www.youtube.com/watch?v=svtcPs3kONc

One Stop Shopping, I have heard it most of my life and I was interested in when and where that phrase came about.  It has of coarse become one of the phrases large retail companies and wholesale companies use today.  So I did some Goggling and

found no specific time or company that “coined” the phrase.  But I did find that it has been used since the 1930’s.  And use extensively from the 1980’s when deparment stores became popular. Today it seems there are specialty stores or businesses using that phrase for their specific services or sales, although  we at Colonial Floor and Stone Care have not, we can  certainly be considered  the “one stop shopping” for our specialty:  all aspects of natural  Stone Care.

Concrete, usually not seen as a natural stone, is really comprised of all natural materials, including stone as aggregate to increase strength.  Portland cement, which is like the glue to hold the mixture together and harden into a formative material and surface that has been used in building for centuries.  Now, as techniques and decorative design elements are being developed and  used with concrete,  Colonial Floor and Stone Care continues to follow and not only repair and clean and polish concrete we are all use to in our garages and patios, but also to do decorative elements. Today, with acid staining, staining, stamping and dry cutting plain gray concrete can be transformed into a beautiful durable floor.  We are proud that Colonial Floor and Stone Care can change your plain concrete foundation floor into a beautiful, durable and eco friendly flooring.  That  decorative concretecan be a easy transition to other stone flooring such as marble or granite tile  and Terrazzo.

The other  thing in common we have with the whole sale and retail stores is that most of those stores use decorative concrete to mimic high end stores with a marble tile look, to the rustic loft look of aged and stained stone.

So if you need help with any Natural Stone, be it concrete, Terrazzo, Marble, Granite or Mexican and Cuban  tiles floors, Colonial Floor and Stone Care can meet all your needs.  We have been in business for over 20 years, and take pride of all our work.  Call us at 305-731-2242 for Miami/Dade, Broward/ Ft Lauderdale 954-566-4555 and Palm Beach County 561-357-1408 we would like to be your “one stop shopping” for all your Natural Stone Care needs.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5_hvV9x-pg

We are Colonial Floor Care

Unlike using an epoxy coating to seal your garage floor,which can have a high failure rate due to the high moisture we have in South Florida; there is a way to keep your garage concrete floor from accumulating a  build up of dirt and grime  from the sticky surface the moisture makes on the Epoxy coating. We offer acid staining which is more decorative and can give your garage a “show room” type appearance. Staining and polishing will  make a variegated look because the stain reaction is unique to every concrete surface.  Along with helping maintain the durability of the concrete, polishing makes it less likely to chip or crack.  We use a 3 step process of grinding with coarse, fine and finer diamond pads. We then apply the acid stain. The stain is allowed to dry and then a concrete densifier is applied to the floor, which  reacts chemically with the concrete sealing the surface and then polishing again to the desired shine.

This will make the surface easy to maintain with just routine cleaning. Sweeping and mopping is all you need.  Acid stain will give your floor a “marble” look, as the stain  reacts with the specific concrete that it is applies to.  Acid staining can also bring color to your concrete that will be unique to your garage and design.  Do what retail, wholesale, and car dealers do.  Acid stain and polish your concrete floor.  If you choose acid staining, you will be glad you did.  Now that the holiday season is quickly upon us, think of giving a gift to that “hard to please” person. Give the gift of a beautiful and long lasting, concrete, stained garage floor!

Call us for a free estimate, Call Colonial Floor Care and let our highly trained technicians transform your ordinary to extraordinary and put a smile on the family’s face!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvcOvzmKAkY

We are Colonial Floor Care!

Many people have shown great interest in repairing, restoring, polishing, cleaning and sealing their concrete garage floors.

There are many ways to approach these desired processes. Most of the conventional approaches include the application of toxic chemicals at some point. One internet resource, “ehow”, suggets the following.

When refinishing concrete garage floors, there are several things to consider before proceeding. You will need to decide what materials you will be using to refinish the floor -- concrete stain or concrete paint. After you have decided on proper materials, to test your garage floor for sealers, drop a few drops of water on it. If the water beads up, then ther are most likely sealers on the concrete. Never try to paint or stain a concrete floor that has been sealed -- you will be wasting your time. Remove the sealer first by applying a stripping chemical. Then apply pain or stain.

This is a pretty typical approach to restoring a garage floor. There are many problems with this approach, however. It’s kind of like your grandfather’s way of doing things -- lots of hard work and toxic chemicals. In many ways, those before us didn’t know any better. But we do.

Not only are the chemicals used in the strippers, paints and sealers toxic to manufacture, but they rease extremely toxic gasses when applied. paint and sealers also do no not last very long. Before you know it, the paint peels or chips and stains easily form.

At Colonial Floor Care, we care deeply about the environment. We also care deeply about your pocketbook and your overall satisfaction with he outcome of our work.

Because of this, we have developed an environmentally sound, non-toxic method of concrete repair and polishing that achieves many goals.

First, it is completely non-toxic. We use very benign chemicals for staining- we can produce almost any desired color tint that you wish- you pick the color!  We use state of the art grinding equipment to achieve high gloss shines. Because of our final grind with an ultra fine grind head, your concrete not only becomes beautiful, it also becomes durable and resistant to moisture and cracking.

All of this with no damage to the environment! It can be done, it should be done and so we do it!

Check us out. We think you’ll be amazed at what we can do!

We serve Miami, Dade, Broward, Ft Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

We also specialize in marble, granite and terrazzo.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5MnfGZTGyA

Welcome to Colonial Floor Care’s Concrete Staining blog!

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We will be discussing the many exciting options for concrete staining, coloring(tinting) and polishing that are now available to dramatically enhance your conrete floor’s appearnace and durability.

What is concrete staining?

Decorative Concrete Staining is considered one of the most popular ways to achieve delivering color to gray concrete.  Chemical stains can be applied to new or old, plain or colored concrete surfaces. Although they are often called acid stains, acid is not the ingredient that colors the concrete.

Metallic salts in an acidic, water based solution react with hydrated lime( calcium hydroxide)in hardned concrete to yield insoluble colored compounds that become a permanent part of the concrete.

Several companies manufacture chemical stains that are variations of three basic color groups: black, brown and blue-green. however the color possibilities are virtually endless.

Designers are waking up to the fact that there’s more than wood carpet and tiles. There’s nothing that can’t be done.

The acid in chemical stains opens the top surface of the concrete, allowing metallic salts to reach the free lime deposits. Water form the stain solution then fuels the reaction, usually for about a month after the stain has been applied. Other factors that affect the outcome include:

Cement properties and amount

Admixtures used

Type of aggregate used

Concrete finishing methods

Concrete age and moisture content when stain is applied

Weather conditions when stain is applied

Efflorescence

Next time we will discuss the dramatic increase in the use of concrete as a design element in home construction and restoration, and of course, the green properties of concrete! Learn more about our terrazzo restoration, terrazzo cleaning and floor polishing services by clicking these sites!

Colonial Floor Care serves Miami, Dade, Broward, Ft Lauderdale and Palm Beach!