Concrete stain in aisle?

[Libby2563]

Looking for a way to make a brushed concrete aisle “prettier” (i.e. sick of the indelible stains where every ball of manure has ever fallen). Mats or pavers aren’t necessary or budgeted right now. I looked into a fancy coating with some rubber mixed in but the prep work sounds daunting and the odds of long-term success low (not to mention at that price I might as well just get rubber pavers, I think). Most of my aisle was poured last year but the first 12’ or so is old because we built the barn partially on the foundation of an old house, so there is a seam between two totally different surfaces.

Has anyone tried concrete stain?

From what I’ve read it compares favorably to paint in that it doesn’t chip off but rather just fades away, and you can apply a new coat without removing the old one. I know it wouldn’t cover the stains that are already there but would it prevent new ones? If nothing else a marbled type finish could hide them.

Does it leave a coating that affects traction or does the color just seep into the concrete?

[jawa]

You may not end up with a uniform coloring or pattern between the two surfaces, the old and the new concrete, but you can have it done and at least any new stains won’t be noticeable.

The floors in our home are a stamped and stained concrete. A colorant was added to the concrete before it was poured, it was stamped to look like a wide plank wood floor (complete with nail heads), it then had a couple of different stains added to the surface and was then sealed. This was all done before the framing was put up.

When people come into our home, they think we have wood floors. The reason why we went with concrete was because we were going to build on a slab and wanted radiant heating in the floors. We had seen the flooring option in a convenience store down the road and it took a lot of abuse and still looked good.

[Incantation]

I don’t have any experience with stained concrete, but we pressure wash our concrete isle once a year and the stains come right off.

[China_Doll]

I used to do concrete staining of a water base. It is porous so it won’t prevent new stains unless you seal it. Which could be done as is with out staining.

[allpurpose]

Try scrubbing with bleach to lighten the stains. Former BO did it a couple of times a year and it worked pretty well. She also had a rule that any poop on concrete was picked up immediately and the stain was wetted down with Pinesol and water and swept clean. We kept a small bucket full of the mixture with a small broom in it at the ready so it was easy to do. That worked in her small barn! I cam imagine it would be a nightmare in a big operation!

[keatssu]

I would power wash it and then seal it. Then when you get a manure stain just hose it off with a strong stream of water - the “jet” setting on an adjustable nozzle works great for us. If you don’t have a drain in your aisle, you can sweep the water out with a push broom. That’s what we do and we keep it looking clean.

[Kodiak]

Do an internet search for “how to acid stain a concrete floor”. It does wear off with traffic (especially if not sealed) and, since the acid stain reacts with the concrete chemically, really can’t be touched back up using the same method.

There is a straight water-based stain, as well, but it doesn’t color as successfully and isn’t nearly as durable.

I’ve used both in a house basement/shop environment and it certainly goes the job of dressing up the plain concrete and helps to hide staining and discoloration. I’m not sure it’d hold up that well in a barn since the color is right on the surface. Sure, you can seal it, but the really durable, industrial stuff is extremely toxic and expensive.

[SuckerForHorses]

http://farmfreshvintagefinds.com/barn-makeover-stain-concrete-part-2/

I’m not sure how this would hold up but it’s really pretty. I’m doing this in my tack room this spring

[Libby2563]

[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8033821]
http://farmfreshvintagefinds.com/barn-makeover-stain-concrete-part-2/

I’m not sure how this would hold up but it’s really pretty. I’m doing this in my tack room this spring[/QUOTE]

That is SO cool. I think it’s a great idea for a tack room, even if I personally lack the patience or artistic skill to do it (I have wood laminate that I bought on sale in mine).

For the people who recommended sealing the concrete, does that change its texture at all (i.e. run the risk of making it slippery)? The broom finish is great right now so I don’t want to mess with safety for the sake of aesthetics. And does it require the same prep work as other finishes?

Jawa: I’ve never seen anything like that before and it sounds really pretty!

[alicen]

We always just put bleach on stains. Pour on straight, being very careful not to splash, leave on until area whitens, then brush with stiff push broom.

[Cruiser12]

You can certainly stain/colour it and seal it. You can even add a little sand to the sealer to aid with traction, but the horses hooves, especially with shoes, will wear off the sealant fairly quickly.
My hubby does this type of work, and has done it in a barn where they ran rubber matting up the center aisle and just about 18-24" on each side of the mats was stamped, coloured and sealed. It looks great and doesn’t need to be re sealed that often because the edges are not high traffic.

[flyracing]

Bleach is great on concrete!

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=Cruiser12;8034974]
You can certainly stain/colour it and seal it. You can even add a little sand to the sealer to aid with traction, but the horses hooves, especially with shoes, will wear off the sealant fairly quickly.
My hubby does this type of work, and has done it in a barn where they ran rubber matting up the center aisle and just about 18-24" on each side of the mats was stamped, coloured and sealed. It looks great and doesn’t need to be re sealed that often because the edges are not high traffic.[/QUOTE]

This is a great idea.

[jiakn152]

coating

Concrete stain are a really good choice as concrete stains provide glossy surface. But epoxy coating are better off in high traffic areas. We have Concrete stain in the interiors and the porch has an epoxy flooring. Toronto is cold throughout and the top doesn’t peel off like floor paints even after subjecting it low temperature/ high humidity. We got it done 5 year before by floortex and it still works good.

[susanne]

I would use the concrete stain, using two or three colors for an intentionally mottled look. Make one of those colors sh*t brown, the others slighter lighter and darker shades, and poop stains will never bother you again.