All About Concrete Stain Colors
Concrete is everywhere. Often dull and grey, concrete plays a major yet under-recognized role in a building’s construction, and it doesn’t have to blend into the background. While you may not associate concrete with beautiful finishes and art, vibrant and colorful concrete stain colors are readily available.
Stain brightens your building’s façade, brings attention to your storefront and breathes life into older builds. Plus, concrete stain placed by expert stain applicators onto a precast or form liner concrete surface creates a variety of aesthetics as needed. If desired, properly applied stain mimics the appearance of timber, leather, rusted metal, and much more.
From a distance (and even close up), these surfaces can be indistinguishable from the imitated material.
With so many applications and lots of versatility, here’s everything you need to know about exterior concrete stain.
The History of Color & Concrete
Modern concrete stain colors are usually sourced back to Lynn Scofield—who first popularized metallic oxide colors for concrete that wouldn’t fade due to sunlight. Scofield’s company continues operations to this day. Their founder’s original colors and approach have influenced innovation and technology improvements to outdoor concrete stain that have radically changed the look and feel of the material.
Building creators could only use earthy tones for concrete in the past. Today, architects, designers, and companies can choose from a wide variety of vibrant colors for their concrete creations. These advancements primarily come from the development of new coloring agents. The tones created by the stain will depend upon the chemical makeup of the stain itself—whether color comes from minerals or acrylics.
Exterior concrete stain can also replicate the look of other materials on the concrete surface. Concrete can mimic the appearance of metal or leather, for instance. In some cases, and with the right architectural form liner and stain, concrete can look like wood planks, brick masonry, and more.
Precast concrete is perfect for these sorts of applications. However, a myriad of concrete surfaces are easily brightened up and improved with the right concrete stain color and styling.
What kinds of looks can I Achieve with Concrete Stain?
If you take a look at some of the mood boards on our website, you’ll find a wide range of colors. You’ll see everything from hot pink and vibrant greens to cool, earthy browns & beiges.
Stains don’t have to be boring–you can go for something vivid that’ll make your building stand out from the crowd. Or if you’re looking for something a little more subdued, you could go for anything from a terracotta to a gentle sky–blue look. A natural range of colors provides more dimension to a building and helps it shine far more than one simple tone ever could.
A brief intro into some of the concrete Stain products on the market:
Every product brings different results. So, to help you decide what to go for, here’s a brief introduction into some of our products and what they can achieve:
- NawTone-K is a mineral stain that uses silicate as a binding agent to form a permanent chemical bond with substrates. All you have to do is choose the color you’re looking for, and we’ll do the rest.
- NawTone-K Metallic uses the same specs as our standard NawTone-K, but includes metallic pigments that yield a shiny, metallic look. If you’re looking for something more shimmery, NawTone-K Metallic will achieve this.
- NawTone is an acrylic stain built from high-quality polymers. Lightfast pigments are then added which give you a wide range of colors.
Not sure what to go for? Book a consultation with one of our concrete stain color experts!
Choosing the color that’s going to define your building for years to come is by no means an easy job—especially if you’re new to using stains. If you’d like a helping hand, how about booking a free consultation with one of our color experts?
We’ll answer all of your questions and give you all the information you need to make an informed decision. We offer on-site samples, custom color matching samples & consultation, technical guidance, and much more!
Are you ready to help your building stand out? Get in touch and we’ll help you choose the perfect color for your project.