Painted Concrete Floors & Stained Concrete Floor Ideas

Painted concrete floors can look stunning if you invest time to prepare them, use a specialty concrete floor paint, add a great design and finish off with a concrete floor sealer.

It sounds complicated but it’s easier than you think. These stunning professional looking floors use a combination of paint or stain, stencil and a sealer and will cost you much less than hiring a professional.

This is a long post, so grab a coffee and settle back of simple scroll to the section that interests you.

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Painted concrete floors look great on any floor in your home including garage, basement, living room, patio or balcony.

[Read More: The Best Concrete Paint]

You can stain, paint, decorate, age, pattern or etch your concrete floor to get the look you want, one layer at a time. You can use normal paint, but it comes off within just a few months. I know, I’ve tried it.

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While one solid color might be the fastest way to paint your floor, it can often look flat and dull.

There are a few things you can do to take this look to a new level, one simple way is to add a border. Another is to apply a stencil over the top. Another is to stain or etch your concrete.

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The floor design in the short video below was quickly created using painter’s tape. It gives you some idea of what can be done with limited resources, skills and a tight budget.

Think checkerboard in white and gray or black and white or maybe even stripes. It is a classic evergreen look that can quickly update your curb appeal.

Painted Concrete Floor Designs

Paint on concrete floors can look like rugs, carpets, floorboards and even granite using stencils, borders or freehand designs.

Design is important because it can make your room feel and look smaller and darker. First, consider the size of your room, the amount of natural light in the room and your decor.

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One huge benefit of painting your concrete floors is that it is much cheaper to do it yourself.

There are some expenses such as equipment hire, concrete floor paint, etching solution (for stained concrete floors) and a sealer but little compared to hiring a contractor.

Work out your style. Your floors will be with your for a while. Is the style of floor you like classic, rustic, farmhouse or modern? The checkerboard floor design goes with most classic decorating themes. It only uses paint, not etching or staining techniques.

When selecting floor colors, use the same principles you would when choosing carpet or rug colors. Consider the size and natural light in your room, your decor and which paint color will best hide dirt. You want something that is easy to keep clean and maintain. Simple.

Having said that, the range of concrete paint colors is limited but growing. Use a paint chart to find paint colors that suit your room, then ask your local paint supplier to add pigment or colors to your concrete paint to get the color you want if its not readily available.

How To Paint Concrete Floors

If you like the idea of large designs consider the white floor below with a large dark coffee design. The stark contrast in colors has you focusing on the floor design. It’s out of harmony with the room but it does give the feeling of carpet or tiles.

The stenciled concrete floor above reverses the color palette; a very dark coffee or black floor with a white stencil on the top resembling carpet or tiles.

Painted Concrete Floors – The Healthy Option

There are also health benefits to swapping to painted floors including eliminating or managing allergies. If allergies affect you or you family, it could be time to rip up your carpets and think about painting your floors instead. Allergens live in carpet fibers, and when you remove carpets you remove their breeding ground, and reduce allergies.

Concrete floors are also the perfect anti-slip flooring solution; being anti-slip means safety first.

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There are many decorative concrete contractors who can help you either prepare your floors or undertake the task completely if you find the process beyond your DIY skills but its not cheap.

Concrete Floor Preparation

• Remove old carpets, tiles or vinyl. Review the floor condition. You’ll be shocked at the amount of dirt trapped under your carpets. Wear a mask while you vacuum or sweep.
• Remove nails from the floor with a crowbar or nail puller. Go slowly to avoid removing chunks of concrete.
• To remove stubborn dirt or residues of carpet glue use a hydrochloric acid solution, diluted with 4 parts water. There are solutions like Rust-Oleum 238475 EPOXYShield Concrete Etch. Wear protective eye wear and gloves and only work in a ventilated room.
• If your floor is in a very poor condition use a stronger cleaner and a special floor cleaner/buffer to remove additional layers of residue. These are big machines and can be expensive to hire, but they are cheaper than hiring someone. If it looks like you need help, hire a professional decorative concrete contractor.
• Patch any holes with concrete patch. If you want a worn rustic or industrial look, leave the holes in tact.
• Vacuum or sweep again.
• Mop your floor with a cleanser to remove residue, dirt, and loose particles.
• Paint for concrete floors is more expensive, but its also more durable and long lasting than wall paint. Use a spray gun if you can. They are faster and use less paint than a paint brush. Many consider an HLVP spray gun the best hvlp spray gun. It leaves a softer finish because the pressure is lower. It is also easier for beginners to use and minimizes any over spray paint waste.

10 Tips for Painting Concrete Floors

• Remove glue, nails and any concrete bumps. Sandpaper removes glue easily.
• Concrete must completely clean and dry. Use a humidifier to remove excess moisture within 1-5 days.
• Only use concrete floor paint.
• Apply two coats concrete primer to your floors. This binds to the concrete, allowing the topcoat to stick.
• Allow 24 hours for the primer to dry. Apply the epoxy. Use a paint small brush, starting around the perimeter.
• Continue painting. Start away from the entrance using a lambswool roller on a poll.
• Your first coat of concrete floor paint takes at least 12 hours to dry.
• Apply your second coat of concrete floor paint and epoxy paint.
• To avoid any risk of scratching floors, wait 7 days before walking on painted concrete floors with shoes or adding furniture. The primer adds time to the drying process, no matter what the paint can says.
• If your painted concrete floors scratch, touch up with concrete floor paint and epoxy paint.

Painting Concrete Floors Finishes

Solid colors, borders or stencils are great tools for painting concrete floors. Acid etching solutions or stains are a different look, take more time and skill to transform your floors completely.

Etching solutions react with the concrete to create patterns, stains are absorbed by the concrete.

Not all concrete floors are suitable or can absorb stain. If are planning on staining your concrete test it first by placing some water on it. If the water is absorbed quickly, your concrete will most likely absorb stain. If the water beads on top of the concrete, you might have to reconsider your options. The video below will help.

Dark stain produces a stone-like look. First, apply stain to you floors with a garden sprayer. Allow to dry. Apply a different color stain to create a layered granite look. The sealer is applied on the dried surface with a brush or roller.

Source: Pinterest and Lake Girl Paints

This short video explains how to use epoxy paint for concrete floors for a decorative concrete floor.

To create a pattern or border, tape the floor then apply the stain. Use a quality product like Valspar 1534 Porch and Floor Latex for the best result.

For the best result stain the concrete a second time, this time with the tape removed.

Painting Concrete – Concrete Floor Rugs

Painting a concrete floor ‘rug’ can be as big, small or intricate as you want. If you don’t want to wait or buy a stencil, and prefer to make your own, here’s a tutorial to make your own stencils.

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This ‘rug’ effect is perfect for kitchens and bathrooms. They add color and the look of texture. They also take less time and cost less than painting an entire floor. You can paint an intricate piece like the rug above or create a simple outline like the rug below.

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How to Stain Concrete Floors

This stained concrete floor look like tiled ceramic floor. The floor stays cool in summer and is easy to mop clean.

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Staining concrete floors not for the faint-hearted. The material cost for the floor above was around $500, but it was labor intensive. See more photos here.

Concrete stained floors need stains instead of paints. The effects you get depend on whether you use full strength or dilute the stains, and different stain to produce a marbling, granite or stone effect. At all times, follow the instructions.

Some notes on this floor:

• It will last a lifetime. It’s easily cared for by mopping on wax every 6 months in high traffic spots.
• To create the lines, use 1/2″ masking tape, then spray the stain over. The natural concrete color comes through when the painters tape is removed.
• This is an acid stain and reacts directly with the concrete.
• Once stained, a urethane sealer followed by a coat of wax are applied.
• The look above used one brown stain color. The dark areas are full strength. Lighter areas are diluted with water 1:1.

Whether you create a painted concrete floor rug, stain or use an etching solution, do it yourself or bring in a decorative concrete contractor, the final results of painted concrete or stained concrete can be spectacular, giving your home a truly unique feel and look.