"Impressions" - An acid stain on concrete project in Glen Rose, Tx

July 2011 Job of the Month - This project was a ways off the beaten path. It was a new home being built all the way down south in Glen Rose, Tx. The homeowner had asked the general contractor to find a way to apply an acid stain on concrete so he turned right around and gave us a call. We really like these types of projects as new construction is one of the easiest floors to apply an acid stain to. That is, as long as everyone makes an effort to keep the floor clean before we arrive. With a clean floor, the staining process is much faster, and naturally, more economical for our clients.

In both areas of our Glen Rose home we found a common thread -- impressions left in the floor. These consisted mostly of leaves, small pieces of wood, and other debris that fell on the concrete while it was setting up. During the actual pour of the concrete slab, one of the final processes is to trowel or smooth the surface of the concrete using flat steel blades. Sometimes if something falls on the concrete while it is still hardening it can be pushed lightly into the surface by the trowelling process, leaving a perfect impression behind.

Applying an acid stain on concrete does nothing to hide this, in fact sometimes it will even highlight these impressions as the acid may pool in it and make it darker than its surroundings. It's just one of those things that can happen with decorative concrete and it goes with the theme that "it's not perfect, it's unique". Every floor is different.