Sealing the floor (again)

We originally sealed the concrete floors during the construction phase of building. It was great! No walls, just a clear slab that made it easy to apply the cleaner, wash it off with a power hose, and then apply the sealant. 

Unfortunately it then rained for six weeks straight. I'll give that sealant credit - it tried. Water beaded up for a long time. But eventually it just couldn't take it and failed. And the surface of the concrete roughened a bit making it hard to mop and easy for dirt to catch in the surface crannies. Nothing horrendous, but frustrating when you're trying to keep the floor looking decent.

Re-sealing the floor meant moving everything off it. Ugh.

Cooper doesn't like us moving her couch

Emptied out the living room, dining room, and kitchen

Everything got taken out. Even the kitchen island and cabinets. And it all had to go somewhere.

My Room *sigh*

And the porch is full again

Then we applied the cleaner/degreaser, scrubbed vigorously, and mopped with lots and lots of water. The water washing bit is why we decided to do this now - we're about to install baseboards and didn't want to get them coated in chemicals and water.

It's fun - really

It actually went quite well. Application was straightforward and we put on two full coats. Then we had to wait 72 hours (!) before we put back any furniture or rugs. We were able to walk on it and it was obvious with every passing hour that the finish was getting harder and more durable. How could we tell? It kept getting more slippery. I now have to be very careful walking around in socks and the animals act like they're on ice.

We chose a low-lustre finish with no color to it. We didn't want to acid stain as I am a scaredy cat who fears that it'll look really bad. I've seen too many bad DIY jobs and once it's done and you hate it, you're screwed.  Plus most of the stains leaned toward some shade of brown and I'd rather have the natural concrete grey. Besides, it'll just get covered up with rugs.

Can't really tell can ya?

You can see some shine in this shot

All-in-all, a good experience and one I hope not to repeat for years to come. Now you'll have to excuse me, I've got to go buy some no-slip rug pads.