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Before and After Photos of Charcoal and Gray Interior Concrete Staining

Forget what you heard about gray being drab and dull! This neutral color is perfect for bringing balance to any concrete surface you choose. Discover all that you can do with our gray concrete stain customer photos.

It’s Like a Brand New Basement

Basement Concrete Basement
Before
Stained Concrete Basement Floor
After
Concrete FLoor Not Ready for Staining
The concrete must be free of debris, dirt and oils, sealers, adhesives or anything that might prevent the color from bonding with your surface.
Gray Stained Concrete Basement Floor
White, Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrance Dye
White Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Dye White
Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Stormy Gray
Charcoal Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Charcoal
AcquaSeal Satin
AcquaSeal™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Industrial Look Kitchen Floor

This concrete floor was done with a mottled technique in four different shades of gray concrete dye. The whole industrial look comes together with the help of those lights and stools!

Stormy Gray, White, Charcoal & Light Slate Concrete Dye Stained Kitchen Floor
Stormy Gray, White, Charcoal & Light Slate Vibrance Dye Stained Kitchen Floor
Stormy Gray, White, Charcoal & Light Slate Vibrance Dye Stained Kitchen Floor
Mottled technique used with Stormy Gray, White, Charcoal, Light Slate Vibrance concrete dye on concrete kitchen floor
White Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Dye White
Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Stormy Gray
Charcoal Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Charcoal
Light Slate Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Light Slate
AcquaSeal Satin
AcquaSeal™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

Simple Sunroom Makeover With Concrete Dye

Say ‘goodbye’ to that dull concrete floor like our DC customer did! With the help of Vibrance concrete dye, they transformed their sunroom into a stylish space. Learn how to do the same to your space with our how to guide!

Unfinished sunroom concrete floor
Unfinished sunroom concrete floor
Sunroom concrete floor transformed with Stormy Gray Vibrance acetone dye stain
The Stormy Gray Vibrance acetone dye stain gave this sunroom's concrete floor a stylish and modern update
Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Stormy Gray
AcquaSeal Satin
AcquaSeal™ Satin

Vibrance Dye Complete Makeover

Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrant Dye Sealed with Water-Based Acrylic Sealer and Floor Wax
Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrance Dye, AcquaSeal and ProWax Polish
Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrant Dye Sealed with Water-Based Acrylic Sealer and Floor Wax
Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrance Dye, AcquaSeal and ProWax Polish on concrete bathroom floor
Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrant Dye Sealed with Water-Based Acrylic Sealer and Floor Wax
Stormy Gray and Charcoal Vibrant Dye Sealed with Water-Based Acrylic Sealer and Floor Wax
Charcoal Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Charcoal
Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Stormy Gray
White Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Dye White
AcquaSeal Satin
AcquaSeal™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

Ready to Wax

This DIYer found themselves dealing with a very unlevel concrete floor that required much preparation. Once that was taken care of, they used two colors of gray concrete dye to create this stained masterpiece. Now, all that’s left to do is finish it up with some concrete floor wax!

Leveled concrete floor
Leveled concrete floor
concrete dye stained leveled floor
Charcoal and Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye
    • Project Completed In: 5 day(s)
    • Estimate of Square Footage: 1600 sq. ft.
    • Project Description:
      Headache!!! I had an extremely unlevel floor. I had to grind down some areas 1 inch (about 400 sqft) and had to raise 300sqft 1 inch to get things overall with 1/2″. Then I had to pour 180 bags of the floor leveler and of course I was 16 bags short. This meant I was left with a cold joint for the final finish which I tried to accentuate and create a vein out of. Then I had to grind the surface to a 200 grit and blend the cold joint. Finally it was time to stain and stormy gray, white, and charcoal created one beautiful stained floor. This was a bit of an unorthodox project but I’m happy with it.I have more pictures also.I also plan to add a couple coats of direct colors floor wax when it arrives. I think that’ll really blend things out. I’ll know soon…
    • Personal Tips:
      If possible to test your stain application and top coating method exactly as you plan to before hand, do it. My project turned out great from a stain aspect but the epoxy primer and urethane was only ok and I could have made that better but it’s alright for a first timer.Also, with the vibrance dye, don’t be dumb like me and step in it right after you spray it. I didn’t enjoy working those prints out.Finally, I may have applied too much stain but I found when applying my finish some dye would come up especially when brushing the edges. If possible, roll the edges when cutting in.
    • Direct Colors Products Used:
      Stormy gray, white, and charcoal
    • Other Products Used:
      VSEAL epoxy primer and urethane (3015 and 3321) industra-coat.
Charcoal Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Charcoal
Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Stormy Gray
AcquaSeal Satin
AcquaSeal™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Clean & Modern

Have you ever seen a basement look so fresh and modern? Our customer used AcquaTint™ water based sealer to protect their basement floor while adding a little bit of color.  We can’t get over how elegant and professional it looks!

Renovated basement room with a TV, showcasing the gleaming floor finish
Kick back and enjoy: A view of the revamped room, TV-ready with a shiny new floor
Fully transformed basement floor featuring the Charcoal AcquaTint™ sealer
Unfinished bathroom area with bare concrete floor
Before: a bathroom in need of a little TLC
Basement floor after the etching process in preparation for the application of Charcoal AcquaTint
Step 1: Etching - Prepping the floor to ensure our AcquaTint sticks and looks great
The same bathroom after applying Charcoal AcquaTint™, exhibiting a sophisticated and polished look
After: Bathroom upgrade complete with a sleek Charcoal AcquaTint™ finish
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Graffiti Art

Our DC customer is a professional artist, but this was their first time dealing with concrete stain and a large-scale project. When their stain sprayer wasn’t working quite as intended, they improvised – creating random graffiti-like splashes of charcoal. What a unique look!

concrete basement floor
Before
AcquaTint - Basement Floor - Charcoal Application
Charcoal AcquaTint™ applied in random graffiti-like splashes
Used a roller to apply a lighter gray color over the splashed charcoal, creating a mottled, random look
Used a roller to apply a lighter gray color over the splashed charcoal, creating a mottled, random look
Tinted Sealer Design on Concrete Basement
Charcoal and Gray AcquaTint™ with 3 coats of high gloss ProWax Polish™
  • Project Completed In: 6 day(s)
  • Estimate of Square Footage: 1800 sq. ft.
  • Project Description:
    I have an unfinished 1800sf basement. I wanted to keep the integrity and durability of the concrete floors.
    The floors had been grinded before any work had started.
    First was cleaning up drywall dust, mud and paint off floors. Some was scraped off and then washed with diluted pine sol and water and finally just with plain water. This took about 6 hours everytime, constantly dumping the dirtied water.
    I am a professional artist but this was my first time with concrete stain and such a huge scale.
    The sprayer I used spit and dripped out the paint so I had to change my original plan to random graffiti-like splashes of the charcoal color. Spraying the initial design took 4-5 hours and 2/3 of the 5 gal charcoal. I let that dry 24 hours before starting 2nd coat of lighter gray.
    I used a 3/8″ 9″ roller to apply lighter gray over splashed charcoal. Because I was creating a mottled, random look, it was impossible to roll on in one direction as is suggested. It created lines I didn’t like. Rather, I went heavy in some areas and left the lightness of one coat in other areas, always careful to cover bare concrete. The lighter gray helped to soften the contrast of the lighter areas and the charcoal. This effect took about 2 of the 5 gal. container. Because of the sheer size of the floor, it took 6-7 hours.
    After waiting 24 hours, I began 1st coat of wax with a 9″ Shurcoat paint pad. It was very had to tell where I covered because of the mottled nature of the colors. After 4-5 hrs. I applied a 2nd coat of wax, noticing some areas had a higher sheen to them. I wasn’t sure why this was happening but it helped create depth on the floor.
    The next morning, I applied a 3rd coat of wax, a bit heavier to achieve the desired high gloss look. That was left to cure a full 24 hrs. I used 4 of the 5 gals. to do all 3 coats of wax. Each coat took about 4-5 hours to complete.

Personal Tips:
Aquatint settles very quickly and must be constantly stirred.
Enjoy the way the stain works when using more than one color.
Make sure you have very good lighting to apply both stain and wax.

Direct Colors Products Used:

    • 5 gal Aquatint Charcoal
    • 5 gal Aquatint Gray
    • 5 gal high gloss wax

Other Products Used:

    • 3/8″- 9″ roller
    • 9″ Shurcoat paint pad -3, one for each coat of wax
    • 2 gal Chapin premier sprayer
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
Gray AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Gray
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

Accentuating Concrete Swirls

There’s nothing like completing a tough DIY project yourself! This customer felt that adding sealer to their concrete was a “rewarding project”. They knew they wanted a concrete stain that was transparent yet durable, and AcquaTint was the product that ticked all the boxes.

Home interior before renovation with plain concrete floor
using a shop vac to clean the concrete floors before staining
Homeowner applying Charcoal AcquaTint™ using an 18" squeegee for a swirl finish
Finished and polished concrete floor with a transparent Charcoal AcquaTint™ finish
Close-up view showcasing the swirls and marbled effect on the finished floor
Close-up of the finished floor with a relaxed cat enjoying its new spot.
  • Project Completed In: 3 day(s)
  • Estimate of Square Footage: 1500 sq. ft.
  • Project Description:
    We are finally all moved in and getting around to showing you all our results! We knew we loved and wanted to accentuate the power trial swirls and marbling effect. We spent hours and many test products under where our cabinets would be, but look no further direct colors has the perfect product. We ended up choosing the tinted sealer. We knew we wanted a very transparent but durable stain.
    Essentially all we did was thoroughly clean the dust and construction grime off the floors with degreasing soap and let that dry a few hours. We then came back and cleaned our floors THREE more times with the direct colors degreaser, two of which were rinses. This alone took a full day for 1500sqft. Once this dried we were ready to stain. We tried many methods (sprayers, sponges, rags) and the best we came across for a super transparent look was a 18” floor squeegee! It worked awesome. Like any paint project it is all in the prep work and the actual staining process was over before we knew it, maybe 1.5hrs. After this we let it dry for a day and covered in plastic to finish construction. Once we were ready to move in we washed it again, then immediately waxed the entire floor(last picture) as you can see the floor is almost a living feature of the house as it changes color and hue based on lighting effects. Overall this was a rewarding project that we are happy to have done ourselves! Have fun!

Personal Tips:
Clean clean clean, have all supplies organized and clean up (acetone, in our case) ready. Have an extra applicator (spray gun squeegee etc.) on hand in case yours fails/breaks

Direct Colors Products Used:

    • 1 qt ProClean Degreaser
    • 1 gal Aquatint Charcoal
    • 1 gal Satin Acrylic Sealer
    • 1 gal Satin Floor Wax
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

Coffee N’ Crafts

The method used to apply tinted concrete sealer depends on the look you want to achieve. For Coffee N’ Crafts, a marbled, varied color was the mission for Brad Carlisle from William B. Carlisle Design. The best part about this renovation? They performed a complete space upgrade without having to rip up the concrete floor!

Coffee N' Crafts Shop
Coffee N' Crafts Concrete stained and sealed floor with tinted concrete sealer
Coffee N' Crafts concrete with pigment tables
Coffee N' Crafts Owned by Steiger & Kelsey Hart
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Silver Simplicity

This commercial space really looks spiffy after applying some silver colored concrete sealer. And hey, if you like what you see here, check out our handy how to guide for applying tinted sealer!

Cleaned Concrete Floor
Ready to begin staining
Silver Gray Stained Concrete Commercial Floor
After
Applying with nap roller
Applying with nap roller
Silver Gray Stained Concrete Floor
After Silver Gray AcquaTint Stained Concrete Floor
Silver Gray AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Silver Gray
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Tinted Sealer for the Win

This commercial space used the same Silver Gray AcquaTint stain over a colored concrete floor. Check out our handy how to guide for applying tinted sealer!

Faded concrete stain
Before
After two coats of Silver Gray AcquaTint and ProWax Polish
After two coats of Silver Gray AcquaTint and ProWax Polish
First coat of Silver Gray AcquaTint
First coat of Silver Gray AcquaTint
After two coats of Silver Gray AcquaTint and ProWax Polish
After two coats of Silver Gray AcquaTint and ProWax Polish
Silver Gray AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Silver Gray
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Keep the Grandkids Out When You DIY!

Our Direct Colors customer offered some valuable advice when working on your tinted sealer project: make sure you cover walls and doors! And keep grandkids out! Yes, these things are always important to remember! They used AquaTint and solvent based sealer for the concrete floors in their new home.

Concrete Floor
Before
One Coat of Charcoal AcquaTint
One Coat of Charcoal AcquaTint
Three Coats of Charcoal AcquaTint
Three Coats of Charcoal AcquaTint
Sealed Charcoal AcquaTint
Sealed Charcoal AcquaTint

Project Info:

  • Project Completed In: 5 day(s)
  • Estimate of Square Footage: 1600 sq. ft.
  • Project Description:
    We are building a barn house. It is semi finished. The walls are painted shiplap.
  • Personal Tips:
    I was so afraid of messing up with the sprayer that my first coat was way too light. I applied 2 more coats and it looked great. I believe the aquatint is very forgiving when sprayed on. I followed up with 2 coats of the solvent based satin sealer. Make sure you can open up plenty of windows because this stuff STINKS! Even though my concrete is not perfect I love my floors.
    Make sure you cover walls and doors! And keep grandkids out!

Direct Colors Tip: When sealing indoors, we recommend our water-based AcquaSeal sealers. They are low VOC, so you will not stink up your house.

  • Direct Colors Products Used:
    AcquaTint in light charcoal. Acrylic sealer solvent based in satin.

Other Products Used:
No additional products except lots of elbow grease!

Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

Fun with Texture

While tinted concrete sealer won’t cover imperfections, it allows you to give your concrete floor character! That’s what this customer did. We think that the tinted sealer complements their textured floor so well.

Overlay on Concrete Floor
Before
AcquaTint Stained Concrete Floor
One Coat of AcquaTint on Concrete Floor
Two Coats of AcquaTint on Concrete Floor
Two Coats of AcquaTint on Concrete Floor
Charcoal stained concrete basement floor
Charcoal AcquaTint

Project Info:

  • Project Completed In: 3 day(s)
  • Estimate of Square Footage: 250 sq. ft.
  • Project Description:
    We’re redoing our main bathroom and want stained textured concrete floors. The area includes the hallway, closets, bathroom area and water closet.We started by laying the concrete and then sanding. Then we used charcoal aquatint, applied using a roller. We followed the instructions completely and the application went very well.
  • Personal Tips:
    The color deposits at the bottom of the bottle so the first few coats are somewhat lighter. We left about 10% tiny in the first bottle and mixed it in when starting the second bottle. It helped create a more even second application.
  • Direct Colors Products Used:
    Aquatint charcoal and wax sealer.

Other Products Used:
Direct colors applied onto Henry feather finish concrete mix.

Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

No More Carpets!

After this DC customer’s basement flooded for the second time,  they decided no more carpet! While coloring their concrete basement floor with tinted sealer was a challenging project to complete, they felt that the right products made it doable.

Carpeted Room
Carpet
Concrete Floor Under Carpet
Concrete Floor Under Carpet
One Coat of AcquaTint Charcoal
One Coat of AcquaTint Charcoal
Two Coats of AcquaTint Charcoal
Two Coats of AcquaTint Charcoal

Project Info:

  • Project Completed In: 21 day(s)
  • Estimate of Square Footage: 1000 sq. ft.
  • Project Description:
    After my basement flooded for the second time I decided no more carpet. This was a challenging project but with the right products it can be done.
    1.) first I rented a concrete grinder for the day and etched the floor. My basement was sealed when my house was built so it was a necessary step.
    2.) I mopped the floor two times to remove any dust or residue.
    3.) I applied two coats of AcquaTint™ Silver Gray Water Based Colored Sealer, waiting 24 hours in between each coat. I rolled the stain on with roller purchased through direct colors. I would strongly recommend that because it is a high quality roller.
    4.) I used a dollar store sponge mop to apply three layers of direct colors Residential Concrete Floor Wax, waiting three hours in between each layer.
    5.) I waited 24 hours before placing furniture on the floor.
  • Personal Tips:
    Be careful when rolling on stain not to overlap because it can dry with lines.
  • Direct Colors Products Used: 5 Gal. Satin AcquaTint™ Silver Gray Water Based Colored Sealer
    Concrete Floor Wax
  • Other Products Used:

Concrete grinder

Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin
Gray Tinted Satin Acrylic Sealer and Charcoal Concrete Dye
Charcoal Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Charcoal
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
Stained Concrete Table
Light Charcoal Tinted Concrete Sealer
Light Charcoal Colored Concrete Sealer
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

Revamping A Basement Into A Comfortable Living Area

We were determined to transform our 100-year-old basement into a livable space, but we were discouraged by the high cost of hiring professionals to stain the concrete floor. So, we decided to take on the project ourselves with the help of Direct Colors.

Concrete FLoor Not Ready for Staining
Refinished Concrete Basement with Vibrance Dye

The first step was to remove all the old stains, spray paint, and overspray from the floor. We rented a concrete grinder and used a handheld angle grinder with a surface grinding tool to get into the hard-to-reach areas. We also patched a few small hairline cracks with a basic cement mix from the hardware store.

After grinding and patching up cracks
After grinding and patching up cracks
AcquaSeal base applicatiopn
AcquaSeal base applicatioon

Next, we cleaned up all the dust and mopped the floor three times – once with soapy water and twice with clean water. Once the floor was dry, we taped off the walls with plastic and sprayed a coat of solvent-based satin sealer. We waited about 12 hours for the sealer to dry before applying two coats of White Vibrance Dye, with the recommended drying time between each coat. We followed the same process with Stormy Grey Vibrance Dye and then added some dimension to the floor with Charcoal Grey Vibrance Dye. After the final coat of dye dried, we applied two coats of solvent-based satin sealer, waiting 12 hours between each coat.

Stained Concrete Basement Floor
White, stormy gray and charcoal Vibrance Dye application
Faux polished concrete floor in Stormy Gray, White, Charcoal Vibrance Dye, creating a modern and sleek look
Achieving a modern and sleek look with faux polished concrete floors using Stormy Gray, White, Charcoal Vibrance Dye
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
White Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Dye White
Stormy Gray Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Stormy Gray
Charcoal Vibrance Dye Color Swatch
Vibrance™ Charcoal
AcquaSeal Satin
AcquaSeal™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin
ProWax Polish™ Satin

We were thrilled with the final result and couldn’t have done it without the guidance and products from Direct Colors. Our biggest issue was with sprayer malfunctions, but don’t let that deter you! With a little prep work and some patience, you can achieve beautiful, professional-looking results on your own. Some of our personal tips include testing your sprayer before starting, not skimping on prep work, and having a bucket and rag on hand to fix any drips or clogs. We also recommend waiting about an hour and a half for the dye to be ready before spraying and making sure to follow the recommended drying times.

Check out more detailed information about this concrete dye project.

Staining Concrete with Water-Based Tinted Sealer

If you’re looking to add a pop of color to your concrete flooring, water-based tinted sealer is a great option. Not only does it provide a beautiful finish, but it’s also easy to apply and maintain.

Basement Concrete Floor - Before
Fully transformed basement floor featuring the Charcoal AcquaTint™ sealer
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

For more detailed information about this project, check out this link.

Unfinished Basement Gets a Mottled, Graffiti-Inspired Makeover with Aquatint Charcoal and Gray

concrete basement floor
Tinted Sealer Design on Concrete Basement

In this project, the customer transformed an unfinished 1800 sq ft basement floor using Aquatint Charcoal and Gray. The floors had previously been grinded and the customer spent 6 days on the project, including cleaning up drywall dust, mud, and paint from the surface. The customer used a sprayer to apply the initial design, which took 4-5 hours and used 2/3 of the 5 gallon container of charcoal. After letting the initial coat dry for 24 hours, the customer used a roller to apply a lighter gray color over the splashed charcoal, creating a mottled, random look. This took 6-7 hours and used 2 of the 5 gallon container.

AcquaTint - Basement Floor - Charcoal Application
Charcoal AcquaTint™ applied in random graffiti-like splashes
Used a roller to apply a lighter gray color over the splashed charcoal, creating a mottled, random look
Used a roller to apply a lighter gray color over the splashed charcoal, creating a mottled, random look

After waiting another 24 hours, the customer applied three coats of wax using a paint pad, achieving a high gloss finish. Each coat took 4-5 hours to complete and used 4 of the 5 gallon container. The customer recommends stirring Aquatint constantly to prevent it from settling, enjoying the way the stain works when using multiple colors, and making sure to have good lighting when applying both the stain and wax.

Stained concrete basement floor with Charcoal & Gray AcquaTint
Stained concrete basement floor with colored concrete sealers
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
CitrusEtch™ concrete etcher
Charcoal AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Charcoal
Gray AcquaTint Swatch
AcquaTint™ Gray
ProWax Polish™ Gloss
ProWax Polish™ Gloss

For more detailed information about this project, check out this link.