The Role of Colour and Pattern in Honed Concrete Finishes

The word concrete frequently conjures up images of cold, antiseptic, and drab for the average person. However, gone are the days when grey and off-grey were the only available colours for concrete floors. Not only can you get any colour you desire with this flexible material, but there are also several pattern and texture options. There are numerous colouring options for concrete, ranging from subtle to bold hues. Whether the concrete is fresh or old, indoors or outdoors, it can be coloured to improve its appearance and how it matches with the rest of your home.

In this article, we will be covering the role of colour and pattern in honed concrete finishes so you can be aware of the choices you have to help improve your home’s aesthetic.

What exactly is honed concrete?

The term “honed concrete” refers to a degree of grinding that gives a uniform and matte finish. Honed concrete is an excellent outdoor flooring option for concrete in outdoor settings. After the initial grinding procedure, the surface of the concrete can be treated to expose varied degrees of aggregate, leaving a durable, non-slip surface on your outside concrete slab. The surface of the concrete is then sealed for protection. 

The sealer is a surface-applied coating that functions as a barrier and will ultimately need to be sanded back and reapplied. The sheen of honed concrete floors is directly affected by the chosen sealer, which is available in matte, satin, and gloss finishes. Standard sealants consist of acrylics, polyurethanes, and epoxies. Sealants typically have a lifespan of two to seven years, depending on regular wear and tear. After the concrete has been cured, it becomes an extraordinarily durable, stain- and mould-resistant material for your home or business. The sealant also makes maintenance and cleaning much easier.

Honed concrete colour options

Now we will be going over how you can achieve different honed concrete colour schemes and incorporating colour in honed concrete to add flare and pzazz to your home:

1.  Good old fashioned painting

Painting concrete floors is another time-honoured option for adding colour. Among those who work with concrete floors, this is a controversial method of customising your concrete. The paint flakes, chips, and fades over time, so it may need to be repainted every few years. Problems arise when attempting to paint a concrete floor that is at or below grade because of the inherent difficulty of dealing with moisture.

2 .  Water-based Stains

To add colour to concrete, water-based stains can be used in a manner comparable to painting. Such paints are composed of compounds that are able to permeate the floor’s surface and react chemically with the calcium hydroxide in the concrete, imparting colour to the material. These stains are porous, unlike paint, so they won’t flake or chip if the concrete becomes wet. Using water-based stains rather than acid stains can frequently produce more consistent colour results. Water-based stains come in any colour you might want, expanding the colour palette even further.

3 . Structural Colours

There are numerous techniques to alter the colour of concrete, but one of the most effective is to add the colour structurally prior to pouring the concrete. When building a new concrete floor, you have several possibilities for incorporating colour directly into the material’s structure. 

Both colour hardeners and integrated pigments can be blended into the concrete before placement. These allow you to create striking pattern effects on the material’s surface.

Natural pigments, such as metal oxides, provide more delicate colour effects in concrete. Chemical colouring compounds can produce brighter and more captivating colours, but they may fade over time. To replicate a tile installation, you can also mix structural colouring with parallel and perpendicular etching to create the effect of grout lines on the floor.

4. Concrete Dyes

They do not rely on a chemical reaction to do their magic, unlike stains. Instead, they permeate the floor in order to achieve permanent, total colour saturation. Dye formulations can be water- or solvent-based, and they come in an ample palette of hues. Typically, water-based dyes produce more marbling and variation (akin to a chemical stain), whereas solvent-based dyes are more monochromatic and homogeneous in hue. Since they can be applied during the polishing process, dyes perform exceptionally well on polished concrete floors.

5. Chemical or acid based concrete staining

Due to their durability and variety of colours, these are the most popular way of colouring concrete floors. Since acid stains are chemical reactions between the stain and the concrete, each floor is one of a kind. Due to the translucency of the colour, acid stains do not mask preexisting discolouration or faults in the concrete, and the colour choices are mainly limited to earth tones and blue/green tints.

In addition, the acid staining’s final appearance will differ from one spot on the floor to another. On the other hand, this is often the desired result, as the chemical process’s inherent randomness results in a marbled surface that is quite similar to natural stone. The stunning translucent earth tones of acid-stained floors will last forever, and no two floors will ever look the same.

Bottom Line

There is a wide range of colours available for concrete flooring. Concrete can be stained, dyed, or coated to achieve almost any colour, from a simple brown to a bright purple, blue, or fire engine red. Now that you’re aware of the well-liked hues for concrete floors, you can peruse examples of finished projects that highlight the many different styles that can be attained with this material. We hope this article has inspired you in creating multicoloured honed concrete surfaces you can add to your home.

If you have some renovations you want to apply to your home and are in need of a trustworthy honed concrete specialist, then Fluid Concrete has the team for you! Our customers receive nothing less than the best indoor and outdoor flooring solutions in Perth. At Fluid Limestone, we value customer satisfaction above anything else. You will find that our services are prompt, efficient, and timely. Most important of all, we deliver customised solutions that will fit within your budget!