There’s more than one way to stain a slab, and Newlook International Inc. has found a way that is unique. Its products are modified polymer stains that require no sealer and are easy to maintain.
The most popular types of concrete stains in the marketplace are chemically reactive stains, solvent-based dyes, and acrylics, says Newlook president and CEO Reid Langston, and these stains usually require a sealer to hold the color within the concrete. These traditional stains or dyes are mostly translucent and available in only a limited range of colors. Newlook’s water-based polymer product comes in a broad range of solid colors. “It’s an old technology, but new to the concrete coloring world,” says Langston.
Newlook coloring products have been put to use by Disney World, Mall of America and the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif., among others. One thing these locations have in common is heavy and consistent foot traffic. They also share the desire to maintain concrete without disrupting their crowds. “If Disney decides they want to brighten up a high-traffic area, they simply pressure-wash it when the park closes, apply new stain, and customers are walking on it by 9 a.m. the next morning,” Langston notes.
Newlook offers 80 different solid colors as well as 80 translucent colors. “With the translucent colors,” boasts Langston, “we are able to mimic acid stains and faux finishes with better color control and without dangerous fumes or strong odors.”
