Scoring Concrete Floors Will Be My Next Project

I was introduced to the idea of stained concrete floors a couple of months back while visiting a friend's house. I've always used tiles or natural stone but after seeing that the finish can look quite impressive, I might want to explore this method of floor decoration.

As I was saying, I visited a friend's place a few months back. My wife and I thought he had a professional do it so we were quite surprised that he and his wife did the job all by themselves. They did everything from the application of the acid to the application of the sealer. I must say that they did a fantastic job.

They didn't just do the driveway, mind you. They took a few weekends to complete their DIY stained concrete floor project which also included the kitchen floor and garden walkway.

What got my attention was a certain technique that was used to add texture or rather, designs to the concrete finish. The technique is called scoring and you can create all sorts of patterns on your concrete floors. Scoring is basically scratching or cutting the surface of the concrete. Apparently, this is quite common and my friends were a bit shocked that my wife and I did not know about it.

Anyway, scoring concrete can create a wide variety of patterns. The concrete can be scored either prior to staining and sealing or after. If the scoring is performed prior to staining and sealing, the score lines will be stained with the rest of the floor.

Apparently, scoring concrete is done when the concrete is fresh. Sawcut lines are done after the concrete is hardened and can be straight or diagonal to the edges of the concrete or bands. Diamonds, stars, rectangles and even circles can be saw-cut or grinded into the concrete. I will still to straight lines for now although I have been told cutting circles is not as challenging at it sounds.

After you have decided on a pattern, mark the design onto the floor using a chalk (never use red chalk as it is a permanent marker). Then, using a straight-edged object, cut the lines with the circular saw.  Once all the cutting is over and done with, remove the concrete dust by cleaning the concrete surface with soap and water. Allow the surface to dry completely before applying the stain and thereafter, the sealer. Leave it to dry for at least 24 hours.

You can get all the supplies and tools for staining and scoring concrete floors at http://concretecamouflage.com.