You have a few options to customize your business’s concrete. Dyes have gained recent popularity. Meanwhile, some business owners swear by stained concrete. Both are easy to apply, and both offer an extensive palette of color.

So, which should you choose? The best choice depends on your flooring needs. Let’s explore a little further.

How Do Concrete Dyes and Stains Work?

Floor dying and floor staining may seem similar, but they’re quite different.

Concrete dyes are coloring agents which exist in a concentrated form. By mixing them with water—or a solvent, like alcohol—floor specialists activate the chemicals within. Once applied, the concrete dye penetrates a concrete surface’s pores—changing the material’s color.

Concrete stains, meanwhile, are a combination of metallic salts, water, and hydrochloric acid. They react chemically with a concrete floor’s calcium hydroxide—changing its color.

What are the Major Differences?

Concrete dyes can be purchased as solvent-based formulas. These formulas can have different effects, such as creating a translucent color. Many water-based concrete dyes can also create a marbled color—mimicking the normal effects of a stain.

Concrete stains, themselves, don’t penetrate a concrete floor’s surface. They etch the concrete’s surface, creating a bright finish. Normally, stains are used in outdoor areas—as concrete dyes aren’t stable when exposed to UV rays.

Concrete stains may also be limited, color-wise, as their surface-level application only offers so many options. Concrete dyes, meanwhile, are great if you seek versatility.

Which Should I Choose?

Both concrete dyes and stains are excellent additions to a concrete floor. We recommend dying your concrete floor if it’s inside. Similarly, we recommend staining your concrete floor if it’s outside. This is the first consideration you should have—and it is, in most cases—the most important.

You can always stain your interior concrete, of course. This said, concrete dye offers more color variation. If you want a minimalist, industrial look—staining your concrete might be the better choice. If you want to increase your interior’s sophistication, however, concrete floor dying is the way to go.

If you have any questions about your concrete floor’s needs, give us a call at 612-750-5360. Ace Restoration and Polishing loves helping out our Brooklyn Park business owners. Between warehouse floors, retail spaces, alcoves, and patios, however, deciding on the best stain or dye job can be tough. Let our experienced workers take a look at your business area. We’ll give you the information you need—following up with the perfect coloration job.