Concrete Staining - Skim Coats

[bk9824]

Closed on the house last Wednesday... had to rip up the carpet in the living room due to animal urine stains/age, etc.

There are a few hairline cracks and divots present, and will need to back fill tack-strips from carpet. Also planning on removing old tile in kitchen that joins the living room (no wall separating the two).

Various paint stains, etc. as well.

I know I need to remove all the carpet glue, as much of the existing paint, grout from tile, etc.

I plan on laying a few 1/16" skimcoat layers on top of the existing slab so I don't have to rent a grinder and go through all that.

Will skimcoats crack like a normal slab? Is my best bet just to rent a grinder?

Thanks all.

[Miki]

Go to youtoob there is alot of info on there. A friend just did his little girls room.

[bk9824]

I've gone there but none of the videos I've seen mention anything about skimcoats cracking after a period of time.

[bowhuntertex]

I would be more concerned with the way the stain will look on a skim coat. I am guessing it will not look as good as a finished concrete floor.

What are you thinking of using for the skim coat? Floor Float?

[Jaybo31]

I had mine done 2 years ago. The concrete of course had stuff all over it. Even if you sand and grind it will look gone but oils from carpet glue and paint will still be there....trust me. The guy that did ours put a skim coat (floated the floor) and dyed it. Not stain but dye. Im happy with it and looks good.

[bowhuntertex]

I had mine done 2 years ago. The concrete of course had stuff all over it. Even if you sand and grind it will look gone but oils from carpet glue and paint will still be there....trust me. The guy that did ours put a skim coat (floated the floor) and dyed it. Not stain but dye. Im happy with it and looks good.

Can you post a picture? I would be interested in seeing how that turned out. I have seen tons of stained concrete, but never dyed......

[RFuson]

I would be more concerned with the way the stain will look on a skim coat. I am guessing it will not look as good as a finished concrete floor.

What are you thinking of using for the skim coat? Floor Float?

x2,

[Jaybo31]

Yeah I was looking for one but I dont have one on my work computer or phone. It came out a little darker than we wanted but that was just because of our color choice not the dye. I'll keep looking for a pic here. If not I'll for sure post one from my home computer.

[mjbtexas]

it wont look good with a skim coat. cracks actually might look better. There are adhesive removers you can use with a razor scraper.

[Jaybo31]

it wont look good with a skim coat. cracks actually might look better. There are adhesive removers you can use with a razor scraper.

I can tell you that if its existing concrete you will not be able to get the oils out of the concrete. The stain will go around the oil and not etch the concrete. Ive been down this road.

Heres a pic I found you can see the floor but I'll post a better one of the floor itself when I get home.

[bowhuntertex]

from what I can see it looks like it turned out really nice......

[Jaybo31]

from what I can see it looks like it turned out really nice......

Thanks! Yeah I was hesitant at first because my cousin has a dyed floor but this was on float and I wasnt sure what it would look like but I was very pleased. I wish we would have went a little bit lighter. It looks lighter than it is because of the flash on the camera.

[bowhuntertex]

I like the dark leather look........looks about like the color I stained my mudroom.......At some point I am gonna rip up all the carpet and tile in my living room and kitchen and just stain the floors......easier to clean and looks much nicer......

[manwitaplan]

Please post up more pictures when you get home of your floor. Very interested. So let me clarify: Your floor is a dyed floor on skim coat not the concrete. Was it more expensive or was this your only option due to the glue and oils?

Manwitaplan

[bk9824]

Thanks for the pics/info Jaybo.

I'm not sure what material I'll use for the skim-coat, but I plan on using what's called a Magic Trowel.

Here's the link to the manufacturer: http://www.texmaster.com/magictrowel.html

Here's a YouTube video of it in action: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_exFmOO53Q"]YouTube - Magic Trowel Concrete Resurfacing Video—ConcreteNetwork.com[/ame]

I spoke with a gentleman who sells acid stain out of Georgia, seems to be pretty reputable, etc. and he recommended laying down several layers of skim-coat & then acid staining. He said the stain will yield a much more consistent and smooth look if applied to a skim-coat.

He seemed rather nonchalant about skim-coats cracking but I'm not sure if that's just him wanting to sell me product.

Jaybo - how long has your skim-coat down, and has it cracked anywhere? Do you remember the product he laid for the skim?

Thanks in advance!