Monthly Archives: December 2009 Here’s an update on how my stain process is going. Originally we used “staining pads” but I changed when I started doing the bedroom and used a little faux paint pad that I got from Jo-Ann’s not realizing that it would change the pattern a lot! Once I had started it I figured I liked...  So now I will show you how to paint a faux Christmas tree, great for being green and for those who have no place to put a tree because their home is entirely upside down! Okay I’m just kidding, but this is our official tree this year. Haha… We really did want to have a tree... no comments  My products have arrived to stain the floor! So the last time I picked up two different colors and combined them was most likely during a finger painting session in kindergarten, which is exactly why this scared me a little. I was a little nervous at first on how I was going to obtain my “perfect... no comments  So I did run into one small problem, the damage in front of our sliding glass doors. We figure that the floor is so crumbled and cracked because of our old style sliding glass doors which are not 100% weatherproof. 3 comments July 14, 2010 - 12:34 pm
These spots were our thresholds, which we are staining thin pieces of wood and putting over these doorways. Our carpet tack spots we covered with concrete repair mix, but there is a process with repairing these spots. I’d suggest purchasing a couple different concrete repair/mixes and doing test spots. Follow instructions, you may have to sand it flat with the floor. You want to make sure it “feels” like the concrete around it as well as a close enough color. If your cracks are shallow or simply not very big they may not show up. It’s entirely up to you to leave the spots and cracks but we chose to fill our carpet tack holes. We have maybe 2 very thin cracks we left which aren’t even noticeable. As for our actual tack holes, they turned out “okay” – it’s all about matching the concrete that is already there. Which is not an easy as it should be, haha! July 14, 2010 - 9:44 am
Thank you so much for your pointers on the etching & cleaning. Now that we have up all of the boards with carpet tacks, we have found some cracks along the edges of the walls, not quite a severe as the ones you pictured above, but similar. Would you mind sharing your final solution to the crack problem? Thanks again for your helpful tips. January 5, 2010 - 3:36 pm
We had a similar problem with our carport floor, some ice and water snuck it’s way in there and cracked it up nice and good. We used this cement repair compound called All-Krete from http://www.deltachemicals.com/concrete-floor-repair.htm. The nice thing about it was that it was premixed and the staff are extremely knowledgeable and will help you out – even novices like me. I think you can get it in different colors too which would solve your color problem maybe? Good luck!  After pulling up the carpet, remove all of the tack boards and nails. (Note: DO NOT “rip out” nails if it’s ripping up your concrete. This was our problem.) If any glue is left behind the acid should eat it while etching the concrete. 3 comments July 8, 2010 - 7:35 pm
I’m glad it’s been a great help, thank you! We did not do too much to the concrete before we applied the etcher stuff. We did sweep and do a quick mop over with just some water since it was quite dusty and dirty. Of course once the etcher goes down you will likely be using water to get it up which in a sense is cleaning the floor all over again anyway, haha. I do want to add that I’m not sure about Soycrete’s etching/stripping process. As I recall it was quite different from the stuff I purchased at Home Depot in the photo as far as application and the directions. I’d double check with them, they are quite helpful if you call their customer support. I will suggest one thing is try to make sure you get all that white chalky stuff, adhesive, or anything else off the concrete as well as possible. Thankfully after ours was finished we agreed you don’t notice the “little spots” here and there too much, and our floor is quite dark. Also I’d suggest checking out the new post I’m about to put up about putting on the “sealant” stuff. (If only we knew, lol…) July 8, 2010 - 2:50 pm
Your blog has been very helpful as I am getting ready to stain my concrete slab with Soycrete after ripping up all the carpet the day my husband and I moved into our newly purchased home. In the first picture here before you apply the cleaner/etcher, your concrete already looks pretty clean. Did you do anything other than sweep before you applied the etcher? I am looking at the different stripping & cleaning products from the same company that puts out Soycrete and I can’t quite decide whether I can go straight into the etching or whether I need to clean and possible strip first. My concrete looks like it has a bit more adhesives than yours does in the initial picture. Any tips would be great. Thanks again for all the helpful information on each step. Your final floor looks great. December 29, 2009 - 10:01 pm
Thanks for the very informative post. I have bookmarked the site as I usually do when its related to concrete.  Turning the great room into my studio. This has been a planned and replanned room for months. First, I was going to lay hardwood floors, now I’m staining the concrete. That was a large jump wasn’t it? Now why am I staining the concrete instead of laying down some beautiful hardwood? I give you… no comments  Here’s a couple more shots of my dining area to give you an idea of the new eating area. Thankfully we’ll probably never need more than 4 seats. Here’s the chairs before and after. The chairs were $30 from craigslist, and $28 and a staple gun later they were prettier and even more comfortable. I really... no comments  So after we removed all the wallpaper in the bedroom (I’ll be making a DIY guide and more about that whole experience) and used our smelly oil-based primer this was the color I put on the walls. It is called Reflecting Pool by Sherwin Williams. Sounds pretty, and looks pretty.. at first. I didn’t mind... 3 comments December 18, 2009 - 9:50 am
I really like the new color (Smoke)! Great job! December 17, 2009 - 7:21 pm
Thank you! I think it does match the furniture much better than the other color would have. December 15, 2009 - 3:30 pm
I’m loving that BM Smoke~ it looks really nice with your furniture!  So stepping back in time before we owned the house: The living room now: You may noticed a couple flaws, but it is a huge improvement even with its flaws! We will finish painting the hallway and touching up the trim quite a bit. I even managed to skip over a couple spots of trim, pure laziness... no comments  The very first thing I wanted to change about my house was the wood paneling. Originally, I did not mind just painting it and calling it good. However ambition got the best of me and we filled in every single crack, 4 times! (Ugh!!) We had to use the flexible joint compound which shrinks after... no comments |
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