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Staining Concrete
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After much waffling and worrying and getting lots of advice, I finally let my friend Jeanette convince me that if she came here to help out, the two of us could manage to stain the concrete floors ourselves, but if anyone out there has any advice or experience to share about staining, it would be much appreciated.<br> I've spent much of the last week finding stain (colored hydrochloric acid) and experimenting with it, staining some of the rubble lying around and, yesterday, staining a small slab the contractor had made for me out of the remainders of concrete that was used for my floor.<br> Although the stain manufacturer (Kemiko) recommends that the stain be diluted 1:1, I am, so far, finding that the rich dark brown color I want to achieve may only be possible by using undiluted stain -- at least for the 1st coat -- and then, maybe following it with a diluted stain for the 2nd coat.<br> Besides achieving a good color, the other big challenge is to deal with all the toxicity of stain and the sealer. Dealing with the stain is not too difficult -- it just means wearing lots of protective clothes & gloves. Some people recommend we also wear a respirator, but I'm not sure that will be necessary, since the house will still be wide open, except for the roof. But the sealer is still a big question. The manufacturer recommends using an airless sprayer, but my understanding is that this sprayer really does create a toxic environment. I am hoping that we may be able to roll on the sealer with a lambswool roller.<br> Jeanette is due to arrive today, and we plan to spend the week getting the floors stained, one way or another. Again, any advice or hints would be appreciated! <br> MEANWHILE.... the roof trusses are being sheathed in plywood, and the house is taking on another whole dimension of reality. Here are some pics....<br> Here is the house with truses ready to be sheathed.<br><img src="roof1"><br><br>Yesterday, roofers sheathed the south side:<br><img src="roofP"><br><br>The open space in the middle is where the south-facing dormer will be built.<br><img src="breezeS"><img src="breezeS"><br>
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Sealer
I recently stained the floors up at my office and i have some advice about sealing the floor. We went with a water based sealer instead of the epoxy. It has almost no fumes and will work great for indoor use. I applied it with a roller no problem. The sealer comes in 2 parts that you mix at a ratio of 2:1. It's very easy you just mix the large bottle with the small bottle. Once you apply the first coat you must discard and remaining sealer and mix up a fresh batch for the second coat because if it sits too long it will turn cloudy. Another tip is do not seal your floor in sections. Put the first coat of sealer over the entire floor you have stained and after about 5 hours lay the second coat. If you do not seal the entire floor at once you may notice some variances. i would have some concerns about doing this process where there is no roof on a construction site for fear of dust and debris falling into the sealer before it drys. I never needed any special protective clothing or masks during the entire process. Good Luck!