Polished acid stained microcement floor with a soft sheen running down a hallway

Acid Stain · Yorkshire

Acid Stain for Concretein Leeds, Bradford& Harrogate

A reactive chemical stain that colours cement-based floors from within, producing mottled, translucent tones that no two rooms ever share exactly, sampled on your own substrate before we commit to a finish.

Request a Free Quote 07722 927058

Rated 5.0 on Google · Manufacturer-certified with IDEAL WORK UK · One-year workmanship guarantee

IDEAL WORK UK & OX RESIN certified
Three years specialising in seamless surfaces
£10m public liability cover
Free, fixed-price quotes
Rated 5.0 on Google

The system

What acid stain is, and why the variation is the point

Acid stain is a chemical reaction, not a paint. The stain reacts with the minerals already present in concrete and cement-based surfaces, and that reaction produces colour from inside the material rather than a layer sitting on top of it. The result is translucent, variegated, with clouding, veining and tonal shifts that move across a floor the way natural stone does. Nobody chooses acid stain for a flat, uniform colour; they choose it because a floor treated this way looks like nothing else in the room can be specified to look.

Because the colour comes from a reaction rather than a pigment applied evenly, the outcome depends on what is already in the substrate: its age, its curing history, its mineral content, trowel marks, patching, even old adhesive residue can all show through as part of the pattern. Two floors given the same stain in the same colour will read differently, sometimes markedly so. That is the character of the system, not a flaw in the work.

We are certified with IDEAL WORK UK to apply this system, and we treat the unpredictability honestly rather than promising a look we cannot guarantee before we have seen how your specific floor reacts. We sample on site, on your substrate, before agreeing a final colour and coverage, because a sample from a different slab tells you very little about how yours will behave.

Acid stain suits concrete floors and other cement-based surfaces in homes, retail units, showrooms and hospitality interiors, wherever a client wants a floor with genuine depth and movement rather than a flat block colour. Once stained, the floor is sealed to protect the finish and make it practical for daily use.

What it costs to get wrong

The mistakes that turn character into disappointment

Acid stain goes wrong most often when someone treats it like a paint colour chosen off a swatch card and expects it to arrive looking exactly like the sample sheet or a photograph of somebody else's floor. Because the reaction depends on the substrate underneath it, a colour that looked warm and even in a showroom sample can come out patchier, cooler or more mottled on a different slab. That surprise is avoidable, but only if it is explained and sampled before the work starts, not discovered afterwards.

The second common failure is applying stain to a substrate that has not been properly assessed first. Old sealers, curing compounds, oil staining, patched repairs and inconsistent concrete ages all react differently, and a floor with a mix of old and new concrete, or one that has been treated with something in the past, can stain unevenly in ways that were entirely predictable if the surface had been checked beforehand.

The third failure is rushing the sealing stage or skipping proper site sampling to save time. A stained floor that is not sealed correctly for its use will mark, wear unevenly and lose the depth that made the finish worth choosing in the first place. Acid stain rewards patience at both ends of the job: assessing the substrate honestly before staining, and sealing and finishing it properly once the colour has developed.

The mistakes we are called in to correct

Choosing a colour from a photograph or sample panel without sampling the actual substrate first.
Expecting an even, flat colour when the whole point of acid stain is natural variation.
Staining over old sealers, curing compounds or oil contamination without checking for them first.
Applying stain over a mix of old and new concrete without expecting the ages to react differently.
Under-specifying the sealer for the room's actual foot traffic and cleaning routine.

Our process

How an acid stain floor is done

Survey and substrate assessment

We inspect the concrete or cement-based surface, check its age, condition and history, and discuss where the room will take colour well and where it may vary more than expected.

Fixed written quote

One price in writing for the whole job, naming the system, the sampling approach and any preparation other trades must complete first. Quotes are free and fixed, never a day rate.

On-site sampling and colour agreed

We apply the stain to a sample area of your actual substrate so you can see how it genuinely reacts before committing to a colour and coverage. A 45% deposit secures materials and your dates.

Application

The stain is applied across the floor, reacting with the surface to develop its colour and pattern, before the floor is sealed to protect the finish.

Cure, checks and handover

We confirm when the floor is ready for use, walk it with you to talk through cleaning and care, and cover our workmanship with a one-year guarantee.

What you get

What acid stain delivers that flat colour cannot

Genuine depth and movement

Colour develops from within the concrete itself, giving a translucent, layered look with clouding and veining that flat pigment finishes cannot reproduce.

Sampled on your own floor

We test on your actual substrate before agreeing a final colour, so you are choosing based on how your floor really reacts, not a swatch from somewhere else.

A floor nobody else has

Because the reaction is unique to each slab, no two stained floors read identically, which suits homes, showrooms and hospitality spaces built around a distinctive interior.

Works with the existing floor

Acid stain colours the substrate that is already there rather than covering it with a new material build-up, which suits projects where an existing slab is sound and worth keeping.

Sealed for daily use

Once the colour has developed, the floor is sealed so it stands up to the traffic and cleaning routine of the room it is in.

Certified, insured, guaranteed

IDEAL WORK UK certified application, £10 million public liability cover and a one-year workmanship guarantee, confirmed in writing with your fixed-price quote.

In detail

Substrates, sampling and finishes in detail

Acid stain rewards an honest assessment of what is already on the floor before anything is applied. This is what we check, how we sample, and where the system suits a room.

What the substrate has to be

Acid stain needs a sound, clean concrete or cement-based surface for the reaction to take hold consistently enough to be predictable. We check the slab's age, its curing history, whether it has been sealed or treated before, and whether there are patches, repairs or contamination that will react differently to the surrounding area. None of that rules a floor out, but it does change what result to expect, and we say so before quoting.

Subfloor preparation, screeding, levelling, damp-proof membranes and tanking are carried out by other trades before we arrive. We assess the surface we are given at survey stage and set out plainly in the quote what condition it needs to be in before staining begins.

Why we sample on site rather than promise a swatch

Because the colour comes from a chemical reaction with the minerals in your specific slab, a sample stained on a different piece of concrete tells you very little about how your floor will look. We apply the stain to a discreet area of your actual substrate as part of the process, so the colour decision is made on real evidence rather than a catalogue image.

This also means we can flag, before full application, if a floor is going to vary more than a client expects, patchy old repairs, differing pours, or areas that have previously been sealed. Seeing that on a sample first avoids a surprise across an entire finished floor.

Where acid stain suits a room

Acid stain works well in homes where a client wants a floor with the character of natural stone or aged concrete, in living spaces, hallways and open-plan areas built around an existing slab worth keeping. It also suits retail, showroom and hospitality interiors where a distinctive floor supports the design rather than disappearing into the background, a look that reads as considered rather than mass-produced.

It is a floors-only system for cement-based surfaces; it is not applied to walls, furniture or worktops. Where a client wants the same reactive, mineral look carried onto a wall or a piece of furniture, that is a different conversation, and we will say plainly where acid stain is not the right fit for what they have in mind.

Sealing and living with the finish

Once the stain has developed its colour, the floor is sealed to protect the finish and make it suitable for the traffic and cleaning regime of the room. The sealer is chosen for how the space is actually used, a busy retail floor and a domestic living room do not need identical treatment.

Day to day, a sealed acid-stained floor is looked after much like any hard-wearing sealed surface: regular sweeping or vacuuming to keep grit off it, and cleaning with products suited to the sealer rather than anything abrasive or overly acidic that could dull the finish over time.

Common questions

Answers before
you commit

Anything not covered here, ask us directly on 07722 927058. Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm.

How much does acid stain flooring cost?+

We quote one fixed price for the whole job rather than a square-metre rate, because the substrate condition and sampling stage both affect the work involved. Quotes are free, and a 45% deposit secures materials and your dates once you go ahead.

How long does an acid stain project take?+

It depends on the size of the floor and the sampling and sealing stages either side of application. We set out the working days and dates in writing with your fixed quote once we have surveyed the substrate.

Will my floor look like the sample or photo I've seen?+

Not exactly, and that is the nature of the system. Colour develops from a reaction with your specific concrete, so we sample on your own substrate before agreeing a final colour rather than promising a result from a different floor.

Can acid stain go over any concrete floor?+

Most sound concrete and cement-based surfaces can be stained, but old sealers, contamination and patched repairs all affect how evenly the reaction develops. We assess your substrate at survey and tell you plainly what to expect.

Do you handle screeding, levelling or damp-proofing first?+

No. Subfloor preparation, screeding, levelling, damp-proof membranes and tanking are carried out by other trades before we arrive. We set out at survey exactly what condition the substrate needs to be in.

How long will an acid-stained floor last?+

Correctly sealed and maintained, an acid-stained floor is a long-term finish rather than something refreshed yearly. The sealer is what takes the daily wear, and it is specified to suit how the room is used.

How do I clean and maintain it?+

Regular sweeping or vacuuming to keep grit off the surface, then cleaning with products suited to the sealer applied. We talk through care specific to your floor at handover.

Can acid stain be used on walls, furniture or worktops?+

No, acid stain is a floors-only system for cement-based surfaces. Where a client wants a similar reactive, natural look elsewhere in a room, that is a separate conversation about a different system.

Is acid stain suitable for retail and hospitality interiors, not just homes?+

Yes. It suits homes as well as retail, showroom and hospitality interiors where an existing concrete or cement-based floor is sound and a distinctive, non-uniform finish supports the design.

Which areas do you cover, and are you insured?+

Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, York, Ripon, Sheffield, Manchester, Windermere and Kendal, from our base in Menston near Ilkley. We hold £10 million public liability cover, are certified with IDEAL WORK UK for microcement systems and OX RESIN for resin flooring, and guarantee our workmanship for one year.

Other certified systems

Not sure which finish suits the room? Start with our seamless surface services or see completed microcement projects.

Where we install it

Applied by us as microcement flooring, resin flooring and wet rooms & bathrooms, from our base in Menston near Ilkley. See all service areas.

Get a fixed price and see your floor sampled first

Tell us about your existing concrete or cement-based floor and we will assess it, sample the stain on site so you see a genuine result, and give you one fixed price in writing.