AcquaTint

AcquaTint™ Tinted Sealer: Project Gallery

May 8, 2026 Justin Richardson

AcquaTint™ is a water-based colored sealer that does two jobs in one coat: it colors the concrete and it seals it. That makes it the usual pick for interior floors — it is low-odor, so you can work in an occupied house, and a commercial floor can go back into service quickly. It is also the most forgiving product we make, because the color builds coat by coat instead of reacting with the slab.

Finished, modern industrial-style barbershop floor, featuring gray and black tones, with freshly painted ceiling, creating a sleek and masculine ambiance

A barbershop floor in Charcoal AcquaTint™ — adhesive carpet tiles were the starting point.

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Available in: AcquaTint™ · EasyTint™ · Vibrance™ Dye · Antiquing™ · Portico™
Note: AcquaTint™ is water-based and low-odor — the interior choice. EasyTint™ is its solvent-based sibling, harder-wearing and better outdoors.

Note on results: every photo here is a real Direct Colors customer project. These products are semi-transparent, so your concrete's original tone and condition shape the final color — always test a small area before you commit to the whole surface.

The one rule everyone reports: stir it constantly. The pigment settles fast, and an unstirred second coat will not match the first.

Black: a play space turned living area

This one started badly. The new concrete had been poured with a sealant in it, and the homeowner spent a week and a half removing it before any color could go down. After that it was straightforward — Black AcquaTint™ and satin ProWax Polish™.

Their tip, and it is a good one: if you are pouring concrete you intend to stain later, tell the crew to skip the sealant. Removing it afterwards is the worst part of the job.
— DIY Customer

Three playful children having fun on an untreated concrete floor, showing its raw state prior to staining — Before — raw concrete, thoroughly enjoyed by the kids.

Sleek and polished living area floor, beautifully stained with AcquaTint™ Black and finished with ProWax Polish™, reflecting the ambient lighting — After — Black AcquaTint™ under satin ProWax Polish™.

Charcoal: a barbershop over carpet tile

Isaiah Medina took adhesive carpet tiles off a barbershop floor and put two coats of Charcoal AcquaTint™ down instead. There were some painting mishaps along the way. His verdict: proper grinding and a genuinely clean surface are what decide the outcome.

Image of the original interior space, covered in adhesive carpet tiles prior to renovation — Before — adhesive carpet tiles.

Cafe Royale, Gray, and Driftwood

Three straightforward interior floors. Cafe Royale on a residential slab, Gray on a working garage shop floor, and Driftwood turning a plain basement into a kids' playroom — all finished with ProWax Polish™.

Bare concrete floor before staining — Before — a bare interior floor.

Concrete floor with a rich finish, stained with Cafe Royale AcquaTint — After — Cafe Royale AcquaTint™ with satin ProWax Polish™.

Garage Shop Floor Before Staining — Before — a garage shop floor.

Concrete garage shop floor with a clean, sleek finish after applying Gray AcquaTint™ — After — Gray AcquaTint™, built for traffic.

Bare basement space with plain walls and a raw concrete floor — Before — a plain basement slab.

Cozy basement transformation with the floor stained in a warm Driftwood shade from AcquaTint™, complemented by a subtle satin sheen from ProWax Polish™ — After — Driftwood AcquaTint™ and ProWax Polish™.

Khaki in a barn, and a sunroom pond

Khaki AcquaTint™ across a barn living space. Below it, the most unusual project in this gallery: a sunroom floor where Cumin and Wheat were applied from spray bottles and allowed to pool and merge into a marbled, pond-like surface — then small fish were hand-stained into the pattern before sealing.

Concrete floor prepped for staining in a barn living space with a pump sprayer

Before — the bare barn living space slab.

Glossy concrete floor in a barn living space after staining with Khaki AcquaTint™.

A sunroom floor with a marbled effect created using Cumin and Wheat tints, resembling a pond.

Light Charcoal on a steel garage

A steel garage floor done by spraying and back-rolling together — spray for coverage, roll to work it in. The result is a deep, even charcoal sheen with none of the lap marks rolling alone can leave.

DIYer in action, rolling Charcoal AcquaTint™ onto the new concrete floor after spraying — Rolling Charcoal AcquaTint™ in after spraying.

Steel garage floor transformed with a sleek charcoal finish, gleaming in its satin perfection — The finished steel garage floor.

Silver Gray in commercial space

Silver Gray is the commercial favorite. A faded gray slab is not an inspiring starting point, but it takes this color well and the finish stands up to real foot traffic.

Commercial concrete floor in its original, faded gray state — Before — a faded commercial concrete floor.

Commercial concrete floor transformed by Silver Gray AcquaTint — After — Silver Gray AcquaTint™, applied by a contractor.

Terracotta, and Black with Gray

Terracotta applied by hand with a brush over worn floors, then a clear satin coat. And a modern living space where Black and Gray were mixed wet to get a mottled, marbled effect rather than a flat tone.

Faded concrete floor with a worn finish before applying stain — Before — worn, faded concrete.

Concrete floor with a rich Terracotta stain and glossy finish — After — Terracotta AcquaTint™, brushed on by hand.

The concrete floor has been cleaned and prepped, ready for the application of stain after thorough surface preparation — Before — the slab cleaned and prepped.

A modern basement bar area with a polished concrete floor, sleek bar stools, and ambient lighting, showcasing a smooth, reflective finish — After — Black and Gray AcquaTint™, marbled, under ProWax Polish™.

A salon floor with mica

NoirLuxco Nail Studio and Spa in Katy, Texas. Rather than hide the slab's blemishes this project leaned into them — Charcoal swirls laid down first, then Silver Gray over the top to diffuse them, with mica powder worked in for sparkle. ProWax Polish™ makes the finish non-porous, which matters in a salon.