Acid Wash Concrete Floor Before Painting

Leave the sawdust or cat litter on the floor for at least one day.

Acid wash concrete floor before painting.

Clear all loose grit grime and debris from the concrete. Muriatic acid can work wonders on filthy concrete and it can also be very useful in cleaning excess smears of dried mortar and grout or when attempting to alleviate tough rust stains. Even if you rinse the floor with water the cleaning products you use may leave residues that will react with the acid in dangerous ways. I just bought a newly constructed house that has a large 20x20 attached shop with a concrete floor.

An acid wash is not recommended before applying a stain. You roughen such a floor by etching it with muriatic acid. Acid washing is dangerous for people plants and metal objects especially indoors where fumes can concentrate. Although predominately thought of as dull and gray concrete floors are becoming trendier and more appealing to homeowners.

Cover grease stains with a layer of sawdust or cat litter. Do not confuse this process with acid staining which colors the concrete. Muriatic acid acts like liquid sandpaper by roughening the surface of the concrete. Etching the surface of the floor opens the pores in the concrete again to improve the paint adhering to the concrete especially on smooth glossy surfaces that may repel the paint.

Thoroughly clean concrete floors before painting using a heavy duty cleaning solution. I want to paint the floor. If you are planning to acid wash near asphalt drywall or tarmac then it is important to create a barrier. It also reduces the surface alkalinity of the concrete that can cause some paints to adhere poorly.

Step 2 create a barrier. Research what cleaning products react with the kind of acid you ll be using and plan ahead. Concrete that hasn t been treated in any way after being poured can be too hard and smooth to accept paint or protective sealants. Before you power wash or paint seal your garage floor you ll want to attack any oil grease or rust spots.

A smooth concrete floor must be roughened before paint will stick to it. However etching or washing concrete with acid opens the pores of the concrete and prepares the surface to accept its next treatment. Shot blasting and acid etching are the two methods commonly used to prepare the surface for painting.