Concrete Finishes

Broom Finished: distinctive texture produced by using a broom on the surface of newly poured concrete.

Float Finished: textured by roughly finishing the wet concrete surface with a hand float or bull float.

Trowel Finished: attractively textured by hand troweling of wet concrete.

Acid Stained: treated with permanent, durable color, usually in earthy shades like greens or browns. A solution of inorganic salts, acid, and water is applied to poured and cured concrete. The resultant translucent stain gives a mottled, marbleized effect.

Broadcasted (also: Seeded): hand distributed a dry substance (for example, dryshake color hardener or decorative aggregate) onto wet concrete to enhance looks and reduce slipperiness.

Dyed: poured and cured concrete to which a water- or solvent-based colored solution is then applied. The process differs from acid staining in that dyes do not react chemically with the concrete and are available in a wider range of colors.

Integral Color: color is blended into concrete before the mix is placed.

Stamped Concrete: concrete that is patterned and/or textured or embossed to resemble brick, slate, flagstone, stone, tile, wood, and various other patterns and textures. The ability of stamped concrete to resemble other building materials makes stamped concrete a less expensive alternative to using those other authentic materials such as stone, slate or brick.

Stenciled: embellished by the use of stencils and coloring, etching, or sandblasting the exposed surface of cured concrete.