![]() There are just as many stain colors are there are dyes, but the look is slightly different. The advantage of this is that stains can be brushed on, or applied with an artistic touch to only apply color to specific areas. Where dyes are added to the concrete as it's being mixed, stains are applied after the concrete has cured. Always wear gloves when handling, and make sure not to get any in your eyes or breathe it in. Remember that dye is a pigment and will stain anything it comes into contact with. ![]() In the above example dyes were added to standard countertop concrete mix to achieve the colors. You can mix dyes to create new colors, or choose a lighter concrete bagged mix to create a cleaner base for the dye to show through. Weighing powders is probably the easiest way to ensure a uniform color throughout your concrete.įrom left to right: natural concrete color, black dye, brown dye, white dye. Care needs to be taken when adding dye to concrete to ensure consistency in the coloring, especially when making multiple batches. Concrete dye is usually found in powder form and added to the concrete mix while it's being prepared, whereas stains are usually liquid and are brushed on to the concrete after it's poured and cured.ĭye usually comes in a powder and is available in almost every color imaginable, colors and concentrations can be experimented with to get some really interesting results. COLOR APPLICATIONĪdding color to your concrete can be a great way to accent your piece and really make it stand out, or have it blend in with the surroundings. If concrete wasn't amazing enough already, there's loads of things you can add to the mix to achieve different properties. If you've over-poured water just add more dry mix and incorporate it until you achieve a good mix.Īfter getting the right water to cement ratio you can start incorporating color and other additives to change how the concrete looks and behaves. Add enough water to make the mix wet enough to ensure good hydration, but not so wet that the concrete mix becomes soupy. ![]() Start by adding dry concrete mix into a sturdy plastic bucket and make a small well in the middle. Inversely, the lower the water/cement ratio the stronger the concrete as the hydration crystals are close together and can fully knit together, creating very dense and strong concrete. This is because the hydration creates interlocking crystals and the more water in the mix the further apart the crystals are. Though adding more water to the concrete will make it easier to mix, pour, and work with, it actually lowers the concrete strength of the concrete when cured. The amount of water added to concrete is called the water/cement ratio. ![]()
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