------------------or----(balls to the wall, so to speak) and go with 1:2
    = 16% solution?

    ..................................................................................................................................................................................
    i ain't completely confused yet
    but i am working on it
    the adventure continues
     
  13. sculptor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,466
    Or:
    Am I missing something important?
     
  14. iceaura Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    30,994
    Nothing important

    They do make colored epoxy resin for concrete floors - it dries smooth and shiny, wears well if not baked in UV. If you use clear stuff you can put color down underneath, almost anything - like a bar top. I've seen mostly football team logos.

    It's a bit more forgiving than bare concrete, when you drop something - not much, but some.

    What I got:
    11%,
    (a third of a third, shaded low) That's enough of a miss to screw up a job.
    About 7.9%
    A third of a fourth, shaded low
    About 10.5%
    (A third of a third again, shaded further low)

    how: 33/ (33 + (100-33)+200)), better 33/300, = ratio of acid to total contents. So: 33/300, 31,5/400, 31.5/300.
     
  15. Sarkus Hippomonstrosesquippedalo phobe Valued Senior Member

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    10,353
    I got hooked on watching videos of people making some stunning epoxy-resin tables... some of the colours and effects they could get were really quite wonderful. There’s also some demonstration of them turning old and tired wooden kitchen countertops into something that vaguely resembles marble... (being a bit generous on how much it looked like marble, but that was th effect they were going for). As a flooring I’m sure you could get equally impressive results.
     
  16. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    13,077
    My daughter suggested a water soluble colour powder can either be mixed with water first and then added to the water in the mixer before cement powder added or coloured powder added to cement powder first

    There was some mention of food colouring being used but all I know about food colouring, it comes in tiny bottles not big enough to colour concrete

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  17. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    8,466
    ok
    learning curve
    when applying the dye my beloved spouse kept saying "darker"
    gee darn
    married 40 years, and I still ain't learned how to ignore her
    then, she said
    "too dark"
    gee darn
    ok
    the "safer" muriatic acid was worthless as tits on a boar
    after wasting much time I went with the "less safe" 20 baume 31'5% solution
    (last step before renting a grinding machine to roughen the surface of the 36 year old concrete floor)
    and, it worked
    ok now to the dying
    dye needs to soak into the concrete-----------particle size becomes important
    so
    I ordered 2 dyes one a brilliant blue and the other blueberry---which turned out to be darker, and a tad purple
    ok
    apply one then the other with a sprayer in swirling motions
    (best to not go too heavy on the darker--purple one)---oops
    and then
    I chose to seal the floor with thompson's water seal
    oops
    they changed their formula, and this one was water based
    and
    it did not cure---still tacky 3 days in---
    so, I went on line and sought information
    one complainant-"donna" posted that she had contacted thompsons and discovered that the new formula needed uv light to cure
    ok
    I have uv lights, so I brought them down and turned them on
    curing about 10% of the floor at a time, the water seal finally cured
    -------------more time consuming-----
    and then
    I applied a polish which completed the finish coat
    --------------------and
    it looks good
    a tad darker than I would wish
    but nevertheless adequate

    many things made the end product a tad iffy
    however
    the chosen choice was the best choice
    now
    what do I do with the 800 square feet of ii have stored in the basement?

    the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley
    and then, there is the rest of the crap we try
    (sigh)
    ...........................................
    In my shop, I applied a dry blue dye powder to the surface of the wet concrete
    then trowled it in
    when dry, it came out lighter than I wanted
    then I applied a highly toxic sealer---gas masks and fans to evacuate the fumes--
    then it darkened a bit, and foot traffic had darkened the exposed areas more
    -----the goal was to make it look like water in a pond----
    not quite there, but a darned site better'n concrete grey
    and the stain/dye---made the surface harder
    27 years of use, and it still looks great

    (how few actually notice?)
     
  18. iceaura Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    30,994
    The overtones of a musical note are not there to be noticed - but they change everything.
    Likewise the texture details of building walls, tree leaves and bark, prairie grasses and lake surfaces, as one moves toward, past, away.
    Household clutter affects people, noticed or not.
     

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