New book on floor staining: learn why concrete floors are becoming so popular.

Bob Harris, president of the Decorative Concrete Institute, has written a visual how-to book for staining concrete floors. With more and more customers requesting stained concrete, contractors need to know more about these techniques. Bob Harris has given contractors a source, based on his years

Bob Harris' Guide to Stained Concrete Interior Floors is a 100-page, full-color resource with detailed information and photos on staining concrete interior floors. It is written for experienced contractors who are venturing into decorative concrete. With limited materials available on stained concrete, this book passes along tips and tricks to help contractors successfully apply stains.

Chapters cover why concrete floors are so popular; design options; where good flooring designs come from; budget analysis of stained concrete; site conditions affecting chemical staining; attributes that impact chemical staining; builder, owner, and architect expectations; preparing a sample; writing a fair contract; chronicling your work; the importance of safety; when extra surface preparation is required; getting ready for stain application; the chemical staining process, applying dyes and grouts; sealing and protecting your work; equipment, tools, and supplies; specialty techniques; how to fix and avoid common field problems; maintaining chemically stained floors; how to sell chemically stained and dyed interior floors; and artisans taking stained and dyed floors over the top.

Bob Harris is founder and president of the Decorative Concrete Institute in Temple, Ga. He has conducted hands-on training seminars in architectural concrete around the world, in addition to being responsible for technical support and research and development at a large decorative concrete manufacturer for 12 years. Harris was a speaker at the 2004 World of Concrete.

The book is available for $35 at www.concretenetwork.com.