Floor preparation
Proper floor preparation is really the first step in the chain of events that make an acid stained concrete floor. Unsatisfactory floor preparation will ultimately result in disappointment or failure. Make sure to follow these steps closely.
Also, this is the point of the process where we do scoring in the concrete. This simple treatment has very dramatic results; causing a large slab to look like custom tiles. We recommend exploring the idea at the very least. See our section on scoring for all of the details.
First things first:
Clean your space!
You are probably going to want to remove everything you possibly can from the jobsite. In the example project, we had the luxury of working in a building that was outside and had interior walls that could get stained. If are working on an interior room you should consider removing the baseboards and using tape and plastic to safeguard anything that could get stained.
Prepare a work area outside of the jobsite.
Insert work area picture.
It is a great idea to have a spacious, clean and protected work area where you can set tools and supplies while you are working on the floor. Much of the project will require that the floor be completely clean and completely empty. The work area will get messy, so make sure to protect things that should not get stained.
Sweep and degrease the floor.
Before you can apply stain, it is critical that the floor surface is clean and all possible contaminants that could affect porosity are removed. All but new slabs will require sweeping and mopping with a strong degreaser.
Below is an example of problem areas in the project floor. Looks like a little grease or residue and some regular grime.
This is the degreasing product that was used in this project.
Mopping.
After mopping with a degreaser, it is very important to remove all soap and degreaser residue. We used clean water and a clean mop to accomplish that in this project. Soaps and degreasers will cause the acid stain to fail.
Allow floor to dry.
Once this floor is completely dry (up to 24 hours depending on conditions) we can apply the acid stain.
See also: scoring.
Next: Applying the stain.