Stained concrete Oklahoma | Acid stain & dye

Stained concrete in Oklahoma: color that goes into the slab

Stained concrete in Oklahoma runs $2.19 to $6.29 a square foot installed, before the drive cost (our trip out to your site). The color soaks into the slab instead of sitting on top, so it can’t peel or chip. Acid stain gives earth tones like brown, amber, and rust. Water-based dye adds blues, reds, and purples. We stain floors, patios, and porches in OKC, Tulsa, and the towns around our shop in Prague.

People ask us to match a paint chip more often than you’d think. Acid stain won’t do it. Dye might get close. That’s the first fork in the road on any stained concrete job in Oklahoma.

We’ve been staining concrete across Oklahoma since 2004. Across all our work, we’ve installed over 3 million square feet. We’ve done acid-stained showroom floors, dyed restaurant floors, and scored floors in several colors for homes all over central Oklahoma. This page covers both systems, how our weather treats them, and what it takes to get color that holds for decades.

What is stained concrete?

Stained concrete is plain concrete with color added after it cures. If you want color in the slab itself, acid stain is what you want. Paint and coatings sit on top of the slab, while stain goes into it and becomes part of the concrete. Think of dyeing a shirt instead of painting it. The color lives in the fibers, so there’s no film on top to peel off.

There are two kinds of stain, and they work in very different ways.

Acid stain. This is a mild acid that carries metal salts, like iron, copper, or manganese. The acid opens up the surface, and then the salts react with the lime in the concrete to lock the color into the slab for good. (On a spec sheet, that lime is called calcium hydroxide.) You get see-through earth tones: browns, ambers, rusts, tans, blue-greens, and black.

No two slabs react the same way. The lime isn’t spread evenly through any pour, so the color comes out mottled, a bit like old leather. Ask any installer: will my floor look like the paint swatch? It won’t. If they say yes, they probably haven’t stained many floors.

New concrete needs its full 28-day cure before acid stain goes on. The surface also has to be open enough to take the stain, at CSP 2 or higher. CSP is a trade grade for how rough the surface is.

Water-based dye. Dye doesn’t react with the concrete. It just soaks into the tiny pores, 1/16 to 1/8 inch deep depending on the slab. Since there’s no reaction, dye can make colors acid stain can’t: bright blues, reds, purples, and greens. It’s the one to ask for when you need to match a brand color.

The trade-off is sun. Dye isn’t locked in by a reaction, so sunlight fades it over time. Some dyes are made to fight fading, and they’re rated by a 500-hour sun-lamp test called QUV. Those help outside. Even so, acid stain is the better pick for outdoor work in Oklahoma. The state gets 220 to 240 sunny days per year, and the UV index often hits 10 or higher from May through August.

How is a stained concrete floor done?

Every staining job follows the same steps, even on a slab someone else poured.

1. We check the slab. Before a tool touches the floor, we look for coatings, sealers, curing compounds, and dirt. Then we do a water drop test. The water should soak in within 30 seconds, which tells us the concrete is open enough to take stain. A small acid spot test tells us there’s lime to react with. If either one fails, we know right away. Sealed or dirty floors get ground to CSP 3 to reach clean, fresh concrete.
2. We pick the system. Acid stain is for earth tones and permanent color. Dye is for bright colors and an even look. Many of our best floors use both, with acid stain across the main floor and dye in the scored borders. You get the natural swirl of acid stain plus the exact color match of dye, which works well for a business with brand colors.
3. We plan for the weather. Outdoor acid stain holds up well, because the color is a mineral, not a paint. Outdoor dye needs a fade-resistant formula. Any stained surface outside also needs a sealer that breathes, meaning it lets water vapor escape. A sealer that forms a tight film traps moisture underneath. Oklahoma sees 60 to 70 freeze-thaw cycles a year, and those will peel a trapped-moisture sealer within one to three winters.
4. We put it down. We spray acid stain with a low-pressure sprayer in overlapping circles. It sits and reacts for 4 to 8 hours. Then we neutralize it. That means we wash off what’s left with baking soda water so the acid stops working. Then we scrub the floor and pick up all the waste. Dye goes on by sprayer or microfiber pad in thin coats, with about 30 minutes of dry time between coats.

If we poured your slab ourselves, you may be a step ahead. The full SPEC build in our Pour-4-Polish method uses a 7-day wet cure. The slab stays wet while it cures, with no sprayed curing compound to block the stain.

Who is stained concrete right for?

Stain fits jobs where the floor is part of the look, not just something to walk on. These are the jobs we do most:

• Home floors, for owners who want earth tones without the upkeep of carpet, tile, or wood
• Restaurants and stores, where scored stain in several colors carries the brand
• Patios and covered porches, where acid stain gives color that won’t peel like paint
• Basements and sunrooms, where the slab is solid but plain

Unlike concrete overlays, stain doesn’t add any thickness. It colors the surface you already have. If the slab has surface damage, an overlay first and stain on top is often the better path.

Stain isn’t right for every slab, and we’ll tell you so on the site visit. It’s a poor fit when the floor has been heavily sealed or painted, unless grinding fits the budget, or when the slab has moisture problems. If our check turns up a moisture warning sign, or if you ask, we’ll run a moisture test to see how bad it is. And if you want a high-gloss floor that reflects light, look at polished concrete instead.

What happens during the job?

How long it takes. A normal home job of 400 to 1,200 square feet takes 2 to 3 days. Day one is prep and the first coat of stain. On day two we neutralize the leftover acid and add a second coat if the floor needs it. Day three is sealer. Dye jobs go faster, since there’s no reaction to wait on and nothing to neutralize. Most dye jobs wrap up in 1 to 2 days, sealer included.

How the color will vary. Acid stain always varies. Each slab reacts based on its cement, its age, and how much water it’s seen over the years. Two slabs poured side by side on the same day will still stain differently. That’s why we put down test spots before we do the whole floor, so you can see how your own slab takes the color before you say yes. Expect some variation, because that’s what makes acid-stained concrete look like natural stone and not paint.

How we seal it. Every stained floor needs a sealer. It protects the color, adds shine, and keeps spills from soaking in. A solvent-based acrylic gives a wet look with a warm amber tint. A water-based polyurethane keeps dye colors true. For the toughest finish, we add a polyaspartic topcoat. Our sealed concrete page compares them all.

How to care for it. Sweep often. Wet-mop with a pH-neutral cleaner when the floor needs it. Reseal indoor floors every 2 to 4 years. Outdoor surfaces need a check every year, and we suggest resealing them yearly too, because Oklahoma sun and freezes are hard on sealer. When a stained floor looks tired, it’s almost always the sealer that wore out. The color underneath is doing fine.

How much does stained concrete cost in Oklahoma?

Stained concrete in Oklahoma costs $2.19 to $6.29 a square foot installed. Where you land depends on the system, the number of colors, the pattern, and the shape your slab is in. The low end is one-color acid stain with the acrylic sealer we include. The high end is scored stain in several colors with a tougher sealer. That polyurethane or polyaspartic sealer adds $1.57 a square foot. Acid stain cost starts at $2.13 a square foot for one color. It runs $4.64 with scoring and several colors.

The range above also counts setup, so a single rate in the table can run a little lower.

Every rate includes surface prep, the stain or dye, neutralizing for acid stain, and an acrylic sealer. Slab condition is the biggest swing. Clean, open concrete needs very little prep. A sealed or dirty slab needs diamond grinding first. That grinding adds to the price.

Decorative tile and hardwood both mean buying and laying a whole new floor. Stain on a slab you already have costs a lot less, because the only materials we bring are the stain and the sealer.

One tip when you compare bids on price: ask each crew which system the bid covers. Real acid stain is different work from a tinted sealer rolled on top, and the two don’t age the same way.

For a full breakdown by job type, see the stained concrete cost guide. Or skip the guide and get your price now.

Which staining system should you choose?

It comes down to three things: the color you want, where the floor is, and whether the concrete is new or old. Here are the five choices, from the most predictable result to the least:

1. One-color acid stain indoors (most predictable). The chemistry is well known, earth tones stay stable, and indoors there’s no sun or freezing to fight. Good for home floors, basements, and covered patios.
2. Dye indoors. You get steady color, a wide range of choices, and a faster install. Good for stores, restaurants, and business floors that need a set brand color.
3. Acid stain in several colors with scoring, indoors. More can vary, since several stain reactions play off each other, but the results are striking. Good for decorative home floors, hospitality spaces, and showrooms.
4. Acid stain outdoors. The color holds up outside. With Oklahoma’s 60 to 70 freeze-thaw cycles a year, though, the sealer on top has to breathe and let water vapor out. Good for covered porches, pool decks, and patios that don’t sit in standing water.
5. Dye outdoors (least predictable). Out in the sun, regular dye fades within 2 to 5 years. We only use it outside in shade, or with a fade-resistant dye rated for the 500-hour QUV test.

When stain alone can’t reach the color you want, an acid stain plus dye combination on scored concrete is the answer. It takes the most work and gives the biggest payoff, so we price it from your design.

Where can you see our stained concrete floors?

Our stained concrete gallery shows acid stain, dye, and combination floors we’ve done. The before-and-after photos show the change on slabs a lot like yours.

For other finishes, see the decorative concrete page, or compare stain with polished concrete.

Concrete staining in OKC, Tulsa, and central Oklahoma

We do concrete staining in OKC, Tulsa, and across central Oklahoma from our shop in Prague:

• Oklahoma City and the whole metro, including Edmond, Norman, Moore, Yukon, and Midwest City
• Tulsa and the towns around it
• Stroud, Chandler, and Bristow along I-44, plus Shawnee and Seminole close to our shop
• Rural properties and business sites within 90 miles of Prague, OK

Outside central Oklahoma? We look at those jobs one at a time. Call (888) 852-3528 to check before you schedule. Check the slab first and pick the right system, and you’ll only have to stain it once.