Acid Etching Concrete Walls

While this treatment is effective on new concrete it may not be completely effective on old concrete with oil grease fats or.

Acid etching concrete walls. But what if the surface is indoors. Never acid etch concrete walls unless the concrete was troweled by hand. Etching with acid followed by a neutralizing rinse is we all know an accepted method of cleaning a concrete wall surface. Acid etched concrete floors will provide an approved surface in which to produce a penetrating and permanent bond for the sani tred products.

It also reduces the surface alkalinity of the concrete that can cause some paints to adhere poorly. However etching or washing concrete with acid opens the pores of the concrete and prepares the surface to accept its next treatment. Acid etching is the process of applying hydrochloric muriatic or buffered phosphoric acid to a slab then rinsing it off with water. After i had cleaned and etched all of the concrete it was time to apply the stain.

I repeated this until the entire concrete floor was done. Muriatic acid acts like liquid sandpaper by roughening the surface of the concrete. For many years it was a standard method of concrete preparation used by nearly all industrial commercial and institutional floor coating installers depending on the floor size and system to be installed. I am thinking in terms of an exposed aggregate panel in a block wall over a parquet floor.

Concrete that hasn t been treated in any way after being poured can be too hard and smooth to accept paint or protective sealants. I know this should have been done before the floor was laid but it wasn t and at the moment the risk looks considerable. For this i used two garden sprayers. You roughen such a floor by etching it with muriatic acid.