Do you want something different for your concrete floors, like a rich, translucent effect covering the surface? A concrete stained St Louis creates, classic, timeless appeal on the surface of the concrete floors. And it does more than coloring the floors.
A staining concrete method can also be a concrete sealer to protect the surface from damaging factors. This fact is why stained concrete is becoming one of the best choices for resurfacing outdoor concrete floorings.
You can use staining with creative control. You have the option to use either acid stain or water-based stain. Acid stain, however, is trending nowadays, and you may want to redesign one of your spaces at home or a business with an acid-stained effect.
Steps to Acid Stain Concrete Floors
Is it necessary to remove the sealer or the coating on the concrete surface if you want to acid stain it? Not so! Here are steps you can follow so that you can acid-stain a painted or sealed concrete flooring that you have.
Before proceeding with acid staining, ensure that the surface you are working on has sealers and paints that are well bonded with the flooring surface. A sealer or paint that penetrated the concrete.
1- Test the floor.
Make sure that the sealer or the paint adheres fully. Use a 60 grit sander to see if the concrete’s sealer or paint adheres well on the substrate, then run it for 1 hour per 100 square feet.
2- Rinse the Surface.
After running the sander, rinse the floor with a mild detergent solution to remove any grit on the surface. Dry the floor completely.
3- Apply Acrylic Polymer.
An acrylic-based coating or an acrylic polymer modifies the concrete structure. Acid staining cannot penetrate a concrete surface once it is sealed. So how will the acrylic polymer allow you to do it?
- Cure the acrylic overnight. Once it gets cured, apply a second coating of it to dampen the surface.
- The coating will create a clear, dry texture.
- The dry texture will allow a layer of a polymer concrete overlay.
4- Polymer Concrete Overlay.
The polymer concrete overlay now allows acid staining on the surface. The surface will now accept chemicals and react on the surface.
5- Staining Process.
Now that your sealed concrete can accept chemicals to stain the surface, you can now follow the standard staining application.
- Spray acid on the surface
- Wash the surface to remove lime formation, and acid etch residue
- Neutralize the surface using ammonia
- Sealing the concrete surface for protection
Acid Stain Floors and Sealed Concrete Floors
Last but not least, among all the necessary steps is maintenance. Do no target to perform regular concrete care. Sealing the acid-stained floors once more will bond the new finish on the concrete.
Regular concrete floor maintenance is easy using simple cleaning tools. Once it is sealed with a concrete coating of your choice, such as epoxy coating, you can leave the entire floor polished and seamless for many years to come.