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Concrete Floor Coloration

Our company offers a service for coloring concrete slabs at very competitive prices. To give a more decorative look to your surface, we use a non-reactive dye containing acetone to ensure maximum penetration and maximum color uniformity.

Coloring/dying concrete is a modern technique to dye the surface without creating a thin film on the surface. This results in a heartwarming, durable and aesthetic product, requiring very little maintenance.

Concrete Floor Coloration

Yves Perrier, from newspaper “La Presse”, well described in an article the different types of concrete dyes and coloration techniques (translated from the french version) :

The coloring in the mass: The traditional way to color concrete is to introduce color pigments in the mixture up to a maximum of 6%, to not affect the quality of the concrete. This practice creates faded colors that are irregular from one truck to another. It is mainly used to create earthy colors and the cost is 50$ to 175$ per cubic meter of concrete depending on desired color pigments. Green pigments are more expensive. This practice is used to create a solid base color or a mottled surface on which we can apply penetrating dyes to create more pronounced patterns or designs.

Colored hardener:

Another common practice is to apply a penetrating mineralized colored hardener on the fresh concrete surface. Hardener penetrates and stains the concrete to a depth of about 5 mm (3/16) and makes the surface very hard and easy to maintain. However, the color becomes mottled and its final appearance is unpredictable. To standardize the color, it is necessary to add the same color to a sealer that leaves a film on the surface. Unfortunately, this film will eventually wear out and the surface requires maintenance to maintain its beauty.

Non-reactive dyes:

Non-reactive dyes are penetrating dyes for concrete which has hardened for at least 15 days. These dyes can be water-based or solvents such as alcohol or acetone, and they have the advantage of offering all ranges of colors, even the more vivid ones. In these dyes, color pigments may be natural or synthetic, and they have the feature of mechanically fixing to the concrete without a chemical reaction. The water-based dyes offer almost always a marbled finish and are longer to dry. They penetrate into the concrete for 2 to 3 mm, depending on its hardness and porosity, without creating a film on the surface. Solvent-based dyes dry very quickly and penetrate a little more (5 mm). Their colors are more intense and uniform. The solvents evaporate quickly and do not smell anything after a few minutes of ventilation.

Reactive dyes:

Reactive dyes can be installed on concrete which has hardened for at least 28 days. Used by experts, these products' base ingredients are acids or minerals that react chemically with the components of concrete. These products use color pigments with iron oxides, manganese, copper or cobalt (as in glazes for ceramics). These oxides react with the calcium hydroxide which forms concrete. They create rich motifs, but which are neither uniform nor completely controlled. Their colors are quite limited. Reactive dyes open the pores of the concrete to allow the pigments to penetrate. They must be neutralized after application, or they can continue their reaction and contribute to damaging the surface. Substances are neutralized using a product containing baking soda for the acids or simply by flushing with water salt-based dyes.

The cost:

The dye can be applied to any type of existing concrete. Its basic cost, including skilled labor, is about 2$ per square foot for 400 square feet of surface. However, for old porous concrete, it is necessary to add the installation of a concrete densifier that will make it stronger before applying the dye.
Concrete Coloration
You want to dye a concrete surface on your commercial or industrial property? With its expertise in the field, the Béton LC team is able to help you! Do not hesitate to contact us now for more information on our various services or to receive a free estimate from one of our experts concrete dying.
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