Acid Wash Concrete Floor Before Painting

If you are planning to acid wash near asphalt drywall or tarmac then it is important to create a barrier.

Acid wash concrete floor before painting. I ve looked at several sites on how to do this and they all say to acid wash the floor before painting but it seems that they assume there is oil on the floor. These materials absorb excess oil remarkably well. I want to paint the floor. Acid washing is dangerous for people plants and metal objects especially indoors where fumes can concentrate.

Clear all loose grit grime and debris from the concrete. Cover grease stains with a layer of sawdust or cat litter. Thoroughly clean concrete floors before painting using a heavy duty cleaning solution. Shot blasting and acid etching are the two methods commonly used to prepare the surface for painting.

I just bought a newly constructed house that has a large 20x20 attached shop with a concrete floor. However etching or washing concrete with acid opens the pores of the concrete and prepares the surface to accept its next treatment. Leave the sawdust or cat litter on the floor for at least one day. Muriatic acid acts like liquid sandpaper by roughening the surface of the concrete.

An acid wash is not recommended before applying a stain. 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. A smooth concrete floor must be roughened before paint will stick to it. Although predominately thought of as dull and gray concrete floors are becoming trendier and more appealing to homeowners.

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. Sweep the entire concrete flooring with a broom. Before you power wash or paint seal your garage floor you ll want to attack any oil grease or rust spots.

You roughen such a floor by etching it with muriatic acid. Step 2 create a barrier. It also reduces the surface alkalinity of the concrete that can cause some paints to adhere poorly.