A few years ago we transformed our garage into living space. It has a slab floor. The burber carpet is really showing its age and with allergies and such we want to do something different. Most of the rest of the house has hardwood floors. This room has all the cedar furniture and rustic stuff, so we want to do something other then wood. Real stone seems to be way out of our price range and I don't like the idea of square tile or such as it does not go well with my logging collection stuff.
What I am thinking would be cool is scoring the concrete and dying it somehow. I would like to score the concrete in random shapes as if it were stones all fitted together.
Anybody ever tried this? Seen this? or have suggestions? How would a guy score the concrete other then in straight lines? I am talking curvy stone like lines.
Jeff, a few yrs ago we did that for a guy's basement. We used routers with carbide bits, it was really dusty, but it work great. After we cleaned the floor up, we painted the lines black, then clear coated with something(I forget what the stuff was called, old age you no).
EZ
That sounds like and interesting idea. :)
EZ what did you think of how it looked? Carbide? Seems like they would break. Did you draw it out then follow the lines?
Jeff I've done a few of these over the years and they look fantastic. 8)
It's called Etched concrete and you do it with acid. If you take a heavy carpenters pencil and do a rough outline of where you want the lines to go then all you do is take the acid and follow the lines. After the lines are done dye the lines say black or any other color then take another color and tint your sealer and roll that over the entire surface.
It's simple to do and if you get creative with the acid you can have one cool looking floor.
Now as far as the name of the acid my brain ain't working too good at the moment but it will come to me soon. ;D
What EZ said to do would work aswell but as he said it would be dusty......cough.....cough....gag....gag :D
Steve
When we built out shower we put down concrete and then put an overlay of a product called "kolorstone", they use it around pools so we felt it would hold up in a shower. Comes in a bunch of colors and designs. Type in the word kolorstone in google and you'll see a bunch of examples.
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/kolorstone.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/shower.jpg)
The acid deal sounds interesting, You must have to wear ventilators and stuff? How do you neutralize? Flood it? This room is dry walled and had knock-down texture. I dont want to mess up my walls. One wall has cedar. Pouring the lines sure sounds easier though.
Jeff we would just open windows and maybe a fan if it was a small room.
As far as neutralizing it we would just mop water on it. The acid will only burn for so long then it looses it's shelf life so to speak.
I wouldn't worry too much about the walls as you can apply the acid with a squirt bottle plus I doubt that it would harm wood but it might stain it.
Now as far as the name I'm still not 100% sure but there is a product called muriatic acid that will work but it's a bit slow and weaker then this other stuff.
Any concrete plant can steer you in the right direction about what kind of acid to use.
Buy a couple of concrete patio slabs and play with it. Try the mist setting on the squirt bottle and you can get a really cool spider effect.
Steve
A sandblaster would probably work using a steel template.
Again, I bet that would work, but we are inside my house!
Steve, would that be Hydrochloric Acid? I believe that Muriatic is a weak version of Hydrochloric. What about the stuff the Brick Masons use, to wash excess mortar off a brick wall face when they are done?? That should be available at the Masonry place. It comes-came in Black Plastic Drums.
My son and I used to do Ceramic Tiles over older concrete floors. We would sweep, then wash the entire floor with Muriatic, that was diluted X 2/3rds water, in a bucket. Just carefully push it all over the floor with a broom. It will sizzle and foam a little and turn greenish yellow, and get yer breath, but, we are still here, somewhere. Then we would lightly pour water in the middle of the floor and sweep it around to neutralize the acid. It would take a couple of buckets and we lifted the water from the floor with GOOD sponges. Takes about 1 hour to do a complete 20 X 20 room. A couple gallons is all we ever used and we used the swimming pool supply section at the Box Stores to get it.
If ya go slow and easy, you will NOT damage anything.
Put a good size fan in a window, IN THE ROOM YOU ARE DOING and blow it outside. That will draw house air into the room and outside and not stink up the house. ;D
:D Kevin you're right it will work and it does work great on outside projects but do you think Jeff would still have a wife if he tried that? :o :D
Steve
DanG it. We used to apply "Grout stain" on jobs where the floor mopper was too lazy and washed the dirt INTO the grout instead of out. That would make the grout lines you want. It is a paint type stuff we would apply with small brushes, AFTER we cleaned the tiles and the old grout. It will outlast you .
Bingo 8) That's the word I'm looking for Harold :)
That's the acid to use Jeff, very good at burning the concrete.
Very deadly stuff and it works great. Had some spill in the van once and it ate through the paint in seconds. :D
Don't use it straight out of the jug as it will burn a hole through your floor. :o
For some reason it won't burn through rubber so rubber gloves are a must and EYE PROTECTION!
Oh yeah and do the muriatic thing as Harold said on the entire floor as it more than likely it was sealed after it was poured. Best to start with a nice clean floor.
Steve
Look up Dresslers, they have stencil's for Painting stones on to the floor. Using different colors, it will look like real stone, without all the hassles.
Moma's getting ready to do our downstairs, craftroom.
Ed K
Ed can you get me something more on that? I cant find it.
Biz, How in the world do you keep the acid from eating all over, doesnt seem like you could create clean lines.
Jeff, Rita just gave me the stencil book, it say's
www.dresslerstencils.com
Dressler stencil Company, Inc
253 SW 41st
Renton, Wa 98055
(888) 656-4515
I can scan the page showing the rock floor, if you want.
Ed K
How'd that happy face get in there???
It's supposed to be 888
Ed K
I would like to see the floor if its not to much trouble. ;D
Pict to big >:(, I sent it to your email.
Ed K
Diamond router bits are available from Granite city tools in vermont. They would make excellent looking grout lines. Once the "stones" have been finished you can just grout them in. I have used an acid based concrete stain before, It comes in several colors. It is made in FL somewhere. I will try to find the name of it. Use great care when working with hydrocloric or muriatic acids. The gasses given off can cause lung problems. Lots of fans need to be used. Sounds like a fun project. Scott
Jeff it's kinda hard to explain but the acid will burn in the line that you squirt it and anything that over sprays either etches or it evaporates. You can make some very cool effects with a spray bottle and the really cool thing about it is that what you start off doing isn't what you end up with.
A good bottle of wine and an imagination and you will have a floor that everyone will comment on.
What's really neat about etching concrete is that you can't screw up when doing it. My 5 year old could do it and make it look like I spent thousands on it.
Have you done any research on the net about it yet?
Steve
How do you undo it? :P
Tom that's what carpets for. :D :D
Steve
THats what I figure, can always put carpet back. Right now the carpet had had 3 dogs and 2 kids and thier 50,000 friends abusing it. Even the raw concreat might look better. Maybe 10 colors of paint and a spatter brush. ;D
Jeff if you don't like the finish just float another layer of concrete on top. Hard on the knees and back and wrists but easy to do and then you can start all over again.
That or call a placer and finisher and they will float a floor for about 2 hundred buxs less mat.
Steve
Jeff
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) which is also known as muriatic acid (dilute HCl) reacts with lime (CaCO3) to form calcium chloride (a salt), water (H20) and carbon dioxide (CO2) a gas. This is basically the same reaction as mixing vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). You get a nice fizz with lots of bubbles. A fixed amount of HCL will react with a fixed amount of cement and them become completely neutralized in the process.
I don't know how you can contain it into lines other than to apply with a squirt bottle and only apply a little. The tricky part will be to determine how much acid to use. I would start with about 10% acid 90% water and try in an inconspicuous place such as the highway out front (if it is cement). Make SURE you "do as you otter, add acid to water". DO NOT under any circumstances add water to the acid or you will see a very violent reaction that is not unlike putting water in a lead pot when you are making bullets or sinkers. Also don't alarmed when the acid/water gets hot as it is normal as the acid forms hydronium ions in the water (this won't be on the quiz).
As someone said just use rubber gloves and safety goggles and you will be fine. The nice thing about HCl is it does cause burns if in contact with skin long enough and strong enough, but it takes a while and you usually have time to wash it off. I work with some pretty strong mixes and have never got burned because I always have water nearby and just rinse it off. Another nice thing is the damage it causes happens right away not 20 years later like with organic solvents (if you consider this to be a nice thing). Don't be afraid of HCl, just treat it with respect.
One last thing, I doubt if anyone would suggest this but don't ever use hydrofluoric acid (HF) for ANYTHING! It is commonly used to etch glass and this stuff is deadly. If a person comes into contact with HF they must immediately be taken to a hospital that is equipped to deal with HF contamination. Treatment involves subcutaneous injections with calcium gluconate and tissue removal. This acid has the nasty habit of burning down until it comes into contact with bone, which it proceeds to dissolve and then attack bone marrow. It also ties up calcium ions and leads to hypocalcemia which really screws up your body. In many cases they have to amputate legs, arms, etc to save a person and in many cases they still die, even from contacts with relatively small amounts.. It also acts as an anesthetic so you can't feel it until it's too late. I'm glad HCl doesn't have these properties.
Hope this helps.
Mark
Excellent post Mark and thanks for explaing about hydrofluoric acid.
You the man of the hour 8)
Steve
Mark, you scared me. You scared me real bad.
Quote...if you don't like the finish just float another layer of concrete on top...
That reminds me of a friend to wanted to fix up his basement floor that was cracked and uneven. They backed the cement truck up and stuck the chute in the window and let her rip. Added about 3 inches right on top of the old. The wood paneling made a DanG good form :D. They did take the carpet up first (I think).
Mark
Jeff
Be afraid - be very afraid! :o
But only of HF not HCl. HCl is what you use to clean coffee pots. 8)
Steve - glad to help out.
Mark
Jeff it's just acid, there's nothing to worry about. :-[
Well I guess you could worry about it peeling your skin off and things like that but other then that it's pretty safe. ;D
The only time you will worry about things is when you see this acid eat through concrete. :D :D
Kinda makes me jump sometimes. :D
Steve
To keep the dust down you would frame a small portable shelter that is covered in plastic and can be moved across the floor.
A water spray and a vacuume system could also be added.
There are plastic sheets with zippers that can be placed over the entrance.
Down at the shop, they use HF to wash the ceramic core out of parts. They heat it up to 300 degrees F. and soak the parts in it. Then pump out the old, the 4 inch drain pipe use to run over head from were the people worked. A few yr's ago one of the drains sprung a leak and dump on a real good friend of mine. He was dead in a few seconds, they used a plactic shovel to clean up what was left of him. >:( :( :'( It was a sad and sick mess, even the guys that are use to doing stuff like that, were throwing up.
And are top 10 say we make to much money, bull-s--t.
I'd say all acid is dangerous, Be Careful, Jeff.
EZ
Jeff this acid thing would scare the H@!! out of me. there talking about battery acid. Since theres about 3 " of dust around the mill the router idea and the dust wouldn't bother me.This may be a little off the wall but I do my best work with a chainsaw wonder what a carbide chain on a saw would do? Maybe you could try it on the concrete road next to where you try the acid :D try writeing your neighbors name and see how it comes out ;D
Nope, yer startin to get PARANOID !!! Ain't NODODY talking about Battery (Sulphuric) acid, here. This is MURIATIC, a very weak solution. It is very easily neutralized and won't burn yer skin any worse than some parts cleaners. Water is an easy clean up.
Wish Mark and EZ would have not posted about HF. That stuff has no place in most peoples agendas. It is used to dissolve Quartz for making spectacular Gold-Quartz specimens, also. I doubt if the average bear can even get his hands on that stuff.
Good ole Muriatic will be fine if ya just use yer head. It is sold over the counter at all the big Lumber type joints, in Gallon jugs. I've used barrels of it over the years. NEVER burned me !!!
Deadheader I seen my mom years ago use muriatic acid to clean the soot off of the stone on her fireplace cant see how it would cut a slot in the concrete. It didn't seem to bother the cement holding the stone togeather but maybe she mixed it with water.I got burned with a little battery acid once so I don't play around with it.
HF is used for a lot of things and is more commonly available than you might think. Some truck washes used it to clean trucks and I had some DanG good wheel cleaner I bought at K-mart that had HF in it. I've seen it used in high schools to etch glass. I am sure these are much weaker solutions but there are problems with weak solutions too.
As Harold said battery acid is Sulfuric acid (H2S04). Since it has 2 H's (the part the makes an acid do it's thing) it has more "horsepower". Also it is an Oxidizing acid and together these things make it really nasty. That is why you feel the sting right away when you handle a leaky battery or get some of that corrosion gunk on you when your clean your battery.
Do you know what you get when you mix lye (sodium hydroxide or NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl)?
Good old Salt water - sodium chloride (NaCl + H20). It goes something like this:
NaOH + HCl = Na + OH + H + Cl = NaCl & H20
Ain't chemistry great 8)
Like I said before don't be afraid of hydrochloric or muriatic acid, just use safety equipment like you do when you are sawing or whacking down trees. Same difference.
I almost forgot - muriatic is an old name for HCl. As sold in hardware stores it is usually dilute but you need to read the label because the name muriatic doesn't necessarily mean it is of a certain concentration. It might be 0.5% or 40%. The weak solutions won't do much to dissolve cement but they make good cleaners. Wish I could tell you what strength to use but since I've never done this I can't.
Mark
Jeff have you found any useful information online about concrete etching?
I will be in another city tomorrow and just a hop skip and a jump away is a concrete specialty shop that I buy products from and I can swing by there and get more information if you want.
Fire some questions to me and I will ask them in the am.
Steve
Jeff,
I would go with the router and a special carbite bit, you can cut out masonite patterns hot glue them to the floor. The router with a guide will follow around your pattern. They have shown this process on This Old House. Paint the router cuts.
I just sa something last night on HGTV that I am trying to investigate called thincrete. it goes on with a trowel 1/4 to3/8s thick and you press felxible ruber mats into it to leave an impression. Looked cool on T.V., they say its new and I cant find much on the net about it.
I worked on a job several years ago where they put down a brick pattern over an outside ramp to the hotel. First a base color was put down then a paper pattern then 2 or 3 color coats. This seamed to hold up to the winter in Milwuakee.
Check these out. Might be what you looking for.
http://www.renew-crete.com
http://www.increte.com
Jeff the concrete guys sent me these links, saved me some driving today. Sure is nice getting e-mail on the cell phone.
This one even has a forum.
http://www.acidstain.com/
This link is for the guy that really doesn't have a clue but it helps I guess.
http://www.slam.ca/HGRenovation0205/07_stain2-ap.html
I noticed that there's alot of guys that use brushes and things like that, I always would use a mop, broom or a sometimes rags to get cool effects. Either way it's worth reading as there's some very good ideas in these links.
Can you fly me out to your house to give you a hand :)
I don't do projects like this everyday and I just love doing things that are different. 8)
Steve
I can airmail you a map to my house. ;D
I think he means email. ;D
Nope airmail. I cant fly him here but I can fly him how to get here.
By the way Biz, those are some great links. The acid staining board will be of great help when I get that far. I probably wont tear into this until after the anniversary picnic. Hoping to have some forum members here so I dont want to have the whole place tore up. I always have at least one room in shambles as it is. :D
Glad the links helped Jeff.
Wonder what it would cost me round trip to fly out your way?
I think I need some time off soon as my mind is spinning after the last few years.
I've always enjoyed the States as there's some very cool places to look at.
Steve
I have no idea what flights cost. Believe it or not I have NEVER been in an airplane. Not for fear of it or anything, I would do it in a heart beat. Just never have been.
Not to scare you Jeff, but I poor the metal for the parts in these planes. ;D
EZ
AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D ;)
Jeff flying is fun, been doing it every chance that I get. Even been in a plane wreck and even that was fun. :D My uncle builds personal aircrafts and we took one out on it's first flight and right when we were about 75' off the ground it stalled and down we went. :o :D The paper made it sound real bad but all we did was have a very bumpy ride when we hit the ground.
Hey wait a minute didn't some of those parts come from EZ's shop??? :D
Steve
Steve - dat would explain it! ;)
Hey Jeff, I am pouring a new floor in our house the 25th and will be staining the concrete 6 wks later. The stuff I am using says for this product do not clean the floor with acid. Its called KEMIKO concrete stain-wax-sealer (1-800-875-4596) They will send you a video, have 8 colors to choose from and they are on the net somewhere. This stain reacts with the lime in the concrete and looks like marble,- quarry tile. 8) 8) I went through your thread pretty quick as I a slow reader :P so I hope this is new info
6 weeks later???
I wouldn't touch a fresh pour for a min. of 6 months. Concrete is alive and it constantly moves as it dries.
Steve
Hey Steve, thats the recomendation of the makers of the stain :o :o Some friends up the road did the same thing maybe 5 years ago and have had no problem 8) 8) Looks great and less filling :D :D DAn
Dan over the years I've seen new products come and go with all the fads that come out every year. I constantly get customers that say to me well it says on the bottle.....
I wish that these so called pros that make the stuff would research with the guys in the field as to how things really work. When the makers test their products they do it in a laboratory that is in a controlled setting. In this case with the stain they would use the exact same 3' x 3' concrete slabs. The temperature would be the same, the thickness of the slabs are the same, the pour of the slabs are the same....etc.
In the real world things aren't always the same and guys like me have to go by experience. I will never follow the instructions on a product I will always go by what I have found to work best in the conditions at the time. Sometimes I apply more sometimes less.
If you asked me to stain your floor with a product that says it can be applied in six weeks after a pour I would have a few questions for you.
What's the weather like and how's it been holding in the six weeks? How thick is the pour? What's the PSI rating of the concrete? Is there a 20 ml vapor barrier under the pour? Was it 3" of sand bellow it or 6"? Is there re-bar imbedded? Was there a fast dry compound added to the pour when it was mixed?
See there's so many variables that go into doing projects of this kind that when I get customers asking me to do things like stain or tile work on fresh pours I always tell them I need six months so I won't hear about problems years later.
Steve
Sadly, that's the way things are headed, Steve. Nobody cares. It's just "this is the greatest stuff and will work fine" (gimme all yer money) attitude today.
All the guys on this forum are doing their best to help anyone that will ask for assistance. No one beats others over the head to make a point, unless there is a high risk of injury involved. Too bad that the "craftsmen" of the world are dying off and being replaced by "inferior" experts.
Too much "Idiot" shows on the "TOOB" !!! Let's make a house. These people can't tie their shoes. If you tried to repeat the stuff they do on TV, yer licence would be revoked.
I gotta find me a place where REALITY is still rising with the sun each morning.
Gotta go pet a Gator. See ya's ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Try www.kemiko.com
I found the site interesting and will research this product further as it sounds like just the ticket for the basement floor after I remove the tile - when I get around to remodelling - sometime after the sawbarn is finished :D
OWW thats the product I plan on using for the acid stain. My main prob is figuring out the method for the stone shapes I want. I really think the floor needs to be scored or an over lay impressed. I don't want fake lines.
Now Jeff. When is a line a "fake" line and when is it not a "fake" line?? ??? ;D ;D
Steve, I appreciate your concerns about staining my floor in 6 weeks. You asked lots of good questions, however your premise is way off. :o :o :o ??? Kemiko is produced by a company called Etmar, they have been staining concrete for 50 years. Barbara Sargent, the regional distributor has been selling this product for thirty years. Far from fly by night or new product as you insinuate. As stated in my previous reply, I have friends living on a beautiful Kemiko floor, stained six weeks after the pour and are still happy with it eight years later.
Jeff, Kemiko does NOT recommend you use acid to clean the concrete, does something to the lime in the concrete and the lime is what the stain reacts with ::) ::) :)CAUTION
Dan, what kind of look my I have withour lines?
Jeff, you can put lines in it. They suggest not more than an eigth inch deep in any pattern. They even show a floor stained I guess in stages, where one square or block is stained one color and the alternating block a differnent color stain. Looks really cool 8) 8) We are having the same trouble deciding on whether to score or not to score....that is the question :D :D And what pattern if we do score the floor. It is only a 20 x28 room. :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/ Small squares for a small room or big squares to make the room look bigger????
Without lines it will look most likely like a big slab of marble. 8) 8) 8) 8)
HI guys,
I've been so busy lately, I have only been able to lurk ... while at work. Can't comment from there, but I was talking with one of the guys about this thread and he said...
Back in the sixties, he used some kind of acid that the floor would have been changing all the time ??? I asked him what kind of acid was that? He said Lysergic...something. Said the military had used it on troops :o
Then I finally came out of my fog... LSD was the acid! :o
I work with some old hippies, man.
hawby
Yea, yea that's the ticket, a little acid and structural integrity, scoring and staining ....no problem :D :D :D :D
If I was going to score squares I would not have a problem. I want to score curved lines like large interlocking flag stones 18 inches to 30 inches in diameter I could guess. Thats were the problem comes in. I will have to score some straight lines. Probably a border out from all the walls because I wont be able to score up to a wall.
Is there such a thing as a freehand concrete router with masonary bit. Or sandblast. Or a hammer drill with a narrow paddle bit (for tight turns) and angled so it would kinda follow itself.??? Just brainstorming ;) 8) 8)
Dan you sound like my customers, always second guessing me. :D :D :D Laugh cuz that's what I want you to do. :D :D
Here let's set something straight, I really don't care about what product is used cuz in most cases there all the same in one way or another.
The most important thing that goes into a job is the preperation and the application. As far as what product is the best that can can go out the window as far as I'm concerned. :D I don't watch B Villa and take his advice as he's a freaking actor that has no clue. His side kick N sure knows his carpentry though on his show. 8)
That's cool that the guy down the street has a cool floor and it looks good. But who says it looks good??? The average home owner who has never seen this job done a few hundred times??? I've seen work that was done that a whole cul-de-sac thought it looks great but if I ever had a guy do the same work for me he would be warming the sidewalk outside of Mc-Donalds with a cup in his hands selling pens. ;D
If Muriatic acid is mixed right it will clean the floor perfectly, I think it's 20 to 1 but then again I'm not on the job and I can't see what I'm up against. If you know of a product that can clean concrete as well as acid please let me know. Masons have been useing acid for years to clean concrete and brick. Didn't Harold already mention this???
Anyways I've been a hands on General Contractor for way to long and I've seen just about everything go the right way and the wrong way. The longer a guys been doing the job the more he knows and the better the out come.
Hey check out the village of Whistler B.C and look at some of the workmanship there.
My partner and I had 81 guys up there when the town was a building boom years back.
Oh one more thing if you have a square room and you put squares in it no matter what size squares you do you will still have a square room. Try rectangles as it will make the room look longer which is more inviting. 8)
Jeff if you want to cut straight lines use a skillsaw with a masonary blade. It will work better then a router cuz if you hit pebbles with a router it will go around them or jump.
For all your curves that you want to make a router will work great but don't use a carbide tip as it will heat up and be toast in minutes. Use a diamond bit as it will last for a very long time. They do make a masonary tip for the router but they don't last long.
When you get to the walls use a dremell with the flex extension, they make a masonary tip for it but not a diamond tip. You can get right in close with it and the last bit that you can't get the baseboards will cover it up.
K back to the acid thing, if you don't mix alot of water with the Muriatic acid to prep the floor it will react more to some parts of the concrete which will open up the pores more in some places then others. This is the way to do it if you don't etch (score) the concrete as it will soak in more of the stain making it look darker in spots then others. It will look like marble and if you play with the mixtures as you apply it will look great. :)
This application can be done in 2 or 3 or 4 steps to make it look cool. 8)
Steve
If you start driving now what time can I expect you? :D
Jeff I gotta make a stop in Ontario first to see the water mill, how close do you say your are to him??? ;D
Steve
I"m closer then he is. I'll clear a spot in the barn. ;D
sorry guys on the last two posts. deleted at the webmasters discretion. They weren't that bad though. :)
Well they say Biz that a little mutton is better than nuttin :o :o :o ::) ;D
Did I beat Mark to it? 8)
Jeff what's a webmasters descretion??? Do they have a say in what gets posted???
Sawyer40 it looks like you beat Mark to it. 8)
Steve
It's bothersome to me when I hear the phrase "Mutt -n- Jeff" ;D
:D :D :D :D WHAT??? :D :D :D
Steve
Jeff,
Ive seen this done on inside and outside applications. I have a friend here that did just that in the same place as youre talking about. I looks VERY good...and talk about durable.... ;D
HEY!!!!...just made my hundredth post!!!!!!!!! 8) 8) 8)
I am a new member and just browsing through these posts.
One thing I did not see mentioned, especially with all that drilling and sandblasting talk of the concrete is the mention of getting silica poisoning and destroying your lungs from the dust. A simple mask or fan will not cut it and it is a real hazard. FWIW.
Then again a drunk driver is probably a bigger hazard.
After all this great advice and information, you guys are going to shoot me.
We found a textured vinyl product that looks a lot like greystone or slate. Its lifetime warrented against any type of wear and one of its applictions is over concrete. I have to fill any depressions or holes or cracks, then paint on a proofer to prep the floor for the adhesive, then start sticking on the floor. Tammy and I laid a bunch of it out a to get an idea how it was going to look and I didnt like it. We then staggered the joints and threw in a random brownish colored stone here and there a cool, all of the sudden it looked great. So, my concrete question has a softer answer. At least until this dont work and then I'll be asking how to get this stuff off the floor. :D
I'll ask for ya Jeff. I need to peel all the old vinyl tile off my basement floor so I can stain the concrete with that Kemiko product. What is the easiest way to get the tile up? The last itme I took up tile off a conrete floor I used a gasket scraper and a square nosed shovel. Surely there is an easier way? :P
DanG Jeff - ya disappointed us. ::)
We made up, err I mean we used some of our best ideas trying to help you with this difficult problem and then you go and wimped out on us just because a few of our ideas had long lasting side effects. :D
Oh well we're glad you found something that will work and eventually we will get over it. ;)
Mark
So Jeff what do I do with the round trip ticket??? Here I was thinking that I was coming out to burn your floor and then you pull this??? :D :D :D :D :D
When you're ready to pull it up a square flat shovel is your best bet. If you can get ahold of a tiger torch to warm the floor as you work it comes up faster and doesn't leave glue all over the concrete. 8)
Steve
Steve,
Is a tiger torch similar to a Map gas cylinder with a fan nozzle?
OneWithWood
A tiger torch is same thing that road crews use to heat up tar. You know when you see the guy with the big propane bottle walking behind everyone torching the seams.
Very fun to play with!
Steve
Oooh! My wife would love to see me paying with a tiger torch in the basement (https://forestryforum.com/smile/fireman.gif)
As much as they can throw off a nice flame it's pretty hard to catch the place on fire if ya be careful. ;D
When I do drywall I prop the torch at an angle on a bucket and it makes a good heater. 8)
Steve
We had one at the first mill I worked at. The boss would not let us have the heat on at night so we used one to warm the office in the morning. Probably would have cost less to let us run the electric at night.
I keep one down at the mill for bonfire lighting, much safer than gas and dash. We used it in the garden for weed control a few times...till she got near the lavender row, you know lavender OIL :D. Probably a good tool to have a s'more incident too.
When scraping up floor tile remember asbestos was in alot of them, if in doubt work the floor very wet, no dust.
We use a large torch like that to put heat shrinks over a cable splice to be buried.
Also works good for keeping kids away from the work area. ;D
I had a contractor opening up a pit for me and a pesky little kid kept bugging him so he told the kid to get lost or he was going to bury him in the pit.
The kid asks ... then will you bury me back out? :D
Kevin, I've got one of those old torches they used to use when wiping lead sleeves. Do you go far enough back to have aquired that art?
For you "telephonically deprived" types, all underground telephone cables were encased in lead, before the modern plastics came about. Wiping lead was a valuable skill that demanded top dollar, as well as respect. There weren't any factory schools in those days, and the necessary skills were learned at the knee of the old timers. Those old cusses were some hard task-masters, too!
Dan, I still use lead on pressured cable but the lead comes in a roll and doesn't have to be heated in a pot any more. ;D
We have been told not to use it but nothing works better, the end disks on all the new preformed closures have a tendency to leak.
I've adopted the Canadian military idea on this ... don't ask, don't tell. :D
The finished Floor. We are happy with it. 2 days of prep work then a late nighter last night getting it down.
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/floor1.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/floor2.jpg)
Looks good, Jeff. That bottle of pop on the right, really sets the room off. ;D
EZ
Jeff,
That looks real good and I like the decor. I can't make out the item to the left of the TV. Could you enlighten?
Haytrader,
I thought you were a stockman---------that's a pot-bellied bull standing there if I ever saw one :D
I think dats a plugin for da tv.
Are those individual tiles Jeff?
Noble,
The only bull is comin from you.
;D
Yes, individual tiles. We installed em our way ;D Staggered the joints, never measured, always random, and through an off color tile in here and there for fun.
Haytrader, The item on the left has been a couple times. Its my two man saw clock sitting on a dynamite box ;D. I'll have to see if I can dig up the link.
I didn't find the original thread, but I did find one of the pictures
(https://forestryforum.com/images/YaBBImages/userpics/woodclock.jpg)