Design Ideas for Colored Concrete Floors

Compare color options for concrete flooring, ranging from brown and gray to multi-colored designs

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When it comes to concrete floors, your color options abound. Stains, dyes and coatings make it possible to turn plain-gray concrete into nearly any hue imaginable, from basic brown to vibrant shades of purple, blue and fire-engine red. Learn about the most popular color options for concrete floors, and see projects showcasing the wide range of looks you can achieve. (Find out where to get color inspiration for concrete floors.)

Brown

Gray

Tan

Green

Terra Cotta

Blue

Tips: Contact concrete floor contractors near you and ask to see color charts. They choices will vary based off what products they use.

Brown Concrete Floors

Although they don’t sound exciting, concrete floors in brown tones are by far the most popular color choice. Brown concrete floors provide the warm look of a wood floor yet are much easier to maintain. Plus the range of shades that can be achieved in the brown color spectrum is infinite, ranging from sandy beige to dark walnut. See these examples of brown concrete floor projects.

Dark Walnut Floor

Decorative Crete-Worx, Grand Prairie, Tex.

Rich Brown Stain

Life Deck Coating Installations, San Diego, Calif.

Dyed Floor in Driftwood

Concrete Concepts Inc., Hackensack, N.J.

Gray Concrete Floors

Gray is another popular choice for concrete floors, especially in modern homes, restaurants or businesses. The floors can be left their natural cement color, or colored to produce the perfect shade of gray, ranging from nearly white to a deep charcoal. Browse these pictures of gray concrete floors.

Uncolored Polished Floor

Floor Rescue, Dallas, Tex.

Metallic Gray Floor

CI Flooring, Inc in Crest Hill, Ill.

Light Gray Epoxy

Innovative Finishing, Knoxville, Tenn.

Check out these white concrete floors and more.

Multi-Colored Concrete Floors

Combining multiple colors is also an option for concrete floors. Colors can be swirled together to create a mottled effect or kept separate with a distinct pattern. Stencils can also be used to create unique designs with multiple colors. Browse a gallery of artistic concrete floors that use more than one color.

Floor Stenciled with in Obsidian and Henna

Hyde Concrete, Annapolis, Md.

Multi-Colored Diamonds

Hyde Concrete, Annapolis, Md.

Pigmented Epoxy Coating

Custom Concrete Solutions, West Hartford, Conn.

Coloring Techniques

Infographic: Popular Floor Colors

See which colors are most frequently used on concrete floors and get suggestions for coordinating colors.
Concrete Floor Color Infographic

Acid, or chemical-based, concrete stains are the most tried-and-true method of coloring concrete floors, and are prized for their permanence and unique color variations. Since acid stains penetrate and react chemically with the concrete, every floor is unique. The drawback of acid stains is that the color selection is limited primarily to earth-tones and blue/green shades, and the color is translucent, so it won't hide existing discoloration or flaws in the concrete.

Water-based stains (typically a blend of acrylic polymers and pigments) penetrate the concrete to produce permanent color, ranging from translucent to opaque depending on the product. They go beyond the subtle color effects of acid-based stains and come in a much broader spectrum of hues. Most manufacturers offer dozens of standard colors and even metallic tints.

See colors: Stain color chart

Concrete dyes, unlike stains, don’t rely on a chemical reaction to work their magic. Instead, they penetrate into the floor to achieve complete, permanent color saturation. Dyes are available in water- or solvent-based formulations and in a vast array of colors. Water-based dyes typically produce more marbling and variegation (similar to the look of a chemical stain), while solvent-based dyes tend to be more monotone and uniform in color. Dyes work especially well on polished concrete floors because they can be applied during the polishing process.

See colors: Dye color chart

Integrally colored epoxy floor coatings typically cost more than stains or dyes, but they produce opaque color effects that can hide existing stains and flaws. With the addition of metallic pigments, color chips, and other decorative options, they can be used to achieve a variety of unique looks. Epoxy coatings are also very durable and abrasion resistant, producing long-lasting color.

See colors: Epoxy floor coating colors

Floor Color Videos

Selecting Colors for Concrete Flooring
Length: 01:20
In this video find out how to select the right colors for your floor that will fit your style and increase the resale value of your home.

Concrete Floors - Express Your Personality
Length: 01:11
Video on the unique design flexibility of concrete floors. The design options include vibrant coloring, trowel patterns, saw cuts, stenciling, staining, and more

Concrete Floor Ideas

Gray Metallic Epoxy Adds Dazzle

These graphite-colored metallic-coated concrete floors were a real show-stopper in one of the entrants in the Boise Parade of Homes. After brown, gray is the most popular color for concrete floors. Like brown, gray is a neutral tone that blends in with many design schemes, especially modern interiors. For a look that’s more subdued, you can leave the floor in its natural state and simply polish it or apply a sealer for more luster.

Acid-Stained Floor Becomes the Talk of the Town

The color options for acid stains may be more limited than with water-based stains or dyes, but that doesn't mean you can't use them to create eye-popping color, such as this beautiful turquoise blue boutique floor. Only one stain color was used, but the stain was allowed to pool on the floor to achieve the attractive mottling effects.

Color It Purple

How do you color a floor purple? The key on this project was using a black-pigmented epoxy coating enhanced by metallic pigments and concrete dye.

Concrete Floor Comes Alive with Stain and Dye

The combination of chemical stains and concrete dyes is a perfect synergy. Although stains have received much applause for their amazing color transformations, dyes can achieve vibrant tones simply not possible with stains alone. Check out this floor in a high-end home decor shop, which was treated with various colors of acetone dye and semi-transparent stain to produce faux layered looks and unique color accents.

Bowled Over By Color

This bowling alley’s vibrant entryway is the perfect example of the endless color possibilities available with water-based concrete stains. The concrete floor was stained in a bright array of colors to complement the adjacent rug pattern, including Razz-ma-tazz Red, Evergreen, Wheat Grain, and Autumn Honey. Painter’s tape was used to create the design and separate the fields of color.

When Only a True Black Acid Stain Will Do

Several applications of black acid stain, followed by a high-gloss sealer, produced this sleek black floor at the Gallery Lofts in Los Angeles. Because acid stains for concrete tend to be translucent, black can be one of the trickiest colors to work with. But when the right products and application techniques are used, the floor can look like it’s covered with onyx.

Polishing and Dye Transform a Concrete Floor

Once covered by carpeting, this concrete entryway was transformed into a work of art by polishing and the application of various colors of solvent-based dye. Decorative sawcuts were used to create the geometric pattern and separate the fields of color.

Color & Geometry Produce Spectacular Floors

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