Think of concrete and there is an immediate image of large expanses of grey spreading out before them. Since the days of the Romans concrete has been manufactured in huge amounts but it is only in the relatively recent past that people have started to really experiment with different colors.

Coloring concrete started with the development of concrete stains, acid-based substances that would etch away at the surface of the concrete and replace it with an earthy color making concrete look like marble or natural stone. The acid etching is a permanent process but could successfully turn cheap concrete into an expensive looking stone floor.

Acid etching to color concrete is not a cheap option and runs at about double the cost of what it takes to paint the same area. There are indeed a number of concrete paints available which can be painted directly onto the surface of the concrete, and come in a much wider palette of colors. Painting concrete is a lot easier than acid etching but with paint there is no permanency and will wear away if walked on or left to the elements.

There is though a relatively new process which offers a combination of the cheapness of paint and the permanency of acid etching, and this is through the use of concrete dyes. Concrete dyes come in a wide range of colors and are generally more vibrant. The process involves adding the concrete dye to the concrete as it is being mixed. Many companies now stock concrete dyes, and stores like Home depot normally have a decent selection of the dyes on their shelves. Dyes normally come in a choice of two types, either solvent dyes or water based dyes. Solvent dyes should provide a concrete color that is consistent across the concrete, whilst water based dyes can give a marble look, with veins clearly visible.

Some people look for even cheaper options than buying concrete dyes, and make use of wood paint or similar products to change the color of concrete. Results though are mixed when using products not designed for the purpose.

Concrete dyes are not without there issues and in some cases the dyeing does have a detrimental impact on the toughness of the concrete, making it much more likely to crumble away. Many companies also will not add dye to the mix in their cement trucks due to the possible contamination of future batches of concrete.

With the development of concrete stains and concrete dyes, it is now an easy prospect to color concrete, and concrete no longer needs to be a drab grey but can be almost any color a home owner desires.

Learn more about this author, Tim Harry.
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