Sunrooms get more light than any other room in the house, which means the floor is the first thing anyone looks at and every flaw in it is lit from the side. Six customer projects below, in four different product families — a water-based stain, two acetone dyes, and acid stain three ways — plus an honest list of what stained concrete is and is not good at in a room made of windows.
A golden 8 x 20, in water-based stain
An 8 x 20 ft. covered patio and sunroom taken to a warm gold with ColorWave® water-based stain, applied with a 1-gallon hand pump sprayer. Water-based stain is the easy entry point: no acetone, no reaction to time, no neutralizing step, and it goes down with ordinary equipment. The finished floor is the photo at the top of this page.
The bare covered patio and sunroom slab before ColorWave® Gold.
Stormy Gray dye, in a sunroom
A dull concrete floor taken to a modern gray with Vibrance™ dye in Stormy Gray. This is the same color and product as the full step-by-step in Sunroom Flooring with Concrete Dye, on a different floor.
Black and white dye, in the same room
A dull, faded sunroom turned bright and modern with white and black acetone dye. Two dye colors on one floor is where dye pulls clear of the alternatives — the colors stay distinct instead of blending into each other the way two acid stains would, so you can get genuine contrast.
A 1980s sunroom in Azure Blue acid stain
A 1980s sunroom turned into somewhere to drink coffee morning, afternoon and evening, in Azure Blue EverStain™. Acid stain is the right choice when you want the color to look like it belongs to the concrete rather than sitting on it, and the veining in the second photo is the reaction doing something no dye can imitate. More of the color in the Azure Blue gallery.
Bold and colorful, over 25-year-old carpet
A 25-year-old carpeted porch turned into a stained concrete floor with Azure Blue acid stain, acrylic paint and epoxy. Plenty of prep work and plenty of imagination — this is the most adventurous floor on the page, and the one that shows acid stain does not have to mean earth tones.
Four days, 104 sq. ft., and one hard-won tip
The most useful project on the page because the owner logged the whole timeline. Carpet and glue removed, floor sanded and cleaned with a degreaser, acid applied with sprayers and left overnight, neutralized the following day, 24 hours to dry, first coat of sealer, another 24 hours, second coat. Then the walls painted, baseboards replaced and the furniture moved back in.
Stained concrete in a sunroom: the honest tradeoffs
Worth knowing before you commit a whole room to it.
What it is good at
- Durability. Concrete takes heavy foot traffic and furniture without showing wear.
- Low maintenance. Sealed and waxed, it cleans easily — which matters in a room that collects sun, plants and outdoor traffic.
- Customizable. Any color, and patterns as well, so it can match any style of sunroom.
- Cost. Generally cheaper than the flooring options it replaces, especially when the slab is already there.
What it is not good at
- Cold underfoot. Concrete is cold to the touch, which in a sunroom in winter is a real consideration rather than a theoretical one.
- Slippery when wet. A concern if children or elderly family use the room. An anti-slip additive in the sealer coat is the straightforward answer.
- Porous if unsealed. Concrete absorbs liquids, so spills left standing can stain. This is what the sealer is for, and why the wax on top is worth it.
So which product?
It comes down to the look you want and how much control you want over getting it. Acid stain for depth and variegation that reads as stone, if you are willing to work with a reaction. Dye for bright, vivid, repeatable color and a fast turnaround. Water-based stain for the easiest application and cleanup. All three last, provided you seal them properly and keep a wax on top.
What’s Next
- The step-by-step for the gray floor above → Sunroom Flooring with Concrete Dye
- How to apply each product → Concrete Dye · Acid Stain · Outdoor Stain
- Prep an old floor first → Concrete Surface Preparation · Repair Tack Strip Holes
- Keeping it looking new → Care & Maintenance
- Shop → Dye · EverStain™ · ColorWave® · Trial Kits
