Here is a guide of our most popular concrete countertop colors. Please keep in mind that concrete has a lot of variables as we’ll explain below so this is only a guide and not a guarantee of a specific color.
A little known fact is that, unlike white cement, there is no common color standard for gray. It varies widely depending where the materials come from. Some gray concrete lean toward bluer shades, other greener, some brown and even tan shades, each cement batch that arrives, even if it is from the same manufacturer, is different. You often see this when someone pours a patio or driveway extension. There is a very noticeable difference between the new and older section even if they were poured just a few weeks apart and even if they got the cement from the same provider.
Integral Colors For Concrete Countertops
By far, the most popular colors for our concrete countertops are some variation of gray. It’s a very neutral color that blends in well with almost all other colors. For that reason we have three types – light, natural, and dark gray. Graphite (black) and white are also very popular. We have additional colors to those as you can see in the chart below.
We get these colors by adding a pigment called an integral color to the concrete countertop mix. this pigment is specifically designed to be added to concrete and is made from iron oxides that are very uv resistant so it’s fine to use them for interior or exterior countertops. We add this color to the concrete mix prior to pouring it out.
There are many different colors available, the trick is finding how much of the pigment to add to get the desired color. There are dosage charts available to help you get in the general ballpark, but we do some trial and error to fine tune the final shade. With integral color, the concrete countertop has the same color throughout, from the top to the bottom. It does tend to be somewhat uniform in its final finish though if the surface is troweled it can have some variation.
When you view the color chips keep in mind that the glossier and darker top half is the final concrete countertop color when we seal with a solvent based sealer while the lighter, matte portion on the bottom is the result if we use a water based sealer.
Brick Red
Flagstone Brown
Green Slate
Kahlua
Mesa Buff
Omaha Tan
Willow Green
White
Staining For Concrete Countertops
The second way we add color to our countertops is by staining them. We can use either acid or dye stains that will change the surface color of the concrete. Staining will create a lot of color movement throughout with lighter and darker shades. That being said, it is virtually impossible to reproduce the exact same effect every time.
Both acid or dye staining is very dependent on how it’s being applied (sprayed, ragged on, sponged on, two colors mixed together, sprayed together, one after the other, etc.), the local environment (cold, hot, windy, humid, dry), what ratio of stain to water it was mixed at which can make it lighter or darker; there are a lot of factors that will affect the final concrete countertop color when using this technique which is another way of saying that you need to be flexible. With staining we don’t even try to make samples, it will never be close. It does create beautiful results with each project being one of a kind.
Terracotta Dye Stain
Kona Brown Acid Stain
Antique Brown Acid Stain
Espresso Dye Stain
Antique Umber Acid Stain
Ebony Acid Stain
Beechnut Dye Stain
Antique Tan Acid Stain
Ebony And Brown Acid Stain
Kayak Dye Stain
Flamingo Dye Stain
Antique Gold Acid Stain
The other major factor in when adding color to concrete countertops is the type of sealer that is used. Topical solvent based sealers, whether acrylics, polyurethanes, and epoxies tend to create a deep, wet, glossy look to the finish. You will notice a significant darkening of the colors which tend to “pop” more.
Water based topical sealers which are also available in acrylics, polyurethanes, and epoxies, don’t move the color as much and create a more satin, natural look in the final finish. There are other sealers that don’t move the color at all, these tend to be penetrating sealers but we don’t recommend using these as they don’t offer the kind of stain resistance that the topical sealers do.
Of course the biggest factor is lighting. Color will change dramatically being viewed under daylight, LED’s, incandescent, or fluorescents. It’s critically important to take that into consideration when viewing samples.
To summarize, when you choose to install concrete countertops you have to understand that it will have color variations, even from provided samples. Everything from the material we use, how we use it, to the lighting will affect the final color. If you are looking for more color options, we can make additional custom concrete countertop colors to those shown here, however there will be a charge for them. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.
