Surface Preparation:  The First Step Towards Success

Acid Stain Floor Prep Done Right

Staining indoor concrete floors is increasingly popular for both residential and commercial properties. The floors are easy to maintain and the stained concrete look striking. Getting a indoor floor ready to stain is sometimes our customer’s biggest challenge. The Given family of Oklahoma City, OK had a cleaning task on her hands. Mr. and Mrs. Given wanted an acid stained living room floor but discovered quite a mess after removing their carpet.  The contractor that built their house had slung paint all over the floor and glue was used to adhere the carpet. Unfortunately they had a job on their hands. Time to get started!

Step 1:  What’s on my floor?  Strippers can only remove what they are designed to remove. Bean-e-doo Mastic Remover will strip carpet glue, asbestos black mastic, vinyl and latex mastics, but not paint. Soy Gel Paint and Sealer Stripper will remove paints, urethanes, polyurethanes, latex, enamels, varnish, acrylics among other similar coatings, but not glue. It’s very important to determine what contaminants are on the floor before making a purchase.

Step 2:  What’s the best way to clean the floor? This decision can often be made by the size of the room and how dirty the floor is. Smaller rooms are simply too difficult to clean with a floor sander or grinder so a chemical stripper, like Beanedoo or Soy Gel, would be more appropriate. It may be more cost effective for larger rooms to sand or grind, especially if the floor is substantially covered with paint or glue. Billie used a machine for the main part of the floor and the chemical products for the corners and hard-to-reach areas.

Step 3:  What does “clean” really mean?  Clean for the purposes of acid staining means the glue and paint must be both out of the concrete pores and off the surface. Sometimes “ghosting” occurs when contaminants are left behind in the pores of the concrete and this will interfere with the staining process. Bean-e-doo and Soy Gel will remove glue and paint from the pores with relative ease but there’s more cleaning to the story. Chemical strippers leave a residue behind that can prevent acid stain and concrete sealers from working properly. Clean the floor thoroughly with a heavy duty solution of concrete degreaser and water, rinse and allow to dry before staining. Do not omit this step.

Step 4:  Concrete Cleaner Application.  Most important, follow the application instructions. Keep the product moist by covering with plastic during the application time, especially if outside. Apply a second coat if needed to thick, stubborn to remove paint or glue. Scrap up and dispose of properly.

Step 5:  Acid Staining and Sealing.  When staining indoor concrete floors, choose an acid stain color that balances well with your wood trim and paint colors. For example, avoid Coffee Brown and Black in a basement or a poorly lit area unless you’re creating a “man cave” or prefer a dungeon-like environment. If you prefer a high gloss finish on your floors, buy a high gloss sealer. Nothing else will do.

Step 6:  Acid Stain Floor Maintenance.  Take care of your floors and you will enjoy them for many years to come. Acid stained floor care and maintenance isn’t onerous but it is necessary to avoid preventable floor damage.

“We just finished up with our acid stained living room project. We loved Direct Colors products and your staff was very helpful each step of the way as this was our first time using concrete acid stain. In fact we love the flooring so much we are going to stain the bedrooms in the house and our daughters room within the next couple of weeks!”

– The Given Family

The Given’s Direct Colors Product List:

1 Gallon of Bean-e-doo Mastic Remover
2 Quarts of Soy Gel Paint and Sealer Stripper
3 Gallons of Cola Acid Stain
2 Gallons of Coffee Brown Acid Stain
5 Gallons of AC1315 High Gloss Sealer
2 Gallons Commercial Wax

Helpful Resource Links:

How to: Acid Staining Concrete Floors
How to Apply Acid Stain Guide
How to: Applying Acrylic Concrete Sealers
How to: Maintenance for Acid Stained Floors
Concrete Acid Stain Color Chart

The Given’s Project from Start to Finish: