Stamped Concrete

Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Would you like to cut costs and still get a beautiful, ceramic tile look to your floor? You can do it by stamping your concrete.

Cheryl Roberts and Dan Wagner of La Junta, Colorado did. They recently stamped their 800 square-foot Monolithic Dome home, and they did it for about $300. What's more, Dan says he is available for questions, should you want to ask about the advantages, disadvantages, or the process before you get started. You can leave a message for Dan at (719) 384-5159.

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Preparing the Surface

If you plan on stamping your entire home, do the stamping before interior construction such as partitioning walls are done.

Getting the concrete surface as clean as possible is of prime importance. Use an oxtail brush to get into every nook and cranny. Brush and vacuum away every bit of dirt.

Preparing to Stamp

Experiment with various color combinations by practicing on a piece of sheet rock. You can use multiple colors or just one, depending on the look you are trying to achieve.

Create your paint tray by lining a large pizza box with duct tape. The tape provides a smooth surface. Create the stamps by glueing the upholstery foam to the 12-inch square plywood or sheet vinyl. Prepare several stamps as one stamp will adequately stamp approximately 100 square-feet. Prepare several small stamps for cutting in (i.e. the spaces along the perimeter of the dome where a 12-inch stamp will be too large).

If you want the appearance of straight grout line, create your desired pattern by laying lines of masking tape before you begin the stamping process. For a more southwestern look, omit taping and just estimate a the grout line.

Stamping the Floor

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Put on the rubber gloves to protect your hands.

If using three colors of concrete stain, pour small, equal amounts of each into your pizza box paint tray. With a paint stick, swirl -- DO NOT COMPLETELY MIX -- the stains. Stamp the concrete by dipping a foam stamp into the swirled stain and applying it onto the floor. After each stamp, rotate your pad a -- turn to give your pattern variance.

To avoid stamping yourself into a corner, always begin stamping in the center of a room or area and work toward the perimeter. Starting in the center and working towards the perimeter allows you to work any inconsistencies in the pattern sizes into places which will be covered by furnishings. This project does not have to be completed in a day. In fact, it's better to spread it out so that you always have a walking area.

Once the stamping is completed and the floor is dry, remove the masking tape. What you will then have are lines of bare, unstained concrete or simulated grout lines.

When paint is completely dry, apply several coats of interior acrylic polyurethane (i.e. Rez by Pittsburgh Paints) with a short-napped paint roller. This type of polyurethane provides easy water clean up. Allow the polyurethane to dry between applications. Re-coat as needed.

Dan likes the easy maintenance and comfort of his floor, "We've been in the house for eight months and it's just now getting to the point we need to reapply. The more mud and traffic-- the more frequently you need to reapply. It's actually easier than mopping. And since we installed in-floor heating, the stamped concrete is always a comfortable temperature."

For more ideas regarding concrete stains, visit The Stamp Store

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