Will Color Staining Concret, Cover Up Berry Stains

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HOW TO REMOVE OIL STAINS FROM Concrete

Question:

Does your concrete driveway or garage floor have unsightly oil stains?

Reply:

It's important to remove oil before staining, sealing or resurfacing your concrete. If the oil isn't removed it will eventually seep back through to the surface and ruin your new decorative treatment. Learn how to avoid this trouble by removing the oil stains from your concrete.

DEALING WITH MOLD ON CONCRETE

Question:

I live in northeastern New Bailiwick of jersey, and in June we had weeks of rain and humid conditions. Some areas of my physical driveway adult black spots, and other areas under pine trees have turned green. What is this stuff, and how do I remove it?

Respond:

The wet conditions you lot experienced caused mold and mildew growth on the concrete. This growth usually occurs in damp or shaded areas that don't receive a lot of sun or heat. Concrete, with all its nooks, crannies and pores, is actually a great incubator for mold. Wet, humid conditions with warm temperatures merely improves the growing conditions. For the solution, read: Dealing with Mold on Physical.

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REMOVING LEAF, PINE CONE AND OTHER ORGANIC STAINS FROM Physical

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Question:

What's the all-time method for removing leaf, pine cone and other organic stains similar urine, blood or sap from physical?

Answer:

Because organic stains are carbon-based, they tend to be some of the near stubborn stains to remove from physical. They are not permanent, simply they can be hard to remove. The organic pigments go embedded in the micro-pores and small voids on the surface of the physical. Organic pigments and oils tin can be very tough stuff, as anyone who has tried to remove grass stains from clothing or make clean pine tree sap from easily tin can attest.

Ane reason you may be having limited success in removing these types of stains on concrete is that you are using the wrong cleaners. Organic stains require special cleaners targeting organic textile. Your typical inorganic physical degreaser, acid or soap volition do next to cipher to remove these types of stains. The best detergent to us is ane with bleaching activeness or ammonia. Typically, detergents designed to remove organic stains (blood, food stains, etc.) piece of work best; OxiClean is ane example. Granular detergents offer an added do good, considering they provide additional friction when y'all scrub the surface.

The other factor at play is fourth dimension. Organic cleaners are made upwardly of enzymes and bacteria that actually eat or intermission down the organic textile making up the stain. This digestive process is deadening, and nigh organic cleaners require a minimum of 24 hours and possibly as long equally 48 hours to work before you can reapply them. Organic cleaners typically do non bear on the concrete color or harm the surface because the enzymes only become subsequently organic material, and concrete is as inorganic as you can go. Organic cleaners are readily available at pet stores (dog and cat urine are the well-nigh common organic stains) as pet scent and stain removers, equally well as through janitorial supply outlets and online directly from the manufacturers.

Here are the basic steps to follow:

Use a pressure washer to remove all solid leaf thing or droppings from the concrete.
Utilise an organic detergent (equally recommended above) to damp concrete. Let it sit for a few minutes.
Scrub vigorously with a stiff broom or scrub brush.
Rinse the physical with water until you remove all the lather.

If this procedure doesn't completely remove the stains, repeat the procedure. Information technology'due south important to annotation that spot cleaning just those areas where in that location are stains can result in blotchy concrete. I recommend cleaning the unabridged physical slab, or to the lowest degree a larger area, to avert having blotchy bleached spots.

REMOVING FERTILIZER STAINS FROM Physical

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Stains on a concrete patio resulting from plant fertilizer.

Question:

I accept a concrete patio and used a plant food called Bloom Booster when watering the planters on the patio. The next solar day, I noticed everywhere water ran out of the planters, it stained the concrete. I have tried scrubbing with a brush fastened to a power-scrub setting on my hose. What tin can I practise?

Answer:

Plant food and fertilizers all incorporate metals and minerals such equally magnesium, iron, copper and zinc. This list of ingredients reads very much like that of physical acid stain. In essence, you stained your concrete with constitute food. The minerals have penetrated the physical and reacted with the cement to form a permanent color change. The reacted minerals are not water-soluble, which ways water and scrubbing will non remove them. They are just soluble in a mild acid solution.

I would commencement with a articulate white vinegar, diluted fifty:l with water, and encounter if that brings the stains out. You will need to apply the acid solution on the stain multiple times, scrub lightly, and then rinse. Test in a small area to ensure you are getting the results you desire. If the vinegar does non work, you may need to attempt a stronger acid, such as muriatic. Dilute the stronger acrid 40:one with water. Likewise, be aware that the acid may compose or change the profile of the concrete in the areas you clean.

CLEANING CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS, TUBS & SINKS

Question:

What'south the best cleaning method to use for concrete tubs, sinks and countertops that receive daily use?

Respond:

Physical counter and tub surfaces can exist very porous unless they are sealed. If your concrete isn't sealed, I recommend applying a penetrating sealer. You tin also consider a topical membrane sealer, but this will have a sheen and may require more maintenance. (Come across Concrete Sealer Types.)

As a general dominion, pH-neutral cleaners are best for physical surfaces. If you have hard water, use a scum or difficult h2o deposit remover. Do not use aggressive scrubbing pads or annoying cleansers. Even with cleaning and sealing, concrete will age and wear like whatsoever other surface, but this can actually add graphic symbol since concrete is a natural cloth.

INSULATING Cream STAINS ON CONCRETE

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Areas where spray cream insulation dropped on concrete volition resist acid stains and dyes.

Question:

How exercise nosotros remove residue from spray foam insulation that dropped on concrete from the ceiling above and then we can stain the concrete? We scraped off the residue, but will that spot resist stain penetration? What should we utilize to clean that surface area?

Answer:

Most spray foam insulation is fabricated from polyurethane. Whether the insulation is pure polyurethane or a new-generation soy-based foam, it volition be glutinous and aggrandize into and onto annihilation it touches. When the foam is first sprayed, it'due south a viscous liquid. This liquid gets into the pores of the concrete, and as it expands, it is forced deeper into the concrete. In essence, yous take foam-insulted the top layer of the concrete, and these areas will resist the stain and show spots when the stain is practical. In some cases, they may even resist the sealer.

Scraping abroad the material just removes the foam that is above the concrete surface. The cream that remains below the surface needs to exist removed past chemical extraction. This involves using a solvent or chemical cleaner that volition dissolve the foam residue, and then extracting the liquefied cream from the concrete. A solvent similar acetone or xylene or an oil-removing chemical commonly works to liquefy the foam. But the extraction process is more difficult. Getting the sticky liquefied foam residuum out of the physical normally requires dabbing the expanse with cotton rags multiple times to attempt and soak up the residue. Hot h2o pressure cleaners also work, but create a lot of mess.

Foam spots are very stubborn, and even subsequently the cleaning and extraction process, some small stain or spot is probable to remain. I typically tell people that the all-time they can promise for is to minimize the spot so the stain colour is just slightly lighter than the surrounding area.

REMOVING Rug Gum OR MASTIC RESIDUE

Run into the full guide on removing glue from concrete.

Question:

I pulled carpet from a room and so cleaned the underlying concrete flooring at least 8 times with a trisodium phosphate (TSP) solution. I also used a product from Home Depot chosen Jasco (a no-rinse TSP substitute) to clean the hard-to-remove glue. I done the floor several times with h2o and let it dry out. Next, I applied two coats of Kemiko stain with a garden sprayer followed by three coats of Chem-Coat sealer, applying it as directed with a lamb's wool mop and assuasive it to dry between coats. Finally, I applied a Chem-Glaze protective finish. The flooring came out beautiful, just later on it dried I saw a small area of the surface where it looked similar the sealer or finish coat did not accept. It appears equally beaded-upwardly water and does not shine in that area. I would like to correct the problem because it's noticeable, but I don't know what to do. Can yous offer suggestions?

Respond:

Carpet gum is some of the almost stubborn stuff out there. I am impressed that yous took then much time to make clean it off. Most stain applicators I know would merely place a microtopping over the physical and stain the microtopping vs. taking fourth dimension to strip off large areas of glue balance.

As far as the sealer beading up, it sounds like some remaining gum residue is causing "fish eyeing." This phenomenon occurs when chemical contamination interferes with the sealer's ability to wet out (i.e., penetrate into the surface). My suggestion is to utilize several coats of terminate wax to fifty-fifty out the gloss. If that doesn't do the trick, you lot may have to become back and strip and reclean that area. This is a messy, time-consuming job and in that location's no guarantee it volition solve the consequence. Usually the awarding of floor wax does the fox.

Question:

I used Bean-e-Doo (a soy-based mastic remover) to remove carpet mastic from a concrete floor in my home. The mastic remover has left an oil/grease stain blueprint all over the floor. What product is best to remove the stains?

Answer:

A skilful soap and water cleaning using a concrete alkaline degreaser soap should assistance. You should be able to get a concrete degreaser at a hardware store.

MOSS REMOVAL FROM Concrete

Question:

I accept concrete pavers and bricks in my lawn. The problem is I am getting moss growth on them. I powerwashed the moss away last year, merely it's back again this yr. Practise yous know what'due south causing this to happen?

Answer:

Bricks and concrete pavers are very porous, like sponges. They hold moisture, and thus are bully lilliputian incubators for all kinds of plant life, especially moss. My guess is you alive in a warm and humid climate. Yous volition need to apply a weed and grass killer to the moss and then aggressively power wash all the constitute thing away once it dies. Let the pavers dry, and then seal them with a production designed for concrete pavers or brick. This should eliminate or at least profoundly reduce the problem. It may take several coats of sealer to completely make full all the pores in the pavers.

PROTECTING A CONCRETE SURFACE FROM CONTAMINATION BY OTHER TRADES

Question:

What is the all-time way to forbid stains from construction-related activities on a newly poured slab intended to be an exposed concrete finish (other than hounding the GC to be tidy)? I'm worried about contamination by muddy footprints, rainwater/clay runoff, rusting rebar or tin cans left on the concrete surface, and slurry from sawcuts. What combination of hardening agents, sealers, or protective temporary coverings (polyethylene, burlap, etc.) yields the best protection without adding undue expense?

Reply:

Other than urging the full general contractor to keep the flooring make clean, there are 2 manufacture-accepted methods that I take experience with and that work well:

Use a cure-and-seal as office of the finishing procedure. This provides a good cure and leaves behind an acrylic membrane to protect the floor from typical construction traffic and debris. A cure-and-seal will cost about $0.04 to $0.08 per foursquare foot, depending on the blazon of product used and the job size. Withal, it could limit how yous finish the concrete and what blazon of topcoating y'all can apply. Exist sure to confirm that the cure-and-seal is compatible with whatsoever final finish or blanket yous program to utilize.
Utilise a physical barrier like Builder Lath from Surface Shields. This is a groovy, relatively low cost method to really keep the floor clean and protected. This volition cost more than the first choice, only is far superior in protection. These boards also come in water-resistant versions if you lot are concerned almost h2o exposure or chemical contagion.

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