Indoor concrete floors get some of the worst treatment from your pets when they are being potty trained, are sick, or are stressed out. No matter what you do as pet owners, pet accidents are still likely to happen. You can remove these pet stains to re-stain your concrete a decorative color. Then, protect it with an industrial-strength epoxy coating. Here is how to get your floors stain-repellent, and waterproof, with scratch-resistant durability.
Cleaning and Preparing
Removing pet stains from concrete can be difficult to do, but with the right solution, it is easy to do. Instead of trying every cleaning product available and still being left with pet stains, remove the pet stains with muriatic acid that is strong enough to do the job well.
Make sure you have plenty of ventilation to work with muriatic acid, so open windows and turn on a window fan. You don't want to breathe in toxic fumes. Wear rubber gloves that reach up your arm, and protection for your eyes. Muriatic acid is a dangerous solution, so don't use it near pets or children. Use extreme care with it and it will remove the worst pet stains.
Measure nine cups of water and pour them into a bucket. Then, add one cup of muriatic acid to the water. Carefully pour the 9:1 solution onto the stained cement. With the scrub brush, brush at the pet stains in the concrete to work the acid into the porous concrete.
After brushing over all the stains with the muriatic acid and water mixture, let it sit for several minutes until it stops fizzing. Your cement will then be free of ugly pet stains.
Stain Application
Now that you have cleaned all the pet stains from your concrete floor, a stain on your cement will immediately change the entire look of your concrete-floored room.
First, you need to etch the entire concrete surface with a citrus etching solution to prepare the concrete's surface. Without the etching product, the stain will not evenly soak into the concrete.
Work the citrus etcher into the cement with a scrub brush, rubbing in several directions. When you are finished, rinse the area clean with water, then let it dry.
After the etching, you can begin to apply the concrete stain. If there are any areas around your room that you do not want stained, then you will need to tape them off with masking tape and plastic covering. It is a good idea to use a paintbrush to paint around the edges of the room, then use a paint sprayer to coat the rest of the floor. This will give the cement an even color.
Allow your cement floor to dry for at least 24 hours to make sure that all the moisture is gone from the cement. When cement has been etched, it is more porous and will hole moisture much easier, especially after wet stain has been applied. If any moisture is still inside the cement, the epoxy won't adhere to the cement. Instead, it will lift and have an uneven surface. An epoxy surface should be smooth and without ridges and cracks.
Epoxy Coating
An epoxy comes with two different parts that you mix together. Once they are combined, they will harden into a finished and smooth surface, so you need to apply the epoxy within a couple of hours.
Paint the epoxy on with a brush for the edges, and a high-napped roller for the remaining surface of the concrete. You will need to apply a couple of coats in criss-cross direction so that you cover all the holes in the cement.
The epoxy will smooth out as it dries, turning from white to transparent. Let it dry for 24 hours before you walk across your newly coated, pet stain-free cement floor.
For more tips on treating your concrete floor, contact a company that specializes in industrial floor repairs.
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