I started a thread a few weeks ago to get some input on flooring after we had a small plumbing problem in our downstairs basement/game room. Nothing too major- no damage to anything but the carpet. Luckily, the previous owners didn't cap the drain under the carpet and most of the water found its way down the drain.
So, as I was looking into the best flooring options, I started to think down the road and all the "what if's" that could happen down there. Wifey and I both thought tile was the best solution (no more carpet!), until a few members posted about staining their concrete floors. So I gave it a go.
I looked all over the internet for the safest and best way to stain the concrete. Muratic acid yields the best effect (like dogbowl's game room), but it's really potent and I didn't want to take a chance with it indoors. So I opted for a water-based stain kit by Rust-Olem:
According to most reviews, it's really durable and there are a few things you can do to further the durability.
Last weekend, I began cleaning the concrete. What a major pain in the a$$, unless you like mopping. Here's a pic of the floor before the cleaning/stripping:
You can see the paint, dirt, etc. from the previous owners. No big deal- a little Citristrip and it came off, no problem. I then patched the holes left by the tack strips from the carpet. One thing I was concerned with was that there almost seemed like there was a previous sealer applied. So I got out the rough stuff- Stypeeze and applied it to a small area that looked shiny. Nothing really changed, so I proceeded with the staining process.
First step is to etch the concrete with the mild acid provided. It basically deep-cleaned the concrete with a lot of fizzing. Then rinse, rinse, rinse.
The kit comes with 2 stains that can be mixed at the paint counter. I did a light and a dark to get a mottled effect. I put the light stain down everywhere and then after an hour, I put the dark stain down in areas. Once I was happy with it, I put 3 coats of the sealer on it. Here's where it stands:
I tried the invisible fluorescent paint, but it didn't work. It just peeled right off the floor. Oh well. I'm pretty happy with it. I'll go back tomorrow to inspect it, add a top wax to add durability and then I'll paint the drain cover.
So, as I was looking into the best flooring options, I started to think down the road and all the "what if's" that could happen down there. Wifey and I both thought tile was the best solution (no more carpet!), until a few members posted about staining their concrete floors. So I gave it a go.
I looked all over the internet for the safest and best way to stain the concrete. Muratic acid yields the best effect (like dogbowl's game room), but it's really potent and I didn't want to take a chance with it indoors. So I opted for a water-based stain kit by Rust-Olem:
According to most reviews, it's really durable and there are a few things you can do to further the durability.
Last weekend, I began cleaning the concrete. What a major pain in the a$$, unless you like mopping. Here's a pic of the floor before the cleaning/stripping:
You can see the paint, dirt, etc. from the previous owners. No big deal- a little Citristrip and it came off, no problem. I then patched the holes left by the tack strips from the carpet. One thing I was concerned with was that there almost seemed like there was a previous sealer applied. So I got out the rough stuff- Stypeeze and applied it to a small area that looked shiny. Nothing really changed, so I proceeded with the staining process.
First step is to etch the concrete with the mild acid provided. It basically deep-cleaned the concrete with a lot of fizzing. Then rinse, rinse, rinse.
The kit comes with 2 stains that can be mixed at the paint counter. I did a light and a dark to get a mottled effect. I put the light stain down everywhere and then after an hour, I put the dark stain down in areas. Once I was happy with it, I put 3 coats of the sealer on it. Here's where it stands:
I tried the invisible fluorescent paint, but it didn't work. It just peeled right off the floor. Oh well. I'm pretty happy with it. I'll go back tomorrow to inspect it, add a top wax to add durability and then I'll paint the drain cover.


