Sweep the surface with a push broom to remove debris.
Cleaning concrete before staining.
Attempt to scrape any of the glue or caulk off of the floor with a putty knife or floor scraper.
For grease stains on concrete try scrubbing the stain with lacquer thinner or mineral spirits.
Your supplies are likely to be a bucket scrub brush and detergent.
Strip any curing agents or waxes remove any paints or glues ensure there is no grease or oils.
Spray the concrete stains with the soap solution.
Carpet glue tile mastics water and urine stains chalk marks caulk grease stains paint drips and rust spots are just a few of the contaminants you may encounter once you remove an existing floor covering.
Because many oils and petroleum based contaminants can be hard to see until after the stain is applied we recommend that you first scrub the area with a concrete degreaser.
If using paste allow it to dry and try to scrape the glue from the concrete again.
Sweep or use a blower to get rid of loose debris first.
Another option would be to use a pressure washer to clean the concrete slab.
Hose the area and then sprinkle it with an oxygenated bleach oxiclean is one which won t harm your lawn or any plants lining your driveway.
Acid etching is the process of applying hydrochloric muriatic or buffered phosphoric acid to a slab then rinsing it off with water.
A lot of people think they need to acid etch the concrete like they do before applying a paint or coating to get the paint to adhere.
Using a scrub brush with a long handle makes cleaning much easier.
A solution of tsp trisodium phosphate and a lot of elbow grease with a scrub brush would be your best bet.
Schmidt also warns against acid etching of floors before staining.
First before doing your final clean ensure the concrete is free from all contaminants.
Do choose the right cleaning product for the job see questions to ask when choosing a concrete cleaner or degreaser.
Because acid stains need to penetrate into the concrete surface to work it s especially important that the concrete surface is completely clean.
Hydrogen peroxide or ammonia also work well too.
6 if scraping alone does not work apply either a nonflammable chemical stripper or a powdered hydrated lime paste to the stained area.
The bad news for the fastidious homeowner is that.
If you will be sealing your concrete after cleaning or need to clean a deck before staining look over our recipes for stain removal to bring back the original color of the material.
General soil most concrete or cement cleaning projects should begin with general cleaning of the entire surface.
Before cleaning your concrete or even staining your deck you need to get rid of dirt and leaves that may be on the surface.