How To: Stain a concrete floor

Using acid stains on concrete floors can be cheaper and easier to maintain than laying down tile on your floor. Here, Gaye Goodman shows you how to make acid stains on your concrete floor, a nice, economical way to make beautiful floors. First, you should test on samples of your floor in order to decide which color to use and to determine how the acid stain will look. After covering the bottom of your walls with painter's tape to avoid splashing, mix about 1 cup of TSP to 4 gallons of water. One person should pour the mixture onto the floor and go over it with the rotary floor scrubber while a second vacuums and a third follows with water and a mop in order to make a clear, even coat. This will make a nice, clean surface on which to pour your acid. To stain the floor, you should pour the acid onto the floor using a circular motion to spread the acid evenly. It is important that you go slowly and spread out the coat very evenly. With this method, viewers will be able to make acid stains on their concrete floors, eliminating the need to add tiling and creating an extremely elegant look.