Those look super!

The concrete looks terrific. Our kitchen/family room is part of an addition by the P.O. and part of it is on a slab. I had been thinking of tile or hardwood, but maybe we should just try this. You did a great job. I am quite impressed!

I just saw your post. Your floor is just gorgeous! I have been getting quotes to have this done to a new concrete floor and the quotes are higher than my budget. Can you tell me in more detail how you did it or is there a link you can send me? Garden sprayer?! I am so intrigued!

deedee,
First make sure everything is out of the basement and tape off anything you dont want the stain on. It is an acid and will eat through your metal furnace so make sure the stain does not get on it.
*Sweep and mop floor.
*Stay off the floor untill it is completly dry.
*Pour the color stains you choose each into a differnt garden sprayer rated for acid (home depot) they are normally in the paint dept.
I picked 3 colors. (Walnut, Coffee, Sienea)
*Start with the lightes color and spray only the portion of the floor you can reach without walking on it.
*Then go over that color with the medium tone in the same manner.
*Then the darkest.
*Work your way out of the room and let it dry overnight.
*Next day use a baking soda and water wash with a shop broom. (just sprinkle baking soda on the floor, add some water and work around with the shop broom. Vaccum up all the water (you will see stain mixed in) with a shop vac.
*Let dry (at this point the colors will be very dull and you may think youve made a big mistake)
*Use a sealer designed for acid staining on the floor. (Roll on like your painting, working your way out of the room)
*Let dry over night
*Project complete

I had a little over $300 into the project, and 2 days work.
You dont have to use 3 colors either, 2 would work. My basement is about 1200sq ft, so 3 gallon of stain was needed. Make sure the colors you choose have a big contrast form light to dark to get a good effect.

Good luck, I would be willing to help you if your close. Im in Michigan. Let me know if you need more detail.

Daisy

I have 2500 sqf to do and was getting quotes for $8000 plus. This sounds wonderful! Thanks for the help offer but I'm in IL. I have brothers who can help though.
I will be starting the floor in about a month. I will certainly let you know if I need more detail.
Thanks again Daisy!

I want to do this to my porches. You are really tempting me to push this to the top of my to-do list.

Nice looking floors!

Very cool! Congratulations on some great work there. Hope you are down there a lot to appreciate it :) Are you going to buff/polish it? Or leave it as is, considering it's the basement?

Wow...those sure did turn out nice Daisy...thanks for the directions. I would love to get this done to my garage when I start work in there for the billiards room.

DeeDee...that is a scary quote.

flyleft,
The floors are finshed with a clear sealer that makes them shinny and that is all thats needed.
By the photos you can see the wall studs. Now that the floor is done we will finish the basement off. It has a bedroom, bath with jacuzzi tub, laundry room, and walk in closet down there. It will be my teenage sons pad, untill we need to move a parent in. It was planned as a small apartment for a parent if needed. There is a french door and 4 large windows so it wont feel so much like a basement.
daisy

I love acid stained floors! My son put them in his foyer, hallways, kitchen, powder room and breakfast room. They are so practical and add so much beauty.

He said they couldn't go inside the house (they were building it at the time) because the fumes were awful.

Did you have to move out while you did your's?

oakleyok,
The home is a new build,(not living in it yet) so the fumes didnt bother us. We also have a Sanuvox on the furnace that removes all VOC's withing 24 hours, so it didnt last longer than a day. The Sanuvox is a miracle worker.

Nice job! Love the look of those floors. I think just the words "acid stain" scare away many DIYers (including me). I'd like to do something with our front porch, but am afraid we'll have a tough time matching the color to an existing front walk that's stained concrete. I like the random look of yours, so that might work.

If you use spikes on your shoes, you can walk on the floor without leaving tracks. I've seen steel and plastic spikes.

http://estore.websitepros.com/1701894/Categories.bok?category=Spike+Shoes

You did a great job! Acid stained concrete is one of my favorite choices for floors and countertops. Nice work.

Nice plans for the space--not what I think of when I think "basement" at all :)

That is beautiful!

Looks great!
Was it hard to do?

I'm not a DIYer but you're inspiring me to possibly attempt this myself. Although I would prefer hardwood, it's just not in the budget right now and I'm not compromising with laminate. I have a very modern house so acid stain will work. So... I have several questions.

1. Where did you find the colors? Is there a preferred brand?
2. Is there any way to test the colors before you purchase, like you would with paint samples?
3. If you go through the whole process of applying the colors and you don't like how they look, or if you didn't get the colors quite right or dark enough, etc, is there a do-over? Or are you stuck?

The stain I used is Brickform Acid Stain and the sealer is Conspec Sealer. It was all purchased from a concrete supplier, any place that sells concrete will have it. By concrete I mean a big truck not by the bag. As for testing the color, the concrete store will have samples already on concrete for you to look at. If you put it on and dont like it, there is no turning back. You can apply up to 3 coats of the color, so if its not dark enough or you miss a spot you can go back and do it.
As far a ease, It was the easiest thing we did. We have a custom built log home, and did every bit of the work ourselves. It took five years. The acid staining was a 2 day project and very easy. The whole house has hard wood floors, and could have done that in the basement, but thought if it every flooded mopping the concrete was an easier fix. Plus I like the look of the stain.
Im in Michigan, if anyone is nearby I am willing to help.

Daisy

I love your floors. Fabulous!

Looks fantastic. We are also staining our concrete in the basement of our new build. Can't wait!

Good job , they look amazing !

I love them! Great job. You must be so proud!

MEGHANE: Countertops? Is this to assume you'd stain a concrete countertop? or could this stain be used on any other countertop materials? (sorry if that's a dumb question, so would this be something you would use if you were putting in a concrete countertop? I wasn't sure how many people actually do this type of counter, sure dont see much of that around here, so I was just curious.

rjinga: Yes, you could use this to stain concrete counter tops. I have black concrete counters in my kitchen. I just had the color added to the truck and it arrived black coming out of the the concrete truck. If you purchase pre casted concrete countertops you can order whatever color you want.
Heres the countertops.

daisy

There is a soy based product available, if the fumes from the acid stain are of concern.

We have acid stained floors in the kitchen and bathroom, and integral colors in the entryway and master BR. These were replacement floors and the solvent smell is pretty bad. There was a problem with the kitchen and the contractor resurfaced the floor and used a soy based stain.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soycrete

Very nice. Daisy what part of Michigan? We are in a 'burb outside of Detroit? What concrete store did you go to?
TIA.
Hedy