Chemical Peel (epoxy), Acid Color Stain, Seal

I wanted to start a separate thread for a restoration project I'm doing, stemming from a previous thread "Wet Sand Blasting". I ended up not using the sand blast attachment that I purchased, instead I went with a chemical peel (off recommendations from a few members here).

This is turning out to be a challenging project due to numerous factors but I'm happy with the results so far and I wanted to share the experience.

I can onto this project months ago when I was asked to bid for a full tear out of the front entry way of a hotel and put in a colored, stamped concrete entry way. The hotel was coming up on a benchmark 10 year maintenance schedule and the concrete on the whole property is spalling due to excessive ice melt, poor maintenance, etc. The front entry concrete was in good shape but looked terrible due to a failed attempt at coating the surface. The maintenance man used a poor quality one part epoxy "paint" to coat the entry and within weeks it was flaking and popping due to moisture being locked underneath... SO, after some footwork of bidding the project they opted out of a tearout/repour and asked what other options they had, here is what I came up with:

-Chemical Peel epoxy using a product called SuperStrip from Sherwin Williams
-Pressure wash with Vac recovery of all the old epoxy
-Chemical Acid color stain (for best "wear"ability)
-Seal with a waterbased 15% solids sealer (low gloss, no slip hazard, but still bring the colors out)

Day 1:
This was kind of a test day. Ended up applying the stripper 3 times and surface cleaning with vac once (not enough pressure, 15 degree tips), turbo nozzling twice.

Lots of masking to protect parkinglot, stucco, cars, people.

Took all day to fully complete 500sqft.




To be CONTINUED...

Day 2:
Today's goal was to complete the stripping. I had about 500 sqft left but the challenge was it was the front door (the one and only entry).

I built some temp walls and sheeted them in visqueen to protect people, cars, etc. and then was able to split the front double door allowing entry and exit with uninterupted work flow. I used sand berms and a puddle sucker to grab the junk and water (pre-scrapped today also so my vac wouldn't have to work as hard).

I used more chemical stripper today and applied it liberally resulting in a one time turbo nozzling with great results.



To be CONTINUED...

Calvin, do you know what the product name is that you are removing? Any true epoxy should not be used outdoors due to yellowing from uv rays. Was this just a box store concrete stain ( which coming from a box store would just be a paint) a stain will absorb into the concrete permanently, and will not flake off. Cheap so called concrete stains purchased from box stores fail almost immediately. I have removed behr concrete stain a few times. Absolute junk.
I think you are on the right track with an acid stain. But it may be best to overlay the spalling concrete. If you don't it may not look uniform.
I am on my phone at the moment, and will take a better look on the computer tomorrow when I get a chance.
I have some great contacts with this type of work if you do need some advice.
Looking forward too seeing the after pics.
This type of work can be great money!

Check your inbox. I've got a great easy to apply product that would work great on this job.

chrishartje said:

Calvin, do you know what the product name is that you are removing? Any true epoxy should not be used outdoors due to yellowing from uv rays. Was this just a box store concrete stain ( which coming from a box store would just be a paint) a stain will absorb into the concrete permanently, and will not flake off. Cheap so called concrete stains purchased from box stores fail almost immediately. I have removed behr concrete stain a few times. Absolute junk.
I think you are on the right track with an acid stain. But it may be best to overlay the spalling concrete. If you don't it may not look uniform.
I am on my phone at the moment, and will take a better look on the computer tomorrow when I get a chance.
I have some great contacts with this type of work if you do need some advice.
Looking forward too seeing the after pics.
This type of work can be great money!

Click to expand...

Chris,
The product being removed was a Behr one part epoxy, basically a paint they push for garages. My theory is in outdoor situations the concrete must be able to breath, especially in this situation most of the sidewalks are bordered by irrigated planters. Residual moisture from curing concrete as well as irrigation moisture need to be able to leave the slab. If your sealer, topcoat, epoxy, etc. doesnt allow that it will pop or in the case of non breathable acrylic sealers, turn white. I looked into Newlook off a recommendation by another contractor on this bb but opted for Absolute chemical acid stain for one major reason. Newlook, from what I can tell, is applied by putting down your sealer, your tinted sealer, then finally your topcoat of sealer. This hotel is a high traffic hotel with marginal maintenance. I didnt want to get the call back in six months when there is a foot traffic path worn through the tinted sealer layer because they didnt bother resealing. That is why I went acid stain, penetrating down into the"cream" of the concrete then sealed over the top with a breathable outdoor sealer (I like to use Master Builders products). As far as the spalling concrete, its not spalling in these areas. The rest of the sidewalks got my clean and seal with a product called Hydrozo 40 from Master Builders. 40% Silane/Siloxane, solvent based, super breathable, resistant to a lot of abuse, leaves no sheen so there is no slip hazard. This is in a category of sealers that is the only stuff approved by ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) for use on roadways.

Anyways its 3am and im typing on my lil damn phone, just cant sleep cause im thinking about work and staining tomorrow. Usually dont sleep well when I have fun projects like this going, always thinking about the next day....

Day 3:
By the end of tonight the concrete will be completely stained. Left it for a few hours to let it absorb so I can flip to the other side of the double door. Heading back over there around 8pm tonight when traffic slows down.

Ended up with some really cool marbling due to someones boched attempt at a previous etch or cleaning. I began with masking anything I didn't want stained then I proceeded to fill two separate pump up sprayers (cheap Chapin ones) with two different colors. Then I sprayed both colors onto the slab with random pattern and directions. I followed by scrubbing the acid stain with a stiff bristle brush (mixing and spearing the two colors).

As it set and soaked up the colors kept changing and darkening. I periodically added small amounts here and there and brushed heavy sections, moving the stain to dryer areas. Here are some of the result pictures (pre-sealer, taken about 3-5 hours of dwelling) FYI: I'm going to leave it for 24hrs, they want it dark.



Sealer should help the color "pop" visually.

To be CONTINUED....

Calvin, it looks terrific! I know it's getting cold over there at night and was wondering if that presents any drying problems? Are you having to heat the work area?

Thanks, at this stage no issues with drying but when I go to seal...yes, it is going to be difficult. Not supposed to get above 50 degrees the next two days over here. Thought about a visqueen tent and heater but the wind rips through that covered drive. Regardless I'll go real light coats and do two of them.

Some info off the tech sheet for the sealer I will be applying:

Kure-n-seal WB

-16% solids, waterborn acrylic polymer in a co-solvent emulsion
-may be applied as low as 40 degrees F
-foot traffic at 4hrs in 65 degrees F
-7 day for full cure

snagtooth said:

Day 3:
By the end of tonight the concrete will be completely stained. Left it for a few hours to let it absorb so I can flip to the other side of the double door. Heading back over there around 8pm tonight when traffic slows down.

Ended up with some really cool marbling due to someones boched attempt at a previous etch or cleaning. I began with masking anything I didn't want stained then I proceeded to fill two separate pump up sprayers (cheap Chapin ones) with two different colors. Then I sprayed both colors onto the slab with random pattern and directions. I followed by scrubbing the acid stain with a stiff bristle brush (mixing and spearing the two colors).

As it set and soaked up the colors kept changing and darkening. I periodically added small amounts here and there and brushed heavy sections, moving the stain to dryer areas. Here are some of the result pictures (pre-sealer, taken about 3-5 hours of dwelling) FYI: I'm going to leave it for 24hrs, they want it dark.

View attachment 26583View attachment 26584View attachment 26587View attachment 26586

Sealer should help the color "pop" visually.

To be CONTINUED....

Click to expand...

Looking Great Calvin. Make sure you let us see the final photos! I will take a look into masters builders products

Rained today, so not much progress. Layed the last acid stain at 2am last night so im still letting it dwell(24hr +). Correction on products:
- Absolute Concrete Stain
-BASF Sealers

Front presealer


Farside with water on it (similar to what we will end up with sealed).

You just go on with your bad self. That looks like it was/is quite the project. getting that stuff off must have been a pain. but when you did it looked almost brand new. I love the temp walls and all the protection. And to think that they would have tore it out and re poured it, good job.

Looks great! that is quite a project you are doing an awesome job.

OK, So the job has been a real challenge from day one and when I got to the sealing stage I had major issues.

SEALER ROUND 1
I started out with a water born acrylic sealer, Kure n Seal WB by BASF and i couldn't get it to cure properly. I tried to tent the whole thing and heat it up but I couldn't get it to clear so I decided to start over and I stripped it with SuperStrip. See Pics.


Oh yeah, it really got nasty.



After I striped the WB sealer I had to re-stain the concrete due to some color loss and general funky-ness caused by the SuperStrip. Actually helped me out in the long run by creating a darker/richer color like the client wanted.

SEALER ROUND 2
Temps in my area have been getting up to 50-55 degrees F for only a couple hours a day. I should have never tried the water born sealer. For round two, considering that cooler temps were on their way I went with a solvent based acrylic sealer, 15% overlay flash sealer by Absolute Concrete Colors. As recommended by the manufacturer I did a neutralizing wash down followed by two more wash downs with a mild soap and stiff bristle brush. The second soap wash down was done in the early AM of the morning I was going to seal. I called the manufacturer and got an employee on the phone who confirmed that I could apply the "flash" sealer to the concrete if it was still moist but no standing water (which I do all the time with a solvent based sealer called Hydrozo 40 by BASF). I waited a few hours, used a leaf blower, and hand wiped all standing water to make sure it was "surface dry" and proceeded to spray the sealer with my Chapin sprayer. As I finished the 1000sqft I turned around to see where I started and it was turning white before my eyes! This time it didn't even adhere in many spots and it was flaking off blowing in the wind. Here is the aftermath, the spots where color is showing is where the sealer didn't adhere at all and it blew away in the wind.

I couldn't believe it, I was about ready to loose my cool. I called my supplier and got a personal phone number for the owner of the company who manufactures the product. I get him on the phone and I give him my scenario, he tells me his employee was misinformed and the concrete needs to be "bone dry". I ended up going home last night almost in tears, thinking "I'm done for" "Gonna get sued over this one". Came back today with a plan. I used 4 gallons of acetone and hand brushed 1000sqft of concrete to re-emulsify the sealer that was still down. This time only a few small spots returned to a white hue. I followed by rolling on a solid layer of the same sealer. Here is how I left it a few hours ago.



Finally I got something down that looks decent! I have a few touch ups to do and some cleaning but I think I got it. Huge learning experience, wanted to give up and hide in a cave a few times but battled through it and now it's on the home stretch.

snagtooth said:

I couldn't believe it, I was about ready to loose my cool. I called my supplier and got a personal phone number for the owner of the company who manufactures the product. I get him on the phone and I give him my scenario, he tells me his employee was misinformed and the concrete needs to be "bone dry". I ended up going home last night almost in tears, thinking "I'm done for" "Gonna get sued over this one". Came back today with a plan. I used 4 gallons of acetone and hand brushed 1000sqft of concrete to re-emulsify the sealer that was still down. This time only a few small spots returned to a white hue. I followed by rolling on a solid layer of the same sealer. Here is how I left it a few hours ago.

View attachment 26696View attachment 26697View attachment 26698View attachment 26699

Finally I got something down that looks decent! I have a few touch ups to do and some cleaning but I think I got it. Huge learning experience, wanted to give up and hide in a cave a few times but battled through it and now it's on the home stretch.

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear you had to go through so much to get where you are now. Also sucks the employee gave you false information on when you could apply. But it seems to have been a good learning experience and I think it looks good in those last pictures man. Great job sticking it out.

Geez Calvin, talk about a nightmare! Is the hotel in the Old Mill Distict?

Got to ask if, in hind sight, do you think you over committed on this one or was it just a pig all the way round.?

Ted,
Not in the Old Mill, East side of town, Comfort Inn and Suites. Busy business conference hotel and close proximity to the hospital so lots of families and people staying for hospital services.
Wash-it H.B.,
I don't feel like I over committed, I just feel like it went south quick. I have worked construction for almost 10 years now on-and-off as I went to school and the last 3-5 years solid. I'm in it for the long haul, my motto is no job too small or too big (obviously within reason but..) this was only around 1000sqft. I have never had a job quite like this but sometimes you got to take the leap and do your best to swim.

snagtooth said:

I have never had a job quite like this but sometimes you got to take the leap and do your best to swim.

Click to expand...

Calvin, some guys leap in. But I think it's cool that you bucked up and swam in the deep end. Good job buddy!

Way to see it through, Calvin. They're not all easy... been in your shoes many times.