I applied a special etching solution.
Cleaning concrete for acid staining.
The stain will not take at all if you use acid as a cleaner.
A solution of tsp trisodium phosphate and a lot of elbow grease with a scrub brush would be your best bet.
How to acid stain a concrete floor step 1.
Clean the surface to be stained with a concrete cleaner labeled for use on the specific type of dirt or blemish you wish to remove.
We use our diamond pads tornado satellite and super blue to clean and profile the floor.
Using a scrub brush with a long handle makes cleaning much easier.
If applying acid stain indoors cover adjacent walls with plastic sheeting held in place by painter s tape and.
When acid staining concrete it s extremely important to clean the concrete very well before.
The second step in the process is also very important.
Allow the surface to dry completely before proceeding with acid staining.
For final cleaning you should do a good scrub down using t s p.
For many years it was a standard method of concrete preparation used by nearly all industrial commercial and institutional floor coating installers depending on the floor size and system to be installed.
This video discusses prep for an acid stain.
Our concrete stain prep and our wax remover are both excellent concrete degreasers.
Floor prep is hard work it s messy and it takes some time but it s worth the effort to be sure your decorative concrete installation lasts.
Trisodium phosphate and water.
Use a stiff straw scrub brush or a floor buffing machine with the aggressive scrubbing pads.
Do remove any materials that may inhibit concrete stain penetration such as grease oil coatings or curing membranes.
Mop or rinse a couple of times with clean water.
Acid etching is the process of applying hydrochloric muriatic or buffered phosphoric acid to a slab then rinsing it off with water.
Because acid stains need to penetrate into the concrete surface to work it s especially important that the concrete surface is completely clean.
