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We’re slowly remodelling/finishing our basement. At one point, the basement was covered with tile and the black-adhesive was left behind. I’d like to strip the adhesive, acid-stain the concrete and then seal it.
I figured out the first two steps, but have a question regarding sealing.
The floor is pitted slightly (apparently from the removal of the tiles). I’d like to apply some sort of clear finish to the floor after the stain to smooth everything out a bit.
So, my questions are:
1) SHOULD I seal a basement concrete floor?
2) If so, what are my options?
Thanks alot!
Replies
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Why do you want to seal your floor?
If you're going to cover it with tile, carpet, wood etc, sealing it will not help or contribute anything.
Concrete floor paint will do a good job of preventing dusting as well.
Just a thought
Gabe
*Darrel,Sorry I can't help you with your question. Despite that, any chance you could tell us how you got the adhesive off?Gabe,He isn't going to tile, carpet, or wood the floor. He has stained it already and now wants to know possibilities of smoothing it out and sealing it.Rich Beckman
*I repaired a badly pitted surface with Bondo before painting it, Darrell. I used Bondo because a cement-based product would have needed to cure much longer before i could paint. Since you're staining, the body filler can be tinted with an appropriate color for your stain to match. It will tend to set a little slower, so you can use more hardener than usual, but temerature lays a role, too--you'll have to experiment a little with smaller batches. I used a plastic tool used for smoothing wallpaper to spread it, longer (about 12") and stiffer than the spreaders used for body work so you can cover more ground more quickly. I got a little carried away and belt- and palm-sanded mine when it had cured...There are lots of sealers you can use, but i'd do a test to determine compatibility with stain first--saw one job where the topcoat peeled off in flakes and no one could figure out why.Rich, read again, i don't think Darrell has already done this work yet...i'm curious about the adhesive, too!
*Rich,He has indicated what he would like to do, not what he has done or why.You always patch or smooth a concrete floor BEFORE you stain or seal it.First thing first. Do a search at Mapei and look over the fact sheets on the various epoxy fillers and other products to find one that would be suitable for your application.Don't use stupid alternatives to the right product.One step at a time.Gabe
*Wow! This is a busy forum! I've been looking for a good one like this...Thanks for all the suggestions. I should clarify a few things:I haven't done any of this yet...all in the planning stages. I also have yet to actually try the adhesive remover. It was recommended to me, but, obviously, I need to see how it works for myself. The product is Sentinel 747. I found it at Menards.As for the pitting, there is a lot of it. I'm guessing that the filling in of the pits would actually be more noticeable then if I just left them as-is. Ultimately, I want to have a decent looking concrete floor that, perhaps looks a bit 'industrial' and will look nice with a few large floor rugs. Down the road, someone may want to have carpet laid over it (perhaps even us when the kids come along).The finish/seal was to give it a bit of a sheen and just smooth it out a bit (not necessarily fill in the pits, but rather just give the floor a smooth finish...something so your socks wouldn't get snagged on!)I'll report back as soon as I try out the adhesive remover.
*Darrell, i saw a great solution for a pitted floor if you don't mind it looking a little "industrial". It was in a warehouse turned into a furniture showroom: they painted the floor using sponging technique (you can get big ones to make this slow process a bit faster) and several colors (black, white and 2 or 3 grays). The effect was of a granite slab with the heavy paint taking care of the sock-grabbing quality of a rough floor. Since this puts a heavy layer down, you might consider getting mis-mixed paints for cheap and seeing what effect you get from the combinations, depending on what you start with first and then add. Mail me if you want the full procedure for sponging paint.
*splintergroupee:Hmm...now that's an idea. My original inspiration was actually from the nicer furniture stores. I've always liked the look of concrete and that's why I was going the stained route. However, the paint look may be a nice comprimise of work and looks. The floor certainly isn't the typical stained concrete floor you see, as those are usually finished to a very nice smoothness. my floor may be just too rough.I'll look into that... (still have to get that pesky adhesive off, though...)
*Has anyone had experience with Novoplan Self leveling concrete?:http://www.Mapei.com/CONCM.htmlIt appears to be a self-leveling concrete that can be put on thin (1/2") and over old tile adhesive. It's probably a LOT more expensive than just throwing down carpet, but it sure seems like the 'perfect' solution to what I am looking for.
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We're slowly remodelling/finishing our basement. At one point, the basement was covered with tile and the black-adhesive was left behind. I'd like to strip the adhesive, acid-stain the concrete and then seal it.
I figured out the first two steps, but have a question regarding sealing.
The floor is pitted slightly (apparently from the removal of the tiles). I'd like to apply some sort of clear finish to the floor after the stain to smooth everything out a bit.
So, my questions are:
1) SHOULD I seal a basement concrete floor?
2) If so, what are my options?
Thanks alot!