Staining Painted Concrete Floor

sandra reyes · 08-25-2011, 03:43 PM

Hi, just rented a space, has COOL stamped concrete floor, looks like stamped wood planks, complete with grain and nails (like the decking of an old pirate ship) lots of texture. Problem is last four tenants each put their own color of latex paint on the concrete..so there are 4 layers of paint on top. Really would like to have mottled stained look to the floor...is this possible, and what steps will I have to follow? And is all the paint going to make this really hard, really expensive, or just not doable?

Ron6519 · 08-25-2011, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandra reyes

Hi, just rented a space, has COOL stamped concrete floor, looks like stamped wood planks, complete with grain and nails (like the decking of an old pirate ship) lots of texture. Problem is last four tenants each put their own color of latex paint on the concrete..so there are 4 layers of paint on top. Really would like to have mottled stained look to the floor...is this possible, and what steps will I have to follow? And is all the paint going to make this really hard, really expensive, or just not doable?

Try power washing it. It should easily remove the paint.

mustangmike3789 · 08-25-2011, 08:27 PM

this will depend on what type of paint has been applied in all of these layers. most stamped concrete is coated with a clear solvent sealer. if this is the case and more colored solvent stain has not been applied to it, you may be able to remove all of the new layers of paint. there are techniques to make your stamp work look like the "real deal" again if you can not remove the paint.. first try removing as much of the coating as you can then check back with your progress and we can walk you through the next steps.

Hardiw1 · 08-30-2011, 10:59 PM

Try the gel paint remover that you apply, wait for it to bubble up, then scrape or brush off. My entire basement floor was painted with multiple layers of paint, after a lot of the paint stripper and time, it is now stained concrete.

Hardiw1 · 08-30-2011, 11:08 PM

Here are my pics, like I said paint stripper worked best for me. Good luck

Jeffreybomb · 09-01-2011, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardiw1

Here are my pics, like I said paint stripper worked best for me. Good luck

That's really cool. How long did it take you to do all that, and what products did you use?

Hardiw1 · 09-01-2011, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffreybomb

That's really cool. How long did it take you to do all that, and what products did you use?

It was definitely one of those projects you have to do in small doses or it'll drive you nuts. Took probably 2 weeks to strip all the paint off because of multiple layers. And only a couple of days to stain and seal. I used the gel type stripper on paint, the quickrete acid stain, and quickrete epoxy sealer. It's a LOT of work cleaning up after applying stain if there is no drain or way to spray off with a hose. A lot of wet vac and mopping to remove all residue then just a roll on sealer. The stripper worked pretty good, not sure how it would do with the stamped floors but try it on an inconspicuous place and see how it does.

Jeffreybomb · 09-01-2011, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardiw1

I used the gel type stripper on paint, ... A lot of wet vac and mopping to remove all residue then just a roll on sealer. The stripper worked pretty good, not sure how it would do with the stamped floors but try it on an inconspicuous place and see how it does.

I have to figure out how to get tile glue up off the concrete. I have no idea how long it's been there (bought the house from its previous/first owner, house was built in '55). Hopefully, I won't have too much trouble getting it out of there.

Thanks for the information. I really like the look of stained concrete as opposed to just a solid color of paint.