How to Acid Stain Concrete

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How to Acid Stain Concrete
There are many different methods of applying acid stain and seeing an acid stain project to gepletion, and this is but only one of the many ways to geplete the task. This is the most basic method that we prefer and use for most of the applications.
How Acid Staining Concrete Works
Concrete acid stain is a water based liquid carrying mineral salts and acid. The acid mixes with the cement to force a chemical reaction, Which changes the color of the cement similar to a forced rusting. When highlighted with the proper sealer, this effect gives the natural rock glow that attracts so many people to acid stained concrete.
Surface Preparation
Surface prepartion is one of the most important steps of the acid staining process.The concrete must be free of debris, dirt, andoils. For old concrete, or exposed. Acid stain will only workon the cement portion of the concrete, and will not stain rocks and sand.Concrete that has been acid etched or washed with muratic acid CANNOT be acid stained. Often, surfaces inside an existing house will have dry wall mud, paint, wood stains, tile adhesives, carpet adhesives, grease pet stains, etc on the concrete. Acid stain is not an over coat, it is an opaque re coloring of the concrete. These spots will show through if not removed, especially mastic, dry wall mud and paint, as these get into the pores of the concrete and block the staining process. There are several products available at a local hardware store such as adhesive removers and lacquer thinners that can be used to clear these products from concrete in this circumstance. These types of distressed floors will nearly always yield a varied charactor of finish with a high degree of color difference area to area across the surface, and the distressed sections lend character and depth to your floor. Cleaning one of these floors to a stainable level is a considerable amount of work, but it is not impossible. If you desire a more even finish, you should consider an overlay resurfacing, especially on a floor that has had glued tile or glued plastic carpet.
Applying the Stain
The appearance of the finished product is very much influenced by the manner in which the acid stain is applied. The stain can be sprayed, mopped, brushed, rubbed, etc. I prefer to spray the stain on using an all plastic pump sprayer, and brush with an acid brush in even circular strokes. When the residue dries, spray a second coat on top of the residue to eliminate any brush strokes in the stain, unless the strokes are desired in the finish. Brushed acid stain applies darker and more evenly. For a more diffuse look, you may wish to spray the stain onto the surface without brushing. Every slab of concrete is different, and acid staining is an artistic process, so when available, do small test patches on the surface in corners or where furniture will be to find the look you like the best. Acid stain can be cut with water to lower the ratio of minerals, thus making color lighter in shade. The best option is to test patch the concrete using straight stain and stain cut two or three parts water to one part stain. If the water content is too high, the acid won't facilitate the chemcial reaction required to make the color. This can be corrected by raising the acid content or using stain extender. Some colors vary more by adding water content and many factors determine how dark the stain will take such as age of concrete, cement content and weathering. This is another reason to do as many pre stain tests as the job site will allow. As the acid stain dries and processes, a residue of alkali and minerals will form on the surface of the concrete. This is natural and part of the reaction. Different stains need different times to activate and fully color the concrete, generally from one to eight hours. Be sure and check your stains activation time before starting the job to insure full coloring of the surface. If you are going for the most color from a giving stain, spray another coat of stain over the dried residue. Do not walk on the wet residue. When the residue is wet, before it has been neutralized, the stain is active and can retain impressions of your feet or other marks fromyour feet or tools.
Removing the Residue
When the residue has dried and the stain has been given the proper time to process, the residue should be neutralized and all acidic properties removed. Properly removing the residue is important for obtaining the best possible acid stain appearance. Here are the steps I've found to be most effective in removing the residue and preparing the floor for sealing.
1) Prepare a base solution using either baking soda or sodium bicarbonate at about half a cup of soda per gallon of water. Pour this on the residue, scrubbing with a mop handle nylon scrub brush and shop vacuum the residue while it is wet.
2) Repeat the process, using straight water. After this step, all but a light residue should have been removed. Let the floor dry and some lighter coloring may still be visible indicating residue.
3) Apply a clean, damp mop to the surface, wiping away any remaining trace of residue. The floor should now be ready to seal.
Sealing the Surface
This is for Certi-vex AC 1315 or Kure-N-Seal 30 sealer.
After the floor has gepletely dried from the residue removal, the acid stain must be sealed with a proper decorative sealer. The sealer may be brushed, sprayed or rolled on. I prefer rolling twice for most non-textured applications, but I've included three different methods here for the Cert-vex AC 1315 or Kure-N-Seal 30 sealer.
To spray the sealer on, use a good all season deck sealant pump sprayer. These usually gee with three different nozzles.For spraying the sealer straight, use a medium sized nozzle and throughly coat the surface. Certi-vex AC 1315 sealer dries very smooth and flat to the surface, so the most important aspect is geplete coverage. A thick coating of sealer can sometimes take 48 hours to cure enough for foot traffic, depending on humidity, etc. You can decrease the thickness of the application and the drying time by adding no more than 25% xylene to the sealer in the sprayer. This product can be obtained at most paint stores in gallon cans.
To brush the sealer on, use a good quality brush so the bristles do not fall loose on the surface as you apply. This is regemended for very rough surfaces or touch up work. In a sprayed or rolled surface you can gee across areas of a floor that are more porous and absorb sealer, causing an uneven finish.You can touch these areas up, feathering the brush strokes without brush marks, as the sealercures to the concrete.
Rolling is a popular method for applying the sealer. Be sure to use a very short napped roller with no texture, as the texture of the roller can impress into the sealer. It is much harder to get an even, thick coating of sealer with a roller and is the method most likely to have unpredictable finish reults. If applied carefully, this is easiest of the methods.
To maintain the gloss of the surface, a good mop on acrylic wax is a good idea for any acrylic surface, especially surfaces with high stress from pets or children, etc. These products are water based and even out the finish after a fresh seal or revitalize the look of a scratched surface. They can also be buffed for a deeper glow. This is, in my opinon, the best look for a medium gloss finished floor, and the look you see most often in gemercial applications.
Thank you for your time and enjoy your new concrete!
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