Staining a basement with moisture issues, (cont.)

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Hello Tom,

thank you for the reply, I am about to place my order and give this a try but had a couple more questions. I am planning on using the bronze green artist grade stain on a gray concrete basement floor. from my previous inquiry mentioning my mild to moderate moisture wicking, it was determined that a water soluble sealer would be used and wax was out of the question. my first question is on how many coats of stain. i know 1 coat was suggested on the site and 2 could be used if a darker color is desired. is one coat the norm or do most people apply 2 coats of the stain?    The norm is 1 coat for a more pastel version and 2 coats for more of a darker and bronzier with less green effect.   is there greater protection against fading if you use 2 coats ?    No. It's purely a cosmetic decision. Acid stain does not fade. It will wear away or erode away if the surface of the concrete is worn down or eroded, but it will not fade or peel.   i won't be able to use the sacrificial layer of wax with my situation, so i want to put myself in the best situation from the beginning. if 2 coats is suggested, what is the typical drying time between coats and i'm assuming i do not neutralize and clean the residue between coats right?    You do not need to neutralize between coats, just be sure that the stain is completely dry before walking on it. Typical drying time is a few hours between coats and 24 hours drying time after the second coat has been applied.    By the way, the wax is to protect the sealer, so that you never have to seal it again. This means that by not having the wax, you will have to reseal it when needed, which depending on the amount and type of traffic it gets, could be yearly or every 5 years or more, if ever for relatively little used floors. It will however, not effect the stain, unless of course you allow the sealer to completely wear away, which would then allow for eventual surface traffic wear.   my next question is just for informative purposes. i have read that your product does not require sealing. it appeared that this applies mostly to exterior projects. what would happen if you did not seal the basement floor?    The Artist Grade stain can be left unsealed. The consequences are as follows. You will have to get all the residue up or it will track into other rooms. You will not have the cosmetic benefits of sealing. As the surface of the concrete wears down through the years, you may get wear patterns which would eventually require restaining.   also related to that question i read that some people with other products have tinted their sealer to fix traffic areas when they have to reseal down the road. knowing tha ti will be re-sealing every couple of years because i can not use wax, what are your thoughts on tinting the sealer ?    If you reseal it when it is needed then you will never have wear patterns and will never have cause for a tinted sealer. Tinted sealers are great for camouflaging messes and blemishes, but if used when not needed can become the mess itself.