Concrete stain is a process by which several chemical treatments including an acid compound is applied to concrete to create a variety of different finishing and imitation effects such as wood grain, stone tile, and other beautiful hard surface floors. You can even take it off the conventional flooring map and appropriate the look of distressed leather or any number of vibrant colors. Rather than the look and feel of sidewalk, with concrete staining in Detroit and a little innovative texturing, concrete can become a blank slate with which to use your floor.
Cost-Effective Detroit Concrete Staining
As a Detroit homeowner, you may own an older home that needs maintenance, but have a limited budget to work with at the same time. Flooring is often one major area that will need attention as it ages. Either through grime or deterioration, floors will need to be repaired, refinished, or replaced to remain positive elements of your home. To this end, concrete staining and concrete floors go hand-in-hand. The process of concrete staining can really only be applied to concrete. Without the stain, however, concrete would be coarse, gray, drab, and unsuitable for many flooring applications.
Old vs. New Concrete Floors and Staining
Truly creating a cost-effective floor installation depends largely on which areas of your home are in the direst need of help, and what areas of your home may already have concrete flooring. Staining an old concrete floor takes a bit more money and a lot more time because extensive preparation is needed to get the concrete ready for the staining process. Of course, pouring a new concrete floor can be an expensive process itself, although the process of staining concrete during this initial installation is a relatively simple. Keep in mind, too, that you may have concrete subflooring beneath many of your current floors, which may or may not be good candidates for staining. If your old flooring is in such bad shape that it needs to be replaced, chances are you can achieve a beautiful concrete floor that will last, essentially, forever for less or no more of the cost of other flooring materials.
Cost of Concrete Staining in Detroit, MI
So, how much does this process cost? Basic concrete staining in Detroit averages about $1,000, although you can pay as little as a few hundred or as much as $2,000 to $3,000, depending on the size and the condition of your concrete. This may not sound cheap, but you can easily pay twice as much as this for hardwood or stone tile flooring of the same size and prep. You can probably install carpet cheaper, but areas of the home where you might want a beautiful concrete finish are not typically good candidates for the soft flooring and high maintenance demands of carpet. If you think this sounds like a new, clever idea that fails to produce the results of rhetorical promise, know that many guests will not even realize they're standing on concrete if the job's done right.
Detroit Concrete Stain Contractors
If mixing acid, concrete, and other chemicals doesn't sound uninviting enough, let us assure you this is not a DIY project. Even though you may know enough about the substances and basic safety to follow the procedure of an acid stain, there's essentially no chance of producing the stunning effects possible with professional expertise. In fact, such is the nature of the job, you shouldn't hire anyone who doesn't have specific experience staining concrete. ServiceMagic can help you find Detroit concrete contractors with this experience. We put each and every contractor through a rigorous 10-step screening process, but more than this, you can view our online customer ratings and reviews for feedback from other Detroit homeowners. Submit a free request and you'll begin to hear from local contractors almost immediately.

Marcus Pickett is a professional freelance writer for the home remodeling industry. He has published more than 600 articles on both regional and national topics within the home improvement industry.