Do I wash the neutralized residue into my pool or on my plants?

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Q. - I'm an amateur who is doing concrete staining on a very old concrete deck around my pool.   

I will be finishing with your new water-based sealer.  Am ready to neutralize the acid stain, but am worried about using ammonia near my reed grasses. They grow nearby, separated from the concrete by a row of railroad ties that are sunk into the ground, so the neutralizing product will wash over the ties when I am rinsing.  If I rinse toward the pool what effect will that have on the chlorinated water in the pool?  Will I end up staining the poll lining with the rinsewater run-off? What do you suggest?

 

Hello Karen,

 

A. - It may be best if you just mop it, as you would an interior floor. That will keep any run off from causing a problem. Once you've neutralized it and mopped it with clean water only, then you could use the hose to flush rinse it once more and get any mop fuzzies off. Rinse towards the grass not the pool.

Will the sealer and wax smooth out a rough floor?

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Q. -  I have a fairly rough surface after using a diamond headed grinder to get surface ready. The floor is kind of rough.  Will the sealer and wax make the floor seem to feel smooth?

Hello Trent,

A. -  If you use enough sealer then it can fill in and smooth over the porosity. A solvent base sealer which is applied generously will fill in a
rough area quicker than a water base sealer as it is applied thinly. However, even though you are using allot of sealer in several coats, while
allowing it to dry between coats, and even though the most of the sealer is being soaked up into the pores of the concrete, you must still bare in mind that many sealers will turn yellow or cloudy when you use too much and it begins to get too thick. Concrete Camouflage brand of sealers are capable of being applied in very thick applications while not turning. So I believe that the answer to your question is yes, you should be able to considerably smooth out if not completely smooth out a rough concrete surface using the Concrete Camouflage brand of sealers and wax.
   The afore mentioned is in regard to cosmetics, the look if the concrete. The feel of it will be of a sealed and waxed surface even if you only do the standard two coats.

www.ConcreteCamouflage.com
800 650 1157

How do I fix an old, dull, and scuffed up stained floor?

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Q. -  I had my basement floor stamped concrete(acid stain) I've noticed that the floor is dull and my kids sneaker marks are all over the floor. Can you suggest any polish I can use to put the shine back like a wax and how to remove the scuff marks. I've tried various cleaners and nothing seems to work.

 

Hello Karen,

A. -  You can remove the sneaker marks with a citrus stripper or heavy duty glue remover from a local store, or you can order the Concrete Stain Prep stripper from Concrete Camouflage which should remove them quite easily as it is used to remove tire marks from driveways and garages. It wouldn't take much because you would spot strip the marks and then mix the stripper with water in a mop bucket and use it to mop and thoroughly clean the floor. Mix 1 quart of CSP to a mop bucket of clean water. Afterwards you would mop it a couple times with clean water only, ensuring you change the water often.
   Then you should apply two coats of Clear Shield Advanced decorative concrete sealer and then two coats of Top Shield mop on style floor wax, both by Concrete Camouflage.

Can I cover the stain while it dries?

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Q. -  During this time of year in my area storms are frequent and unpredictable. My question: once the stain has been applied and is (mostly) dry can it be covered with any kind of waterproof cover for the duration of the 24 hour curing period? Or, will it react and mess-up the final result?
Thanks!

Hello Lyn,

 

A. -  It should be left open if at all possible. If a covering was to sit down on the concrete it would print the concrete much like walking in it would leave footprints. Also, many waterproof coverings will have the effect of not allowing the concrete to dry. Therefore, if at all possible you should wait for a good weather window. Of course if rain was to wash it off and it didn't have enough reaction time to create a good color, then you could apply an additional coat of stain once it dries out, but again this is not the preferred method.

 

 

To cover and protect the walls and baseboards or not?

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Q. -  I'm fixing to stain the floor of my garage and paint the walls.  Would it be OK if I stained the floor without protecting the molding and the wall since I plan to paint it?  I guess the real question is:  Will the stain harm wood or sheet rock?  Would covering it with a good paint be easy?

 

Hello William,

 

A. -  The concrete stain will stain the walls and wood a darker color and make it harder to paint as any darker surface would be. I would recommend you either cover it or at least use a painters shield on a handle to help protect the walls as much as you can. The stain will not have a destructive effect on the sheetrock or wood, but why make more work for yourself doing all those extra coats of paint to blend it in if you can easily prevent it.

How do I remove roller marks from acrylic stains?

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Q. -  I just applied another manufacturers semi-transparent concrete stain to my patio with a roller and now have some roller marks.  It has not been sealed yet what can I do to remove marks or make them less noticeable?  I saw another person had a simular problem and you said to neutralize and apply second coat of stain.  what do you use to neutralize it?

Hello Randy,

 

A. - Those tips only apply to acid stains. What you are using is an acrylic stain, which is actually not a concrete stain at all but is rather a disguised concrete paint. You will need to proceed as you would with a paint in order to correct and/or complete your project. Using concrete stain tips will not help. You should probably just roll on another coat, going in a different direction than the first. or spray on another coat. Allow to dry and then apply two coats of a good acrylic sealer. However, please note that we only work with concrete acid stains and so it may be a good idea to contact the manufacturer of the product you used in order to ensure correct application.

Do I neutralize it or just rinse it?

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Q. -  The only thing that I don't quite understand is the residue cleaning stage. I bought the artist grade stain and I thought I read that the "dryed" residue for this product only had to be rinsed with clean water. Or, does it first have to be neutralized with ammonia and water before a final rinsing like the other grade stains? Thanks!

Hello Lyn,

A. -  You need to allow the stain to dry until it is completely dry. And at least a few hours and up to 24 hours. The longer you let it react then the darker it will be. You then need to neutralize it, and then rinse it a couple of times with clean water. This should be done for any acid stain.