Do you have a bland concrete floor in your basement or garage which needs a change? Some people would quickly think to cover up the floor with carpet or wood to beautify the area. But we have another idea, and it only takes 6 simple steps. You can re-imagine your own concrete floor with a one-of-a-kind concrete floor stain, and it can all be done in a single weekend.
Step 1: Create a Plan
Once the stain and protective coating is down, it’s not a fun task to re-do it all if you don’t like the stain you’ve applied. Which brings us to the reason for step 1: you need to make a plan. We suggest testing different concrete stains with an acid stain sample kit in a hidden area of your floor, or through simple research online, so you know exactly what color you want.
Step 2: Prepare the Floor
With floor stain, you will need to clean off your concrete floor so it is free of all grease, wax, dirt, and other contaminants. This will ensure the concrete properly takes the floor stain. We recommend using Kemiko’s Neutra-Clean product to clean your floor because it is specifically designed to help prepare bare concrete for staining and sealing.
Step 3: Apply the Concrete Stain
Acid staining your concrete floor is an easy way to bring life back to your floor. Simply get your concrete acid stain and mix it in a typical garden hose sprayer with equal parts water. Spray the concrete floor with your stain in a random pattern. You will need two coats, and you will want to make sure the floor is dry between coats and before moving onto step 4.
Step 4: Cleaning Again
Once you’ve applied the stain, you need to wait until it has dried completely and then scrub the floor again with an all-purpose floor cleaner. This will remove any leftover stain residue which will allow us to properly seal the floor.
Step 5: Apply the Protective Coating
If you want your acid-stained concrete floor to last, you will need to apply a protective sealer. We suggest using a stone tone floor sealer when working with sealing an acid-stained concrete floor. You will apply this coating the same as the acid-stain, with a typical garden hose sprayer and laying two coats.
Step 6: Apply a Floor Wax
Once the protective coating is down, you should give it 24 hours and then apply a concrete floor wax to protect against scuffs while providing a deep, rich shine. This step essentially helps to extend the life of the protective coating with a renewable wax.
For more help with how to re-imagine your concrete floors with an acid-stain, give East Coast Kemiko a call today at 301-640-5525. East Coast Kemiko is the East Coast’s leading supplier of long-lasting concrete coatings, sealants, and cleaners. You can see our full catalog of concrete stains and sealers on our website at www.EastCoastKemiko.com.