When building a custom home, there are a lot of decisions to make. A home build is a great opportunity to get everything you want, down to the last detail. One of the most important decisions you will make is what kind of flooring you will have. In many cases, barndominium concrete floors are stained to create amazing, complex patterns.
Barndominium concrete floors can be an excellent blank slate for your design choices and specific style. Knowing everything you can about staining these floors can help you get the perfect look. In this article, we have laid out everything there is to know about staining barndominium concrete floors. Using this information for your own project will get you thinking about how to make the most of your floors.
What are Stained Barndominium Concrete Floors?
Barndominiums are unique buildings that have their own sets of challenges and rules. One of these is the fact that most barndominiums are built on top of a concrete slab foundation. Unlike a traditional home’s foundation, concrete slabs are completely solid with no room for a crawl space. This means that you will be dealing with barndominium concrete floors, which can be difficult to cover.
Because of this, many people go with concrete floors for their barndominium’s interior. Instead of laying down carpet or laminate, the raw floors are left uncovered. This gives them a modern, almost industrial look that can be very desirable. With the right treatment, barndominium concrete floors can also be incredibly beautiful and endearing.
Why Stain Barndominium Concrete Floors?
If you are going to leave your barndominium concrete floors raw instead of covering them, you have options. Just because you aren’t going to be using carpet, hardwood, or laminate, that doesn’t mean you can’t have style. Barndominium concrete floors can be stained to create amazingly complex and beautiful patterns. With the right preparation, you can most likely do this job yourself, saving time, money, and stress in the process.
The key to any DIY job for your barndominium concrete floors is preparation. Knowing how to do the job and planning things out before you begin will get you the best results. This way, you can plan for any idiosyncrasies that your particular home might have and won’t be surprised by them. With the right knowledge, this will be a relatively simple job that can be done in one or two days.
How to Stain Barndominium Concrete Floors
Prepare the Surface
Before you begin staining your barndominium concrete floors, you must prepare them first. This means making sure that everything is cleared from the area and that there is no furniture in the space. If you are doing new construction on a barndominium, this shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you have been living in the barndo for a while, make sure you stow anything that sits on the floor.
Once you have cleared the floor, you will want to thoroughly clean it and get it as raw as possible. For most barndominium concrete floors, you can use a neutralizer to remove any grease or dirt. This is especially important if the building has been under construction. Use a hard-bristled scrub brush to get the floor clean and let it dry completely before moving on.
Mask the Area
Part of the preparation process for staining barndominium concrete floors is masking. Masking allows you to spray the stain without worrying about hitting any areas you don’t want to. With a proper masking job, you won’t have any overspray or sections that you have to clean again. The object is to get the job done right the first time and to end up with clean lines.
Mask off things such as your baseboards, thresholds, and doorways. Make sure you cover any walls or appliances that you want to keep clean throughout the staining process. Use high-quality masking tape from a paint supply store. This will give you the tightest seal and will also not leave any adhesive residue on the walls when you’re done.
Apply the Stain
Once you have fully prepared the barndominium concrete floors, you are ready to apply the stain. Depending on the color and type of stain you have chosen, you may have to apply more than one coat. One thing that is important to note is that stain will always be slightly transparent. This means that it will not fully cover the floors, so some of the patterns and grain will be visible.
Most concrete stains will come in a large plastic bottle. This bottle can be attached to a pump sprayer, which you will use to apply it to the barndominium concrete floors. In a circular motion, apply the stain to the floors, keeping the nozzle a foot away from the surface. After the first coat has dried, apply however many coats you need to get the desired darkness on the floors.
Seal the Floor
Once your final coat has been applied, let the stain dry and cure for at least 72 hours. This will give it plenty of time to completely fix to the surface and will prevent sticky spots. Then, clean the floor thoroughly with soap and water. Use a squeegee to dry the floor and remove any excess water.
When the floor is clean and dry, you can apply a sealer to protect it. Sealers can be applied by hand with a brush in a circular motion, just like with the stain. Let the sealer dry completely according to the instructions provided with the product. Then, buff and wax the floors for a beautiful, long-lasting shine that barndominium concrete floors are known for.
Conclusion
Staining your barndominium concrete floors can give you an outstanding look that is unlike anything else. With the right techniques, you can end up with flooring that will be both durable and attractive. Following the above guide is the best way to get good results by doing it yourself.
If you would like more guides like this one, be sure to check out the rest of Barndominiums.co. There, you will find all kinds of tips and tricks from the pros to help you with your own project. You will also find featured barndominiums. These can get you thinking about your custom home and get you inspired to start working.
