Fast, Easy Basement Floor Color Options

You’re listening to Direct Colors podcast episode 31: Fast, Easy Basement Floor Color Options.  We’re talking about finishing basement and interior concrete floors in the fastest, easiest and more cost effective way possible. If this is your first time listening, then thanks for listening.  I’m Tommy Carter, Sales Manager and Technician with Direct Colors.

Tommy:  Basement floor projects can be undertaken any time year round so we often have customers remodeling basement floors during the winter. While acid staining is our most popular DIY refinishing option, there are other basement floor color possibilities to consider. Here to talk about the alternatives is Direct Colors’ General Manager, Shawna Turner. Welcome, Shawna.

Shawna:  Thanks, Tommy.

TC:  So, why not acid stain your basement floor if it’s so popular?

ST:  By all means, if you prefer the variegated, multi-tonal look acid stain offers, then acid stain your concrete! However, if you’re in a bit of hurry to complete a project or are looking for the most affordable color option, then you might want to consider a tinted concrete sealer or tinted concrete sealer and DCI concrete dye combination. Both can be applied quickly, inexpensively and look great!  For example, a tinted water based sealer and residential floor wax can be applied to a 1000 sq. ft. basement for .22 cents/square foot. Not bad.

TC: Not bad at all. Could you say a little more about the products and application process?

ST: For sure. I typically recommend water based sealer for basement floor color applications simply because it’s a low odor product that’s easy to work with in confined areas. We offer around 40 colors to choose from and because the tinted sealer is actually translucent, it doesn’t look like floor paint which I think is rather unattractive. The character, if you will, of the concrete is still visible through the color making the floor a little more interesting to look at. One or two coats of the product can be applied depending on the desired color and gloss level. It’s up to you to decide. The final step for any floor sealed with an acrylic sealer is wax to protect from the daily wear and tear. The floor should be clean, free of any surface debris and dry before applying. The whole process should take about 48 hours inclusive of dry time to complete.

TC:  That does sound pretty easy for a homeowner to successfully apply. How and why would you use a concrete dye for a basement floor color?

ST:  DCI Concrete Dye is a great option if you want to add a contrasting floor color. Gray concrete floors are very popular for a more industrial look so we encourage our customers to work with the existing gray floor color and accent the floor with Stormy Gray, Charcoal, Black or White Concrete Dye colors in any way you wish. We have a great project example on our website featuring a black and white concrete dye floor that illustrates well what can be done with concrete dye. One of the other advantages of the product is the fast dry time. Concrete Dye dries instantaneously on the floor so it’s a very fast process once the surface preparation is complete. We recommend applying a coat of sealer before spraying on the concrete dye for best results.

TC:  You mentioned using the tinted concrete sealer and concrete dye together. How would you do that and why?

ST:  There’s certainly no requirement to use the concrete dye and tinted sealer together but if a customer is looking for a little color variety and does not want to a gray-toned floor, it’s by far the fastest and least expensive way to create a base color and accents. Beginning with either one or two coats of tinted sealer allows the customer to change the overall floor color first and then accent later with the dye colors of their choice. It’s a real timesaver for any interior floor project for sure. I recommend our listeners check out our basement and interior floor blog post featuring this technique for more details.

I would say if you’re looking for the most cost effective way to finish a basement or interior floor, you can’t go wrong with a tinted sealer or tinted sealer/concrete dye combination. We have so many colors to choose from I have no doubt you’ll find something you like. If you’re not sure what products to use, feel free to talk to one of our technicians. We’ll be happy to help.

TC: Thanks for the advice, Shawna, and call me, Tommy, at 877-255-2656 and we’ll discuss your project and decide together the best products for the job. If you’d prefer to send us an email, visit /resources/design-consultation/ and we’ll get back to you within 24-48 hours.