Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 May 19, 2009 1:32 pm We built our dream home on acreage nearly a year ago. House #2 with Adenbrook and we love it! Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 2May 19, 2009 4:49 pm Da Vinci Outdoor Living Architectural landscaping http://www.davincioutdoor.com Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 3May 20, 2009 8:08 am We built our dream home on acreage nearly a year ago. House #2 with Adenbrook and we love it! Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 4May 20, 2009 10:12 am Cheers Cozmo ______________________________ Building a PD Heywood 29 http://fromevetoeternity.blogspot.com/ Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 5May 20, 2009 10:24 am We built our dream home on acreage nearly a year ago. House #2 with Adenbrook and we love it! Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 7May 28, 2009 11:59 am Hi there Thanks for the reply. Our concrete was only laid in April of last year, is broom finished, uncoloured, unsealed and looks like ordinary paving concrete (matt??). I think that the stains from our dog may be a combination of oily residue from his coat along with dirt/mud. Unfortunately our outdoor area is entirely undercover and does not get ANY weather or sun. Any ideas? TIA TM We built our dream home on acreage nearly a year ago. House #2 with Adenbrook and we love it! Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 8May 28, 2009 8:19 pm taylormade Hi there Thanks for the reply. Our concrete was only laid in April of last year, is broom finished, uncoloured, unsealed and looks like ordinary paving concrete (matt??). I think that the stains from our dog may be a combination of oily residue from his coat along with dirt/mud. Unfortunately our outdoor area is entirely undercover and does not get ANY weather or sun. Any ideas? There is no doubt it will be difficult. You need to do some controlled tests next. Get some paint stripper, some oven cleaner spray, some paint thinners or turpentine, and some hydrochloric acid (also called spirit of salts or muriatic acid). Mix the acid with 10 parts of water and pour a small line on the stain. Spray a small dot or line of oven cleaner, trickle a small line of solvent and dab some paintstripper on the stain. Separate all the tests and make a note of which one is which. Allow each to soak for 10 minutes then blast off with your water jet. Allow to dry and see if one of them makes a big difference. The acid will etch the surface slightly and take off a stain that is adhered only to the top fo the concrete, the oven cleaner is highly caustic and will quickly dissolve anything greasy or oily, the solvent will also attack anything oily in a different way and the paint stripper has a very thin and volatile penetrating solvent. I was surprised that oxalic acid did not do anything. If you get a good result let me know and I will instruct you on the best way to use the products that worked. It is important to do small tests to avoid a big mistake. Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 9May 31, 2009 4:32 pm I have heard (I have not tried this so I can't confirm) that if you pour a can of Coke A Cola over the stain, wait a while then hose off, it gets rid of stains. ? www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 10Jun 16, 2009 3:56 pm This stuff is a great mild way to work through stains and cleaning large areas. It removes concrete from tools but we diluted it like the guy said and it worked.
We tried the harsh acid (hrdyochloric?) watered down as that was all bunnings had and it left a blotchy finish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLeIupGif_M http://www.cretewash.com.au/ . Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 12Jun 16, 2009 6:41 pm themax I have heard (I have not tried this so I can't confirm) that if you pour a can of Coke A Cola over the stain, wait a while then hose off, it gets rid of stains. ? Yes did you know that paramedics and police in USA use coke to get rid of blood stains etc... Building with Homebuyers Centre El Questro! My building thread..viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19421 Brickies started 5/10 Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 13Jun 16, 2009 8:24 pm Diamond Does it say what the active ingredients are? Looks interesting. Any good for oil stains? Doesn't say, just know I didn't have to put rubber gloves on or anything like that and it wasn't a dangerous goods.... it actually got posted to us in the mail!... we used it on new unsealed cement that had a heap of dirt walked and driven onto it after getting some work done (only access was across it)... we didn't want to strip the finish to a quasi exposed agg.. hence the failed diluted Acid thing. We wet the whole area down first... then just poured this stuff all over the cement and used a stiff broom in a sweeping motion not really heavy - hosed it all off and it was like the day it was laid....worked exactly like the guy said...we were a bit nervous about tipping it all over after the acid blotch thing.. he laughed and said if it left a blotchy finish he would pay for a new slab!!! Lol he said he felt like a snake oil salesman with snake oil that worked.....I think you can get it at Mitre 10 now. Edited to add - sorry I forgot to mention... the colour bond fence around the pool had some flicked concrete stuck to it - this stuff diluted that off and didn't hurt the paint or stain it.... we used a 5 litre bottle for the floor and got a 750 trigger bottle for the fence - just misted it on and the concrete blobs just pushed off the fence with thumb pressure - it had us confused why it cleaned the floor gently but completly disolved the blobs on the fence....but it worked. Australian made and owned to I think. . Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 14Jun 17, 2009 4:49 am Wow! That sounds very convincing and it is just like their site video. It is good to hear of a new product like that because sealed concrete that has been stained can be a pain in the rear to clean, but unsealed concrete has been the most difficult. Incredible that it works on concrete, but not on paints or sealers while being safe enough for the postal service. Many thanks. Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 15Jun 23, 2009 2:08 am Diamond I rang Conform in Brisbane where the Crete wash concrete cleaner and remover is made and the guy said it was an Organic Acid based on sugar cane syrup... he said scientifically it is an acid but it is safe for use without gloves etc.... Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 16Jun 23, 2009 2:41 am Hi TM, I just found this thread and have read your post and the responses with much concern! I think there is a problem here of too many well meaning people offering uneducated 'solutions' and its best to get sound information. Specifically, trying out acids (especially combined with other chemicals) is potentially dangerous and/or risks outcomes with your concrete that you don't want. Concrete is an absorbent calcium rich product. Acids DO NOT CLEAN! They work by etching/eroding the concrete. So if you go putting acids on it, you will create damage, unless you know what you are doing. You are probably correct in that the dog's oily coat has contaminated the concrete with oil, and soiling has also occurred. The best way to clean it is to have a professional contractor in, with a high pressure spray/capture system. If need be, they would use alkaline detergents to emulsify oily soils and clean the concrete, and then pressure clean and recover the waste water, so it doesn't absorb back in. You will be amazed! at the results that can be achieved, and any DIY method or other professional methods will be second rate by comparison. Really, you are wasting your time with anything less. IF you have been playing with acids, AFTER the cleaning, the contractor might have to do an acid wash and then neutralise it, to blend in etched areas. Let me know if you want some contacts in your area. Ash. Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 18Jun 23, 2009 11:06 am I understand that there are contractors out there that clean concrete for a living and do great jobs but Crete Wash cost me $59.73.. caused no stripping of the surface like a very strong hydrocloric acid, was easy to use and left no blotchy marks etc so we are very happy with it, I was just relating our experiences... wouldn't spending $59.73 to try be wise before hundreds on a contractor? . Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 19Jun 23, 2009 11:20 am Diamond royalblue Hi TM, I just found this thread and have read your post and the responses with much concern! Ash. Hi Ash, Do you use an Aqua Fortis setup? G'day Diamond, No I don't. I haven't gone into concrete cleaning myself, although I have done a lot of training in stone/concrete, tile & grout etc. I restrict my cleaning to indoor surfaces, as I don't have the gear required to do outdoor hard surface cleaning. I understand the cleaning principles, and have seen the cleaning in action that I am recommending to TM. That is, truck-mounted equipment capable of cleaning at 3000psi> with heated water (diesel burner or heat exchangers) and massive airflow vacuum recovery. Nothing comes close to the efficiency of this cleaning method. Chemicals can play a part, but is best left to contractors who specialise. Whether its, carpets, upholstery, grout, concrete or whatever, I shake my head at the approach some take to fix problems by 'trying' all sorts of chemicals and stuff. Its a recipe for disaster in most cases! Its best to consult with experts in the field of whatever needs to be fixed, and take their advice or get in the experts with the experience and equipment that is required. Ash. Re: Cleaning stained concrete. HELP please~!!! 20Jun 23, 2009 3:26 pm Hi Ash, I developed and built the first vacuum pickup rotary jet system in Australia back in the late 80's - 8,000 psi, wet ring vacuum blower, recyling of all effluent, hot water boiler (weighed a ton on its own) 100 Lt/min. 150 HP diesel engine just for the water pump. I had two trucks - one for the pumps and the other for recovery and settling tanks and I used it mainly for heavy grease deposits on factory floors. I also had the biggest graffiti business in Australia from '77 to '89. Despite the overwhelming power available 2,000 psi-8,000psi, cold water to 95C, I still found that chemicals did the trick. The water does not get below the surface, it just removes deposits of grime from the top. I still believe people should experiment with little tests of different products. I agree with you not to mix chemicals, keep tests tiny, but large enough to see which one works and acids are overrated and not really cleaning products. Trouble is many water jet contractors just use the water, they have very little knowledge of chemicals. I used to laugh when removing graffiti when some old gentleman would ask if I was using 'spirits'. Some older people think acid cleans everything, but it is not a detergent at all, as you said it just eats part of concrete. I must say that sugar cane product seems interesting. Hi, We have warm light throughout our house and it sort of makes are already dark stained floor more darker. We always wanted a lighter colourwd flooring but it turned… 0 22642 No, I even have sections of narrowness where the tiles won't slide up any further. When I manage some spare time, I might play around with the first DIY part of my… 7 4922 i had the my concreters concrete right up to the fence. I have pits all along my path, so the water tends to drain away from the house and into the pits. There's only one… 7 12719 |