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[S862]Stain For Concrete Floors

by Rick Amorey, Ric

Moving into our ancestral home, which hasn't been occupied in years, I quickly noticed that the floor is in need of renovating. The upper floors are wooden, but they have holes here and there. Now that's easy enough to fix, but of more concern to me was the ground floor. It had either broken or missing tiles, with what seems to be a concrete floor below. As I would have little luck replacing the old-style wooden tiles, I decided to remove them as my first task.
Removing the tiling made me realize just how mundane concrete floors look. Desperate to find a way to fix it, I surfed the web for a site that could help me out. Eventually, I found this site that focuses on polished concrete floors. I curiously looked at some of the sample concrete flooring. I was blown away at how they looked, even on camera.
A polished concrete floor looks entirely different to what you'd imagine concrete can look. The shine can be made to look reflective and professional, as to what you would have casually noticed in some office floors. That finish is very beautiful, but not for a house floor, I'd think. Fortunately, further poking around has led me to discover that you may add some color and aggregate to the concrete to make it more homey.
Polished concrete, as it turns out, is also easy to clean and maintain. It isn't as porous as other floors are, and it also does not need to be waxed too often. It's perfect for someone like me, who cannot be bothered to do prolonged house cleaning.
I doubt I would be able to renovate our home floor like this myself, though. Fortunately, the site also links to a message board. This will undoubtedly help you find contractors in your area: Failing that, there's probably at least one user there who'd be willing to give helpful advice.

More and more homeowners and businesses are creating that warm, easy-to-live-in feeling by taking advantage of their facilities? largest single surface, their floor. They are using new materials, including artistic stains, to give their concrete floors great individualized looks as well as the easy maintenance qualities of a Class III laboratory.

A recent example is provided by a project Durall Industrial Flooring undertook for John Engstrom Photography (www.engstromphotography.com) near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The goal of the flooring redevelopment work was to enhance the coffee house atmosphere of the photo studio.

Before the development began, Durall created a custom kit of materials tailored for this specific project. The first step was to use Durall's adhesive remover to remove the glue that remained from the carpeting and tile that formerly covered the warehouse-type facility floor. Because cement is so porous, even floors that look almost free of glue will yield great quantities of adhesive under the leaching action of the chemical removers, preventing future interference with the bonding of the new coatings.

A high-alkaline cleaner was then applied using a rotary scrubber with a stiff nilo grit brush. The high-alkaline degreaser brings the pH of the floor up to nearly 12 as it removes the leftover adhesive and contaminants. Following up with another scrubbing using Dura Klean, an acidic cleaner with water softeners, detergents, and rinse agents, shocks the floor with a pH of 3.5, thereby forcing contaminants and vulnerable cement particles to release from the floor. The acidic cleaner also opens the floor up, allowing the epoxy top coats to create a strong, long-lasting bond. A final scrub rinse and drying left the floor ready to accept repairs and artistic coloring.

The new look for the studio floors was produced using black and red stains shot downward with weed sprayers to give an alternating color look. Before staining began, masking tape was used to simulate a grid pattern, holding stain off mock grout lines. The pattern was laid diagonally across the floor to heighten dimension and interest. Two people, two sprayers, two colors?but just one artist'as the red was laid with the artist's eye and the helper followed, filling in unsprayed areas with black. Once dry, the tape was removed and two top coats of clear, flat catalyst epoxy were applied, leaving a soft, non-glare surface that is easy to keep clean and lets light softly dissipate.

The resulting floor brings together beautifully the grand wood, soft leather, and natural greenery of a studio that is functional, easy to keep up, and comfortable for those long hours of artistic development.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials that are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For a high-resolution photo example, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/artistic

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com
Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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Article Source : Best Us Family Vacations

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Both Rick Amorey & Harvey Chichester are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Rick Amorey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Coffee Advantages, Kitchen Home Improvement and Family. Right now, Rick Amorey's home sports an astonishing concrete floor. He has and its friendly members for all the help. Visit. Rick Amorey's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.

Harvey Chichester has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, Management and Install Flooring. Durall Manufacturing, Bloomington, MN, is the only industrial flooring manufacturer that also makes over 500 specialty cleaners. Durall's 40 years of flooring chemical manufacturing experience has produced a special preparation of cleaners and an applicat. Harvey Chichester's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.