7:40am I've never done this before.
This is what the floor looks like before I started (Dad and I washed it with plain ol' h2o yesterday)
Also 7:40am.
I was at the big box hardware store this morning before it opened at 6am. I bought the nice yellow mop bucket on the left - I splurged ($10 more) and got the bucket with the 'splash block' inside. On the windowsill is the first gallon of dark walnut LITHOCHROME Chemstain Classic by Scofield. To the right of that is a box of nitrile gloves, an acid-applying scrub brush, a roll of paper towels, and the packaging from my new mask and suit.
My chem-resistant suit, nitrile gloves, half-face mask with P-100 cartridges that are approved for OV (organic vapor) and AG (acid gasses), and also my safety glasses. I ain't foolin' around! This getup is what the MSDS prescribed.
7:56am
Bucket fulla stain and me on the floor.
7:56am
Scrubbing the stain into the concrete.
Me scrubbing (from another angle). Thanks to Jeff for taking the scrubbing pics!
8:14am
4 sections stained, 1 gallon down.
The area stained is not really how it will appear once the stain reacts with the concrete and is rinsed off.
8:14am
Me, minus my PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and with particularly messy hair. I am very pleased with myself because the 1st gallon of stain has been applied without incident in 34 minutes. This is a convenient stopping point; I had to leave to go to a meeting about this. Minimum 'dwell' time for the stain before neutralization is 4 hrs.
12:52pm
This is kinda funny-lookin'.
Blech!
Rinsing off the stain to reveal stained concrete. I decided to let this dry and come back tomorrow to stain the rest.
Craig, Ben, my parents and I stopped by to see how the floor was drying and to see the color.
7:47pm
It was dark, so I had to use the flash. This will get a semi-gloss no-VOC sealant on top.
I am pleased with how this is turning out.
I just looked at the manufacturer's website for the stain and apparently I've made either a mistake or an unintentional career move; "SCOFIELD PRODUCTS ARE INTENDED FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY"
D'oh! Guess I'm a 'professional' now.
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