Because acid stains need to penetrate into the concrete surface to work it s especially important that the concrete surface is completely clean.
Cleaning concrete for acid staining.
Do remove any materials that may inhibit concrete stain penetration such as grease oil coatings or curing membranes.
I applied a special etching solution.
Using a scrub brush with a long handle makes cleaning much easier.
A solution of tsp trisodium phosphate and a lot of elbow grease with a scrub brush would be your best bet.
Another option would be to use a pressure washer to clean the concrete slab.
For many years it was a standard method of concrete preparation used by nearly all industrial commercial and institutional floor coating installers depending on the floor size and system to be installed.
Mop or rinse a couple of times with clean water.
The stain will not take at all if you use acid as a cleaner.
How to acid stain a concrete floor step 1.
Our concrete stain prep and our wax remover are both excellent concrete degreasers.
Trisodium phosphate and water.
For final cleaning you should do a good scrub down using t s p.
Clean the surface to be stained with a concrete cleaner labeled for use on the specific type of dirt or blemish you wish to remove.
Use a stiff straw scrub brush or a floor buffing machine with the aggressive scrubbing pads.
Go over the area thoroughly with a wet mop and plenty of fresh clean water.
The second step in the process is also very important.
To achieve the best results with an acid stain be sure to adhere to these dos and don ts when preparing your concrete canvas.
Allow the surface to dry completely before proceeding with acid staining.
This video discusses prep for an acid stain.
We use our diamond pads tornado satellite and super blue to clean and profile the floor.
When acid staining concrete it s extremely important to clean the concrete very well before.